22/11/2012 President
Strasbourg, 22.11.2012 – "If we are to be effective and above all credible, we must react firmly in all cases where our member states fail to honour their commitments and obligations," said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon today at the end of an official visit to Berlin, while calling on all member states to assume their responsibilities and show scrupulous respect for democratic and human rights standards.
"Democratic change is naturally a lengthy process and, as the Federal President pointed out, it requires a paradigm shift. We are there to accompany this process," he added.
"Our objective is constructive dialogue that respects each party's opinions while at the same time leaving room for criticism. When it comes to our principles and values we must be uncompromising, and I call on all the members of the Assembly to comply with these fundamental principles in our debates."
President Mignon also called for reinforced complementarity between the Council of Europe and the EU. "The EU and the Council of Europe have different, albeit complementary, spheres of competence, and if the European project is to be genuinely effective they must both work together and draw the full benefits of their respective specific expertise."
"Today, with European economies experiencing great difficulties that are generating dissatisfaction among many people in Europe, we need to return to a Europe based on values and closer to its citizens. This is in point of fact our Organisation's key area of competence: our monitoring mechanisms are already doing excellent work at the pan-European level in the fields of human rights, the rule of law and democratic institutions."
The PACE President also underlined the importance of seeking solutions to the problem of frozen conflicts. "The Council of Europe and its Assembly have a real role to play here by fostering dialogue between elected representatives, through parliamentary diplomacy, and with representatives of civil society. However, we must build on the actions taken by our member states. Their support is vital to our success and Germany's contribution is very important for us," he concluded.
During the discussions the Federal President, Joachim Gauck, agreed in principle to visit Strasbourg on the occasion of one of the part-sessions in 2013.