08/11/2013 Political Affairs and Democracy
Assunçao Esteves: “Parliaments are the gateway to every Spring”
“Parliaments are the strategic venue for any political reform which leads to freedom, the gateway to every Spring! When parliaments are operational and free, in other words, when they are true parliaments, it is they who shape freedom”, said Assunçao Esteves, the Speaker of Portugal’s Parliament, addressing the conference organised by the PACE Political Affairs Committee on “Political changes in the South Mediterranean and the Middle East: the role of representative institutions”.
“For its part, the Council of Europe is a benchmark for civilisation. The human rights organisation par excellence, with foundations in the painful memories of the Second World War, it is a special provider of support for the countries which are moving along the path of democracy. We must bring the Organisation and its institutions, such as the Parliamentary Assembly and the North-South Centre, closer to those States”, added Ms Esteves.