29/01/2014 Session
“I hope that the co-operation between the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will grow and strengthen.” emphasised Martin Schulz in his address to PACE today. The President of the European Parliament underlined the importance of a closer partnership for the two institutions, already working successfully together in activities such as election observation.
Mr Schulz also mentioned synergies in the framework of respect for human rights, preservation of democracy and stability of rule of law. “In many areas, your expertise is already flowing into our work, including the reports of the Venice Commission and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.” The German politician said that the forthcoming accession of the European Union to the European Convention of Human Rights would be a “historic milestone”, calling for convergence and consistency in Europe.