22/06/2018 President
Speaking today during an exchange of views with the EU Council’s Working Party on co-operation with the OSCE and the Council of Europe (COSCE), PACE President Michele Nicoletti appealed to Council of Europe member States, in particular those belonging to the EU, to shoulder their responsibility for the future of European unity.
“The Council of Europe and the European Union are value-based organisations founded on multilateral agreements and which share a common goal: to build a ‘common home’ for 830 million citizens where fundamental rights and the rule of law are respected and democratic institutions can flourish,” he said.
“In today’s Europe of concentric circles, we see dangerous centrifugal tendencies and emerging divisions which put at risk the continent’s democratic stability. It is our shared duty to preserve Europe’s substantial unity based on the principles and standards enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights system and member States, especially those belonging to the EU as the most advanced pillar of the European project, must shoulder their responsibilities to the full,” concluded Mr Nicoletti.
In the discussion, the PACE President informed the members of COSCE of the work of the Bureau’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Role and Mission of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Assembly’s relations with Russia, its activities regarding Turkey, as well as the follow-up given to the report of the Independent External Investigation Body on allegations of corruption within the Assembly.