06/11/2018 President
PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier has opened a major parliamentary conference in Dubrovnik – aimed at promoting democratic security in the Mediterranean – with an appeal to the shared universal values which have historically linked the countries around the Mediterranean.
This parliamentary conference is organised by PACE’s Political Affairs Committee, in co-operation with PACE’s Parliamentary Project Support Division, in the framework of the Croatian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe.
Offering the Assembly’s expertise and platforms, notably its “Partnership for democracy”, to Mediterranean countries, she evoked the principles of “democracy, human dignity and fundamental rights, as well as the rule of law” which both Europe and the Mediterranean aspired to.
“Developing a system of governance which is firmly anchored in these values – this is what we call promoting democratic security,” the President said in an opening speech to assembled VIPs, including the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Croatia’s Foreign Minister and the Mayor of Dubrovnik. “It is our shared responsibility to implement these principles for there to be peace, stability and prosperity in this region that we share,” she continued.
“We must not forget that our values should never be taken for granted, and that no single democratic model is applicable to all countries and all situations. Each must find their own democratic path, but sharing experience and good practice nevertheless enables us all to make quicker progress,” the President added.
In a later intervention, the President also presented the Assembly’s “Partnership for democracy” status, which is currently held by the parliaments of Morocco, Jordan and Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the Palestinian National Council.
She expressed the hope that Tunisia could also soon acquire this status, and that the parliaments of Algeria, Egypt and Lebanon would also express interest in this partnership in the near future.
The heads of other Council of Europe bodies – including its group of legal experts, the Venice Commission, and its anti-corruption body GRECO – also presented their work.