14/11/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE will convene its network of contact parliamentarians to stop sexual violence against children on 20 November in Moscow on the occasion of International Children's Rights Day. The discussion directed at the topic of “sexual abuse inflicted on children within the circle of trust” will enable the parliamentarians to strengthen prevention and protection policies as well as sanctions at national level.
24/10/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Liliane Maury Pasquier (Switzerland, SOC), who chairs PACE’s Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, has called on the Greek authorities to modify two 2010 reforms to Greek labour law recently judged illegal by the European Committee of Social Rights.
17/10/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“The rise in poverty and social exclusion is a threat to the full enjoyment of fundamental human rights by an increasing part of the population and a danger to the social cohesion of our societies,” today said Sir Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC) in Strasbourg, speaking on behalf of the PACE President in the Conference “Building Europe through Human Rights: Acting Together against Extreme Poverty”, on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
17/10/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“Member states must set up robust procedures to enable local and regional authorities to take part in consultation processes,” confirmed Sir Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC), PACE General Rapporteur on Local and Regional Authorities, in a plenary debate during the 23rd session of the Congress held in Strasbourg today.
07/09/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE’s Social Affairs Committee has given its full backing to a European tax on financial transactions, urging that it should cover as many countries as possible – as a first step to a global tax – and should also be levied on derivatives trading and off-exchange transactions. The committee, adopting a draft resolution based on a report by Hermine Naghdalyan (Armenia, ALDE), also said ...
28/06/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE’s Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development has expressed concern at a recent amendment to Turkish law banning strikes in the airline sector, following the calling of a strike at Turkish Airlines, as well as the subsequent sacking of hundreds of striking airline workers.
23/05/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
In a draft resolution adopted yesterday on “The young generation sacrificed: social, economic and political consequences of the financial crisis”, PACE Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development notes that the young generation is disproportionally hit by the unemployment/underemployment-poverty-exclusion trap, a situation that could have tragic consequences. Young people should be viewed not as a problem to be addressed but as an asset,” said the rapporteur, Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD).
23/05/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
In view of the growing inequalities and current challenges, the Assembly should demand equal access to health-care and treatment for everyone living in Europe, without discrimination on the basis of financial means, residence status or place of residence,” said Jean-Louis Lorrain (France, EPP/CD) in his draft report on equal access to healthcare.
22/05/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Adopting a report on “Austerity measures – a danger for democracy and social rights”, prepared by Andrej Hunko (Germany, UEL), the PACE Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development said it was concerned that the restrictive approaches currently pursued may not reach their objective of consolidating budgets, but risk further deepening the crisis and undermining the social rights as they mainly affect lower income classes and the most vulnerable categories of the population.
23/03/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“The energy sector will continue to be dominated by fossil fuels for many years to come. It is vital to first diversify our approach to energy”, said an expert, Professor Samuele Furfari, at a hearing held in Paris today by PACE's Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development. In particular, he proposed a three-pronged approach to diversification.
23/03/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“From an economic perspective, cuts in public spending, social security and wages are not effective against the current crisis because they particularly affect those who receive the lowest wages, the unemployed, pensioners and other social groups in need of special protection - children, the elderly and disabled, migrants.
22/03/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
In a draft resolution adopted unanimously in Paris today, PACE’s Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development proposes a series of measures to guarantee decent pensions for all.