12/01/2006 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The committee holds an exchange of views with EBRD President Jean Lemierre in the framework of its annual report on the Bank’s activities. Also on the agenda: "Economic development in Ukraine, a test case for European solidarity" and "Europe’s interest in the continued economic development of Russia". On Thursday 19, the committee will meet senior representatives of the global risk management company Swiss Re.
16/12/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
At a meeting in Paris today, the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee decided not to continue its work on the report “For recognition and supervision of surrogacy as an alternative to sterility.” The committee concluded that it was unable for the time being to submit proposals on the matter to the Assembly.
10/11/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Cevdet Erdol, Président de la Commission de la santé et des affaires sociales de l’Assemblée nationale de Turquie, prononcera le 14 novembre à Istanbul l’allocution d’ouverture de la réunion de la Commission des questions sociales de l’APCE. La commission aura notamment des échanges de vues avec les autorités turques sur le trafic d’organes et sur la grippe aviaire dans le cadre de la préparation de deux rapports sur les sujets.
03/11/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Organised on 4 November by the Parliamentary Assembly’s Environment Committee, this colloquy will look at the role of local administration and public services in waste management and environmentally-friendly treatment techniques. Meeting separately a day earlier, the committee will hold an exchange of views with members of the Romanian government and parliament, and may approve reports on Regrouping agricultural land in central and eastern Europe and on the 50th anniversary of the Europe Prize.
18/10/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
More than one hundred national, regional and local elected representatives, members of governments, experts, international organisations and associations from about 50 countries, including Europe, the Maghreb, the Middle East and North America, participate in a conference on “Water Management: A Shared Responsibility”, in Strasbourg on 20 and 21 October 2005. This conference is a joint initiave of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe to address water management as a challenge for local, regional and national decision-makers, including members of Parliament.
06/10/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE today deplored the fact that most countries are unprepared to face bird flu as well as “the flagrant lack of medicines”, both vaccines and anti-viral medicines, which are one of the most effective ways of countering this pandemic. Following an urgent debate on ‘Europe and bird flu - preventive measures in the health field’, the parliamentarians underlined that among the 46 European members of the organisation, only a small number have set up an early warning system and taken preventive measures against the new virus.
16/09/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is due to approve the report on ‘Surrogacy as an alternative to sterility’, by Michael Hancock (United Kingdom, LDR), during its meeting to be held in Paris on Friday 16 September.
16/09/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Meeting today in Paris, the Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs decided, following a lively debate, to continue work on the report "Surrogacy as an alternative to sterility" drawn up by Michael Hancock (United Kingdom, ALDE). So as to allow its members time to propose amendments, the committee intends to adopt the preliminary draft resolution at its next meeting in Paris on 16 December.
13/09/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Parliamentarians from 46 countries joined senior officials from the OECD, the World Bank and the EBRD as well as European Trade Union representatives to discuss the pros and cons of “outsourcing” – the practice of companies in wealthier countries moving their production to low-wage, less regulated economies – at a public hearing in Paris on 14th September. The conclusions of the hearing, organised by the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development of the PACE, form part of a report being prepared by Neven Mimica (Croatia, SOC).
05/09/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Strasbourg, 05.09.2005 – Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold (Switzerland, SOC), rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), visiting Ukraine from 29 August to 1 September, expressed her extreme concern about the disappearance of new-born babies in the country and allegations of trafficking of babies for adoption and of foetuses for scientific purposes. She called on the office of the principal state prosecutor to shed light on those cases already brought to his attention, to open investigations into any other suspicious incidents and to bring those responsible to justice. Ms Vermot-Mangold said that during her visit she had obtained detailed information on four cases and added that “whatever the number of disappearances, just one case is one too many”.
22/08/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Strasbourg, 24.08.2005 - A rapporteur of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold (Switzerland, SOC), will visit Ukraine from 29 August to 1 September to investigate the alleged disappearance of newborn babies in mysterious circumstances. German media had reported that two babies born in a clinic in Kharkov at the end of 2002 had been taken away from their mothers a few hours after being born.
21/07/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
A PACE rapporteur is to visit Ukraine to investigate claims that newborn babies are disappearing in mysterious circumstances. German media reported that two babies born in a clinic in Kharkov at the end of 2002 were taken away from their mothers a few hours after being born. Medical staff later declared that they had died of complications, but their parents were never given access to their bodies despite repeated requests. Several foetuses and bodies of newborn babies whose organs had been removed were subsequently discovered at the clinic's biological waste site, according to the reports. One Ukrainian NGO believes up to 300 similar disappearances may have occurred between 2001 and 2003. Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold (Switzerland, SOC), who is in Ukraine from 31 August to 1 September, will visit the clinic and speak with staff as well as the NGO concerned and Ukraine's health minister and ombudsman.