31/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“This is my third visit to Kosovo since the adoption of my last report in 2010. My impression is that the democratic interplay in Kosovo is improving over the years, but democracy needs time,” said PACE rapporteur Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), speaking to the media at the end of a two-day visit to Kosovo (29-30 October 2012).
26/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the situation in Kosovo*, will make a field visit on 29-30 October 2012 to assess the political situation. The rapporteur will have talks with the Kosovo authorities, including the President and Prime Minister as well as the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Justice, Local government administration, and Communities and returns.
10/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“Citizens should have their say in the way public affairs are run, not only once every four or five years, but every day,” said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon today in opening a round table entitled “Is representative democracy in crisis?”, as part of the World Forum for Democracy.
08/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“Democracy cannot do without dynamic and prosperous markets. But economic crises pave the way for the enemies of democracy,” explained the President of the PACE today at the opening of the World Forum on Democracy plenary session on the subject “Do markets need democracy and vice-versa?”. He continued: “Yet democracy is hard to reconcile with unregulated markets. The example of the money markets provides proof, if proof were needed, of their inability to self-regulate. (…) Such regulation is difficult in an economy which is globalised but in which the political power largely remains at the national level.”
08/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
During a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, organised on the margins of the World Forum for Democracy, PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon invited the Secretary General to address the Parliamentary Assembly at a forthcoming session. “The Secretary General highlighted the pioneering role played by the Council of Europe, and more particularly the Parliamentary Assembly, in combating violence against women, including domestic violence...,” the PACE President said.
08/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on Tunisia, said that she was deeply troubled and concerned by the recent press reports of the rape of a young Tunisian woman by police officers. According to these reports, in early September 2012 a young Tunisian woman and her fiancé were stopped, in the middle of the night, by police officers, accused of engaging in “immoral behaviour”.
05/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Jean-Claude Mignon will chair the round table on “Is representative democracy in crisis?”, which is organised by PACE in the context of the World Forum for Democracy. It will bring together PACE members Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) and members of parliament from across the world. Andy Richardson (Interparliamentary Union) will present a Global Parliamentary Report on “The changing nature of parliamentary representation”.
24/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
"I regret that many OSCE commitments on citizens’ democratic rights to associate, to stand as candidates and to express themselves freely were not respected in yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Belarus and that the elections were not administered in an impartial manner due to the lack of proper counting procedures or ways for observers to verify the results, " said Andres Herkel.
14/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The perception of a decline in democratic values triggered by the economic and financial crisis is growing in Europe and beyond. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has for some time been sounding the alarm, pointing to the diminishing trust of citizens in democratic institutions and political leadership, low electoral turnouts and increasing popular support for, xenophobic and populist parties. With the gap between citizens and their democratic institutions widening, the Assembly hails this year’s Day of Democracy focus on dialogue and inclusiveness as central factors for democracy”.
13/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“A right balance has to be struck between national interests and respect for human rights in Council of Europe member States’ foreign policies”, PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy said today during its meeting in Helsinki. When foreign policy “neglects human rights for too long” and focuses solely on strategic economic and geo-political interests – it added - “human rights crises may erupt and “humanitarian interventions” become urgent and moral necessities”.
11/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
In a draft resolution “For more democratic elections” adopted today in Helsinki, PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy observes that election-related violations persist in several member States – opacity of election campaign funding, misuse of administrative resources, pressure and intimidation brought to bear on candidates and voters, unequal access to the media, the electoral administration’s lack of independence, neutrality and impartiality, restrictions on the right to vote and to stand for election, vote buying, ballot box stuffing, and ineffective complaints procedures.
11/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The Council of Europe has contributed to the stability and security of our continent in a remarkable way notably through the prevention of conflicts and their aftercare. Today’s human rights violations are often the cause of tomorrow’s conflicts. Thus respect for human rights is a powerful instrument in conflict prevention”, Former President of Finland Tarja Halonen said today addressing in Helsinki PACE’s Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.