02/07/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has expressed deep concern about the death sentence passed on a young man in Belarus on 29 June. "The death penalty is a flagrant violation of human rights. It does not serve, but denies justice. No crime could justify it. This is why the Assembly asked its Bureau on 23 June not to lift the suspension of the Belarus Parliament's special guest status until such time as a moratorium on executions has been introduced by the appropriate Belarus authorities," he said.
17/06/2009 | President
During a two-day official visit to “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” ending today, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig said that since its declaration of independence and subsequent accession to the Council of Europe in 1995, the country had made steady progress on the path of strengthening its democratic institutions, affirming the principles of rule of law and effectively protecting human rights and national minorities. “However, ‘the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ still has issues to face in the process of consolidating its democratic institutions. The confidence of all political players in the parliamentary process must be bolstered,” said PACE President.
16/06/2009 | President
"We are very concerned about some of the proposed changes to the legislation regulating non-governmental organisations and media in Azerbaijan. Amendments as proposed, which will be reportedly submitted for parliamentary decision this Friday, may create serious obstacles for the freedom of expression and normal functioning of the civil society in Azerbaijan. They may even lead to the closing of the Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Baku"...
15/06/2009 | President
Lluís Maria de Puig, Président de l’ l’Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l’Europe (APCE), se rendra les 16 et 17 juin en visite officielle dans « l'ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine », au cours de laquelle il devrait rencontrer le Président de la République, Gorge Ivanov, le Président de l’Assemblée, Trajko Veljanoski, le Premier ministre, Nikola Gruevski, et le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Antonijo Milososki.
04/06/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig yesterday completed an official three-day tour of Tunisia during which he outlined to the Tunisian authorities the "partner for democracy” status, which is due to be debated in the Assembly at the next part-session and will cover countries including the southern Mediterranean ones.
29/05/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig, will make an official visit to Tunisia from 1 to 3 June, where he is to meet the Prime Minister and also the Minister of Justice and Human rights, the Minister of Women, Family, Children and the Elderly Affairs, as well as the Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical education. Talks are also scheduled with the Speaker of the House of deputies, and the Speaker of the House of Councillors.
25/05/2009 | President
During a visit to Algeria, Lluís Maria de Puig confirmed to the Algerian authorities that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and, more particularly, he personally as President of PACE, were determined to strengthen parliamentary relations with the countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, starting with the Maghreb. He pointed out that a debate on the establishment of a “Partner for democracy” status with the Parliamentary Assembly (Doc. 11913) was scheduled to take place in Strasbourg on 26 June.
18/05/2009 | President
Beyond the creation of a common democratic and legal area, one of the Council of Europe’s major achievements, “we should think about new ways that will enable the Organisation to assert itself more in the member countries and on the international scene,” said PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig in Helsinki at the ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Council of Europe and the 20th anniversary of Finland’s accession to the Organisation. “I therefore welcome the reflection launched in our Assembly concerning a need for a broader interpretation of human rights."
15/05/2009 | President
Strasbourg, 15.05.2009 – A concrete proposal to inscribe “the right to a healthy environment” into the European system of human rights protection is to be debated in September by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), its President announced yesterday. Addressing the Nevsky...
13/05/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has said that the Council of Europe can point to “an extremely positive” record of achievement in the last sixty years. Addressing the organisation’s Foreign Ministers in Madrid at a meeting to mark the 60th anniversary, the President said the Council’s moral force flowed from “a unique combination of diplomatic subtlety and rigour in defending our values”. Concerning the Ministers’ decision to forward a list containing two candidates for the election to the post of Secretary General, the President said that although he was not yet in a position to present the Assembly’s reaction, he thought that the parliamentarians “are not going to like this decision”.
27/04/2009 | President
PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, today recalled what he described as “so many good reasons for the Council of Europe to persevere in its mission” at a ceremony held in plenary sitting to mark the 60th anniversary of the organisation. “Our first duty is never to forget the slogan of the pioneers of European integration – never again. Nobody is ever proof against fresh excesses, which is why we must keep alert so as never to allow a recurrence of the ills that the founders of our organisation set out to eradicate,” he stressed.
22/04/2009 | President
“The emergence of various forms of intolerance and racism within our communities and in relations between nations is a cause for concern. The Durban Review Conference taking place in Geneva is proof that we need to step up our efforts to combat racism,” said PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig. “On the one hand, the Conference has shown us the determination of the international community to make progress in this field, but at the same time, it provides a platform for intolerant remarks presented as anti-racism. However, denial of the Holocaust is in itself a manifestation of racism and an incitement to hatred.”