10/04/2008 | President
“I deplore the decision of the Japanese authorities to carry out the four executions that have taken place today, in secret, and without prior warning,” said PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig. “The death penalty is not a civilised act of justice, but the way it is carried out in Japan is particularly chilling,” the President said, pointing out that condemned persons had no prior warning, and that the executions were only announced after they had taken place.
04/04/2008 | President
PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, today welcomed the reopening, after some teething problems, of the Ledra Street crossing as highly symbolic. “I can only repeat that I am deeply convinced that this step will play an important role in promoting dialogue and reconciliation. The Parliamentary Assembly will support all efforts aimed at turning the Buffer Zone in Cyprus from a symbol of division into a symbol of co-operation,” the President stressed.
04/04/2008 | President
PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig today invited the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) to take part in the launch of a “European Day of Integration and Intercultural Tolerance”. “This is a clear and visible sign of our shared commitment to making this goal a top political priority for Europe”, explained the President. He added that “if the IPA CIS joined this PACE/European Parliament initiative, it would become a symbol of the whole Eurasian continent”, providing an “excellent contribution to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008”.
03/04/2008 | President
Speaking at the 30th Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig stressed that relations with neighbouring countries of the Council of Europe are one of his priorities. “I am persuaded that the European democratic model based on our organisation’s fundamental values continues to exercise its power of attraction well beyond Europe. We must work closely with our neighbours including those in Central Asia and think about pragmatic methods enabling us to develop an institutional dialogue in specific fields of co-operation,” he said.
01/04/2008 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig paid homage in Lisbon to the two winners of the North-South Prize 2008, Simone Veil and Kofi Annan, whose "exceptional qualities and universal standing have helped overcome the greatest cleavages and promote the most difficult causes, thanks to their profound and unfailing attachment to human rights and the dignity of all".
01/04/2008 | President
“It is not true that security is more important than freedom,” said PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig, concluding a conference on anti-terrorist measures and human rights in Athens on Friday. “As soon as you restrict freedom, this itself becomes an element of insecurity.” Fighting terrorism with illegal and inhuman actions only leads to barbarism, he pointed out, criticising the complicity of European governments in abuses discussed at the conference, such as secret detention, illegal renditions and unfair terrorist blacklisting procedures.
31/03/2008 | President
The need for more focused Council of Europe action to integrate migrants was among subjects discussed by PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig and Greek President Karolos Papoulias during a meeting in Athens this week on the fringe of a meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.
28/03/2008 | President
Addressing the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly in Athens today, Lluís Maria de Puig, President of the PACE, said that protection of the natural environment had to be regarded as a fundamental human right. One of the objectives that he had set himself during his term of office was the integration of the right to a healthy environment into the European Convention on Human Rights, through an additional protocol.
23/03/2008 | President
PACE President, Lluis Maria de Puig, today welcomed the announcement by the Cypriot President and the Turkish Cypriot leader to resume talks on the reunification of the island. The President commended the announced reopening of the Ledra Street crossing as highly symbolic.
12/03/2008 | President
“The Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament have always co-operated and supported each other on such issues as EU enlargement, the Parliament’s powers or the European Constitution. Today, our major joint project is the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights”, declared PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig today at a ceremony in Strasbourg to mark the EP’s 50th anniversary. On this occasion the PACE President presented his EP counterpart Hans Gert Pöttering with a recording of the Parliament’s first session and reminded those present that the two institutions had shared the same premises until 1999.
07/03/2008 | President
PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, today firmly condemned the assassination of a former municipal councillor from Mondragon, and offered his condolences to the victim’s family. “Anyone seeking to destabilise democratic institutions in Spain, in an attempt to influence the general election result, is making a mistake. When the Spanish people vote on Sunday, they will be demonstrating their faith in the democratic process”, the PACE President said.
07/03/2008 | President
Ján Kubiš, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Lluís Maria de Puig, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Terry Davis, Secretary General, and Halvdan Skard, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, declared: “We are determined to end the silence and indifference which keeps so many women across Europe imprisoned in the horror of daily violence, isolation and despair. Our two-year campaign is succeeding in changing some laws and regulations, but this is not enough.