21/06/2004 | President
In his opening speech, Assembly President Peter Schieder pointed out that the way the elections to the Parliament of the enlarged Union unfolded should give food for thought. Turnout diminished from 60 per cent 20 years ago to just over 45 per cent, while in many of the new member states participation was only 20 per cent or even less. Populist and extremist candidates or groupings obtained significant results in many countries. The votes for parties and candidates which were either very critical or openly dismissive of the EU had also increased, he pointed out. "It seems that the European Parliament is paying the price for everything that has not been done by EU governments to explain the European design and goals to their citizens. This is a challenge - not only for the EU but for all of us," he said. Mr Schieder called for a full public discussion of the benefits of the new Constitutional Treaty and said he hoped and expected that this would also open the way for EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, a proposal which the Assembly has long championed, not least in connection with the Third Summit which has been, from the very beginning, actively promoted by the Parliamentary Assembly.
25/05/2004 | President
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities acts as a “laboratory of democracy” at local and regional levels, Parliamentary Assembly Peter Schieder said today, addressing the Congress during its opening session. “Your intiatives, debates and projects have served to water and fertilize the grass roots, especially where the seeds had fallen on long untended ground. And the Congress is looking more and more into how the grass is growing. Its country-by-country monitoring in the light of the European Charter of Local Self-Government is an important complement to the monitoring carried out by the Parliamentary Assembly,” said Mr Schieder.
19/05/2004 | President
"One of the key opportunities for reinforcing parliamentary democracy at the national level lies in national parliaments’ closer and more intensive co-operation with international and in particular European assemblies. Together we know more than each of us individually," Assembly President Peter Schieder said today, speaking on the last day of a parliamentary summit in Strasbourg. "The Council of Europe, because of its large membership, but even more because of its unique arsenal of legally binding conventions, monitoring mechanisms and its unparalleled legal and political expertise, represents Europe as a whole. When it comes to democracy and human rights, there can be no multi-speed Europe, no à la carte Europe, no inner core and outside tier Europe. When it comes to the fundamentals of democratic stability on our continent, there can be only one Europe, in which all European countries committed to our common standards and principles have a chance to take part and be equal to others. The Council of Europe represents that Europe," he said.
15/05/2004 | President
Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder today condemned torture against the background of reports of abuse of prisoners by American and British troops in Iraq. “The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom are responsible under international law for the well-being of prisoners in their custody. Cases tantamount to torture as reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and others constitute a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention,” he said.
14/05/2004 | President
Assembly President Peter Schieder wrote to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev welcoming the decision to pardon 363 prisoners, some of whom are considered as political prisoners by the Assembly.“As with the previous amnesty decrees, this is a step in the right direction, and brings Azerbaijan closer to fulfilling a key commitment it made on joining the Council of Europe three years ago,” wrote Mr Schieder. “The Assembly has stressed many times that there can be no political prisoners in a Council of Europe member state.”
10/05/2004 | President
“The Assembly strongly condemns yesterday’s bomb attack in Grozny in which the President of the Chechen Republic Akhmad Kadyrov was killed,” Assembly President Peter Schieder wrote today in a letter to Sergey Mironov, President of the Council of the Russian Federation, and to Duma President Boris Gryslov. He extended his condolences, on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly, to the families of those who died in the attack.
10/05/2004 | President
More than 50 Speakers and presidents of parliament from across Europe, as well as the heads of some ten European parliamentary assemblies, gather in Strasbourg from 17 to 19 May 2004 for a parliamentary summit on the theme “Europe of citizens: parliaments and participation of citizens”.
06/05/2004 | President
Assembly President Peter Schieder said today that he was devastated at the news from Tripoli that a court of law has sentenced to death a number of international medics - five of whom are Bulgarians and therefore nationals of a Council of Europe member State. “I hope that an appeal will be made and that the court ruling will be reversed. I do hope that goodwill will prevail in Tripoli, which has just reopened its dialogue with Europe,” he said.
06/05/2004 | President
Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder will speak at the 114th Session of the Committee of Ministers (12-13 May), which is due to discuss reform of the European Court of Human Rights, the Third Council of Europe Summit and international action against terrorism.
22/04/2004 | President
Assembly President said he deplored the confirmation of the conviction of Leyla Zana and three other former parliamentarians by the Ankara state security court as this conviction was to a large extent based on an unjustified interference with the applicants’ freedom to discuss issues of public concern. Mr Schieder regretted the time it had taken to have the criminal procedure against them re-opened following the Strasbourg Court’s judgment in 2001 which found the original trial to be unfair (Sadak, Zana, Dilce and Dogan judgment). He deplored the fact that despite repeated requests by the Parliamentary Assembly, the execution of the original prison sentence imposed had not been suspended and the applicants had therefore remained in prison.
19/04/2004 | President
Peter Schieder made the following statement today: “Once again, the Government of Israel has shown its contempt for the rule of law by carrying out the extra-judicial killing of an alleged terrorist in the territories it has occupied since 1967. I condemn the assassination of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi. This is not self-defence but an invitation to further violence, which cannot be in Israel’s interest. I appeal to the Israeli Knesset, which enjoys observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to do everything in its power to ensure that the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, which are the hallmarks of civilised society in general and of the Council of Europe in particular, are observed by the Israeli Government in its relations with the Palestinians.”
16/04/2004 | President
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder made the following statement today: “Cyprus is approaching a crucial moment in its history. On 24 April 2004, Cypriots are invited to vote on the Annan Plan in simultaneous referenda. A “Yes” vote in both communities will put an end to the division of the island and bring a united Cyprus into the European Union. A victory for the “Noes” in either part of Cyprus, or a postponement of the referendum, will mean that only the Greek Cypriots join the EU on 1 May. The news from Cyprus is conflicting.