05/11/2012 | Monitoring
Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), PACE rapporteur for post-monitoring dialogue with Turkey, is to visit the country from 5 to 10 November 2012 for a fact-finding visit. Talks (to be confirmed) are planned in Ankara and Istanbul with the President of the Republic and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Justice, Labour and the Interior.
29/10/2012 | Monitoring
Robert Walter (United Kingdom, EDG), PACE rapporteur for post-monitoring dialogue with “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, will make a fact-finding visit to the country from 31 October to 2 November 2012. He will have talks with the Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Vice-Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs, the Vice-President of the Government responsible for the implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, and the Ministers of the Interior and Justice.
24/10/2012 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Moldova, Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC) and Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD), have expressed their concern at the investigation and prosecution in Transnistria of Alexander Bejan, an 18-year-old high school student, on charges of "threat of a terrorist act".
22/10/2012 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC) and Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD) praised the political will and high ambitions of the Moldovan authorities to fulfill the country's commitments and obligations towards the Council of Europe while awaiting concrete results of the democratic reforms in Moldova.
15/10/2012 | Monitoring
Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC) and Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD), PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by the Republic of Moldova, started today a fact-finding visit to Chisinau until 19 October. They will be especially interested in the current political situation, the reform of justice, the measures taken to combat corruption and organised crime, and the implementation of Assembly Resolutions 1572 (2007), 1666 (2009) and 1692 (2009).
11/10/2012 | Monitoring
PACE rapporteur for the monitoring of Armenia, Axel Fischer (Germany EPP/CD), today expressed his concern about the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, on controversial criminal charges, by the National Assembly. “This is especially worrying in the light of persistent allegations that political motives have played a role in the charges that are levied against him,” emphasised Mr Fischer.
24/09/2012 | Monitoring
Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), PACE rapporteur on post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria, will make a fact-finding visit to Sofia on 26-27 September 2012. During his visit, meetings are scheduled with the Vice-President of the Republic, the President of the National Assembly, the Minister of Justice, the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior as well as with the judicial authorities.
20/09/2012 | Monitoring
PACE monitoring co-rapporteurs for Georgia Michael Aastrup Jensen (Denmark, ALDE) and Boriss Cilevics (Latvia, SOC), have expressed their shock at the videos that have surfaced in Georgia showing prisoners being abused and tortured by prison guards. "Such practices are unacceptable in a Council of Europe member State, therefore we welcome the swift reaction of the authorities," they said.
06/09/2012 | Monitoring
Pointing to “ongoing political bickering” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the upcoming local elections, Karin S. Woldseth (Norway, EDG) and Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/CD), PACE co-rapporteurs monitoring the country, have said they are frankly doubtful that progress will be made on implementation of the Sejdić and Finci judgment, and the roadmap to a credible EU membership application.
05/09/2012 | Monitoring
The engagement and the mobilisation of more than 100,000 citizens following the December 2011 elections, the awakening of a very engaged civil society and the willingness of the authorities to hear the call for reforms have created in the Russian Federation “a momentum for change” and to realise this unique political potential, “Russian society needs concrete reforms”, PACE Monitoring Committee said at the end of its meeting in Paris.
03/09/2012 | Monitoring
PACE Monitoring Committee will be meeting in camera in Paris on 4 September 2012 to examine the report on honouring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation and adopt a draft resolution. In the document the co-rapporteurs, György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD) and Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), assess the political situation, the economic and social situation, external relations, the functioning of pluralist democracy, the rule of law, and human rights and fundamental freedoms.
21/08/2012 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs for Georgia, Michael Aastrup Jensen (Denmark, ALDE) and Boriss Cilevičs (Latvia, SOC) today expressed their concern about the reports that the Georgian authorities have seized the bank accounts of the Georgian Dream opposition coalition, thereby undermining its participation in the election campaign for the parliamentary elections that will take place on 1 October 2012. “The excessive and disproportionate fines levied by the State Audit Service effectively undermine normal political activity by an opposition party," said the co-rapporteurs.