26/04/2012 | Session
The 2012 Europe Prize has been awarded to the towns of Corciano (Italy) and Sighişoara (Romania). This decision was taken unanimously by the PACE Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development at its April plenary session in Strasbourg.
26/04/2012 | Session
Following an urgent debate on the situation in Syria, PACE firmly condemned the gross human rights violations committed by Syrian military and security forces. It also expressed regret at the continuing violations of the ceasefire implemented under Kofi Annan's peace plan and the increasing number of deaths. At the same time the Assembly expressed satisfaction that a “common position is gradually emerging” within the international community.
26/04/2012 | Session
“I want to congratulate the Governor of the State of Connecticut, who has signed a law abolishing the death penalty for future sentences,” said Renate Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD), the rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on abolition of the death penalty. “Connecticut joins a growing number of US states that have taken this step, adding to the momentum for a broader abolition.
26/04/2012 | Session
President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Jean-Claude Mignon and President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Keith Whitmore announced today the results of the Best Practice Award Programme for European Coastal Towns, at a ceremony during the Parliamentary Assembly session in Strasbourg.
26/04/2012 | Session
PACE's Monitoring Committee made public an information note by the co-rapporteurs on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Azerbaijan Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono (Malta, SOC) on their fact-finding visit to Baku (31 January-2 February 2012). The note focuses on the state of democracy, human rights and freedoms.
26/04/2012 | Session
The efforts undertaken by the Russian authorities have improved the lives of a substantial number of displaced persons, but an important number still do not fully enjoy their rights after up to twenty years in displacement, the Assembly underlined today...
26/04/2012 | Session
It is now up to all players – the European Court of Human Rights, national governments, the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly – to ensure that the Brighton Declaration is put into effect, said Hans Franken (Netherlands, EPP/CD), opening a current affairs debate today on the future of the Court.
25/04/2012 | Session
Football’s governing body FIFA should open a “detailed and exhaustive” internal investigation into whether, and to what extent, the elected candidate in its recent election for President exploited his institutional position to obtain “unfair advantages for himself or for potential voters”, according to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
25/04/2012 | Session
In a resolution adopted today, PACE asked member states to "ensure respect for freedom of expression and information on the internet and online media by public as well as private entities".
25/04/2012 | Session
Speaking on the tenth anniversary of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership of the Council of Europe, the foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdžija of Bosnia-Herzegovina pledged that the struggle for full compliance with international human rights and democratic standards would continue.
24/04/2012 | Session
A failure to react to distress calls and a “vacuum of responsibility” for search and rescue are among a “catalogue of failures” which led to the deaths of 63 people fleeing the conflict in Libya by sea during a tragic 15-day voyage in March 2011, according to PACE.
24/04/2012 | Session
Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Dine El Otmani today pledged to ensure that partnership with the Council of Europe is a success. Speaking today to the Parliamentary Assembly, he stressed that Morocco shares the values of the Council of Europe, and that a solid foundation existed for establishing the rule of law and sustainable economic development.