24/01/2011 | Session
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu issued a strong condemnation of today’s bomb blast at Moscow’s main airport as members of the Assembly – currently in session in Strasbourg – stood in silence for a minute to remember the victims. “On behalf of the Assembly, I would like to express my shock and horror at the news of today’s bombling, which has – according to reports – killed at least 31 people and injured more than 100 more. It seems that a suicide bomber may have been involved,” the President said in a statement to the Assembly.
24/01/2011 | Session
In his speech to the parliamentary Assembly today, the Secretary General highlighted the pivotal role of the Council of Europe and the relevance of its ongoing reform, aiming at political action on a pan-European level. "A cold wind is blowing over Europe", he said.
24/01/2011 | Session
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly, Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, stressed his support to the reform process initiated by the Secretary General, recalling his country’s commitment as Chair of the Committee of Ministers 'to put the Council of Europe back on the international scene as an innovative, more flexible and visible organisation.'
17/01/2011 | Session
A report on illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo will be among the highlights of the winter PACE plenary session (24-28 January 2011), along with addresses by the President of Turkey Abdullah Gül, the President of Serbia Boris Tadic, the President of Romania Traian Basescu and the Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha.
21/12/2010 | Session
A report on the illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo will be a highlight of the Assembly’s winter plenary session (24-28 January 2011), along with addresses by the Presidents of Turkey, Serbia and Romania, as well as the Prime Minister of Albania and the French Foreign Minister. Other topics to be discussed include the protection of journalists’ sources, and a series of reports on reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia.
08/10/2010 | Session
PACE debated today how the eight EU states and Russia that are clustered around the Baltic Sea should review their ongoing strategies in co-operation together to face environmental,educational and economic problems in the shadow of the global economic crisis. Positive contributions would include reducing trade barriers, and improving mobility of labour and goods in the region as well as supporting innovative co-operation projects like the Baltic Sea Action Group designed to save this sea.
08/10/2010 | Session
All asylum application procedures should take account of the particular forms of persecution and human rights abuses that women face in the light of their gender, was the conclusion reached today by the PACE at the close of a parliamentary debate on the issue. In presenting his report to the Assembly, Andrej Zernovski (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, ALDE) said that this gender-related persecution includes sexual exploitation, forced marriage, honour crimes and forced abortion and sterilisation, as well as rape during armed conflict.
08/10/2010 | Session
The creation of a panel of experts to advise governments on their candidates for judge at the European Court of Human Rights might help ensure that only candidates with “the necessary qualifications, experience and stature” are put forward, PACE said today. Debating a report by Renate Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD), the Assembly welcomed the idea of a panel, which would be made up of eminent judges and lawyers, if it helped states to put forward candidates of the highest calibre for the Assembly to elect from.
07/10/2010 | Session
Gvozden Srecko Flego (Croatia, SOC) has been elected Chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Culture, Science and Education. Alongside his parliamentary role, Mr Flego is a Professor at the University of Zagreb and a former Minister for Science and Research in Croatia. He replaces the late Andrew McIntosh (United Kingdom, SOC).
07/10/2010 | Session
In the light of the “new risks” which more and more children are facing in our globalised times and the ongoing economic crisis, such as child trafficking or being left behind by migrant parents, the Assembly today urged member states to take further steps to protect children`s rights and well-being.
07/10/2010 | Session
Children who are ill or disabled should be educated – wherever possible – at mainstream schools, an arrangement which is better both for them and their peers, PACE has said. Debating a report by Lokman Ayva (Turkey, EPP/CD), the Assembly said arrangements for these children should be as inclusive as possible.
07/10/2010 | Session
"Ethnic and religious co-existence founded on a strong commitment to intercultural dialogue has made my country a model for Europe", said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.