11/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The right balance has to be struck between national interests and respect for human rights in Council of Europe member States’ foreign policies”, PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy said today during its meeting in Helsinki. When foreign policy “neglects human rights for too long” and focuses solely on strategic economic and geo-political interests – it added - “human rights crises may erupt and “humanitarian interventions” become urgent and moral necessities”.
10/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“It becomes increasingly important to make sure that democratic institutions and processes can function well and that our commonly adopted rules are respected. One of our most important assets in difficult times is the confidence of citizens in the democratic process,” said Eero Heinäluoma, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, in her speech at the opening of the meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy in Helsinki today.
07/09/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, which will meet on 10-11 September in Helsinki (Finland), will hold an exchange of views with the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja. The meeting will be opened by the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, Eero Heinäluoma, and the Chairperson of the Finnish delegation to the PACE, Susanna Huovinen.
17/07/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I condemn the three illegal executions carried out today by Hamas, and call on the authorities in Gaza to cease all further executions, in line with the de facto moratorium on the death penalty which has been put in place by the Palestinian Authority since 2005. The death penalty – wherever it takes place – is simply wrong, but these executions are also a violation of Palestinian law, since they were carried out without any consultation with President Abbas," today said PACE rapporteur Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), who is currently in Ramallah.
13/07/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), PACE rapporteur on the "Evaluation of the Partnership for Democracy in respect of the Palestinian National Council", is to make a fact-finding visit to the Palestinian Territories on 16 and 17 July 2012. In Ramallah, Mr Kox is due to meet several representatives of the Palestinian Authority, including the Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Minister for Women's Affairs.
04/06/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“By denying the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, the newly elected President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolić, has cast a shadow on the presidency,” said Pietro Marcenaro (Italy, SOC), Chair of PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy and former Rapporteur on reconciliation and political dialogue between the countries of the former Yugoslavia...
09/05/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The so-called ‘elections’ in Syria, organised by the Assad regime against the backdrop of continuing violence and numerous violations of Kofi Annan’s peace plan, merely add yet another obstacle to the search for a peaceful political outcome to a conflict that has already led to more than 11,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and tens of thousands of refugees,” said today Pietro Marcenaro (Italy, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on the situation in Syria.
23/04/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
"The Parliament of Morocco was the first to seek and to be granted Partner for Democracy status. It therefore played a pioneering role in this field and paved the way for others. The Parliament must continue to assume this difficult but honourable role, ensuring that the political commitments and the reforms covered by Resolution 1818 (2011) are implemented in an exemplary way", Luca Volontè said at the end of his visit.
13/04/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), rapporteur of the PACE Political Affairs Committee on the “Evaluation of the Partnership for Democracy in respect of the Parliament of Morocco”, will make a fact-finding visit to Rabat on 17 and 18 April. On 21 June 2011, the Parliament of Morocco was the first to benefit from Partner for Democracy status with PACE, established in 2010 to strengthen institutional co-operation with the parliaments of non-member states in neighbouring regions.
15/03/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE’s Political Affairs Committee has repeated its call to the Iraqi authorities to stop turning Camp Liberty – a site near Baghdad where around 800 members of an Iranian opposition group are now living – into a prison. In a statement adopted yesterday, the committee called for armed units and surveillance to be removed from the camp, as well as free movement for its residents and improved conditions, including access to medical services, lawyers and UN monitors.
24/02/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on the situation in Kosovo,* has welcomed the agreement reached today in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on two key issues, namely Kosovo’s representation in regional forums and technical details of how Serbia and Kosovo will manage their joint borders. “I congratulate the Serbian and Kosovo negotiators, whom I met during my recent visits to Belgrade and Pristina, for their goodwill and responsible leadership, which demonstrate their willingness to move forward and to be part of the European family,” Mr von Sydow said.
25/01/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Strasbourg, 25.01.2012 - Representatives of the the Parliamentary Assembly of the 47-nation Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament have urged national governments – notably the UK and France – not to stand in the way of the EU signing up to the European Convention on Human Rights...