08/06/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“We hope that this Infopoint will be the first significant sign of a new path in Belarus and a major change in the relations between the country and the Council of Europe,” said Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on Belarus, at the opening ceremony of a new Information Point in Minsk. “Our greatest hope is that it will, ultimately, be able to contribute to the process of democratisation in this country and bring it into our organisation, which is the House of Democracy”.
26/05/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris this morning, has come out unanimously in favour of restoring the Special Guest status of the Belarusian Parliament, which has been suspended since 1997, with a view to "engaging in political dialogue with the authorities" while supporting "the strengthening of democratic forces and civil society". The Assembly is to take a decision on the matter at its forthcoming summer plenary session (Strasbourg, 22-26 June).
25/05/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
During its meeting in Paris on Tuesday 26 May, PACE's Political Affairs committee is expected to adopt a report by Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE) on the situation in Belarus. The committee will also hold an exchange of views on “threshold levels in parliamentary elections and their impact on representativity of parliaments”, the subject of a report being prepared by Hendrik Daems (Belgium, ALDE). The agenda also includes an item on the committee’s contribution to the draft code of good practice for civil participation in the decision-making process.
14/05/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Speaking at the plenary meeting of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in St Petersburg today, Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC) recalled that whilst the Council of Europe was celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, its work was not finished. "Our values are potent but vulnerable. We keep on building Greater Europe every day. Rooting our values in daily life, protecting human dignity, is an unfinished task and a mission that should guide our efforts," he said.
28/04/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE Political Affairs Committee today held an exchange of views with Shen Ting, Chairperson of the Chinese League of Victims of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. According to Mrs Ting, in the framework of the development of the World Expo site, there have been many incidents in which residents have been removed from the site against their will. “The actions of the Shanghai authorities over the past few years demonstrate that the government has utterly deviated from the principles of the World Expo and from the commitment it made - no coercive removals - in its bid to host the Expo by violating the basic rights of the original inhabitants of the World Expo site.”
20/03/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
"In 2006, PACE strongly condemned the massive human rights violations committed by totalitarian communist regimes and expressed sympathy, understanding and recognition for the victims of these crimes", Göran Lindblad (Sweden, EPP/CD), Chairperson of the PACE Political Affairs Committee, recalled today at a Conference organised in Toronto on ‘Twenty Years After: Dealing with the Heritage of Communism’.
18/02/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE rapporteur on Belarus, Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), has said he will propose restoring Special Guest status to a delegation from the country’s parliament – provided a mechanism can also be found to associate representatives of the extra-parliamentary opposition. Göran Lindblad (Sweden, EPP/CD), the head of a PACE delegation which has just ended a four-day visit to the country, said: “The Assembly wants to bring Belarus closer to Council of Europe standards. Isolation has been tried and it has not worked. Mr Rigoni’s proposal would allow the beginning of a structured dialogue, partly as a response to some positive developments in the country.”
13/02/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I am extremely disappointed that for the fourth time the Kosovo Assembly has failed to elect an Ombudsperson,” said Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on the situation in Kosovo. “The Ombudsperson is the main human rights mechanism available to the people in Kosovo. It is an effective institution which, moreover, enjoys the trust of all communities. The fact that this position has been held ad interim since January 2006 risks undermining the credibility of the Institution.”
12/02/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
A three-member PACE delegation will visit Minsk from 16 to 19 February 2009 to sound out the Belarusian authorities on the prospects for developing a constructive dialogue with the Council of Europe and its Assembly in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The delegation is made up of Göran Lindblad (Sweden, EPP/CD), Chair of PACE’s Political Affairs Committee, Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC), Chair of the Sub-Committee on Belarus, and Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), the Assembly’s Rapporteur on the situation in Belarus.
10/02/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“A normal, dignified life – this is what the ordinary people of Kosovo have told me they would like most,” said Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the situation in Kosovo, at the end of a four-day visit there, his first since the unilateral declaration of independence by the Kosovo Assembly. “Everybody can surely agree at least on this lowest common denominator – that people in Kosovo should enjoy the same legal standards as other Europeans, irrespective of the ethnic community to which they belong, or whether they live north or south of the Ibar River,” he said.
16/12/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
In his report on private military and security firms and the erosion of the state monopoly on the use of force, adopted today by the Political Affairs Committee, Wolfgang Wodarg (Germany, SOC) criticises the shift in public security obligations to the private sector. He warns against the uncontrolled activities of European private military and security companies.
28/11/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
"I very much welcome the decision of the Belarusian authorities to allow the printing of two independent newspapers – Narodnaya Volya and Nashe Niva – in Belarus and their distribution through the state network," the PACE rapporteur on Belarus Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE) said today. "This is another tangible sign that the Belarusian leadership has a clear understanding of Europe’s expectations and is prepared to respond to them with actions, along the lines indicated in a recent non-paper by the Belarusian authorities on how to improve EU-Belarus relations."