15/10/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Commenting today on the suspension of the visa ban against some high-ranking Belarusian officials, decided earlier this week by the EU Council for External Relations, PACE’s rapporteur on the situation in Belarus Andrea Rigoni said: “The European Union has made the right decision. Breaking the isolation of the Belarusian authorities will help Europe reach out to ordinary Belarusians and will eventually contribute to the spreading of European values both in society and in the political system.”
13/10/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Representatives of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe will meet in Madrid on 15-17 October in the 2008 Forum for the Future of Democracy to discuss the potential of the new information technologies to strengthen democracy and increase participation. The Forum will be opened at 16.00 p.m. on Wednesday 15 October by Lluis Maria de Puig, President of the Assembly, Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Yavuz Mildon, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and Christer Hallerbyr, State Secretary of the Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality of Sweden, representing the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.
01/10/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
‘The conduct of the recent elections in Belarus have been yet another reason for concern’ commented today PACE rapporteur on the Situation in Belarus Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE). Although PACE did not send an election observation mission, Mr Rigoni was able to form his own first-hand opinion over the conduct of the elections, having observed them in his national capacity as Italian parliamentarian. ‘Unfortunately, another opportunity for democracy has been missed in Belarus. It is quite unbelievable that, out of 110 constituencies, not one single opposition candidate was able to get elected.’
16/09/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The current talks on Cyprus represent “the best opportunity in many years” to reach a settlement of the conflict, according to PACE Political Affairs Committee.
09/09/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE Political Affairs Committee is organising a hearing on “Private military and security firms and the erosion of the state monopoly on the use of force” in Paris on 10 September 2008 with the participation of parliamentarians from its 47 member states, experts and a representative of a private security firm. According to German parliamentarian Wolfgang Wodarg (SOC), who is due to prepare a report for PACE on this issue, over one million mercenaries are currently operating around the globe, for more than a thousand companies, creating an annual turnover of approximately 200 billion US dollars.
03/09/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The talks which have opened today represent the best opportunity in many years to end the division of Cyprus,” said Joachim Hörster (Germany, EPP/CD), the rapporteur of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on the Cyprus question. “The opportunity must not be wasted.”
21/08/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I express my great satisfaction at the release of two more political prisoners in Belarus,” said PACE rapporteur Andrea Rigoni commenting on the release of Andrei Kim and Syarhei Parsyukevich, soon after the liberation of opposition leader Alexander Kozulin. “This second wave of releases builds on that which took place earlier this year. But I call on the Belarusian authorities this time to avoid any steps backwards: there must be no more political prisoners."
01/07/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I am extremely preoccupied by the draft media law currently under examination by the Belarusian upper chamber of parliament” today said Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ADLE), PACE rapporteur on the situation in Belarus. “Once this legislation comes into force, it will restrict freedom of information in the country even further, especially when it comes to electronic media, and will extend the power of the authorities to interfere with media activities in a way which is contrary to European standards. What is more, even before its entry into force, the new draft law is bound to have a chilling effect of self-censorship on the media.
12/06/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
At the end of a two-day meeting of the first ever “Tripartite Forum” in Rhodes (Greece), which brought together Israeli and Palestinian parliamentarians with members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), its organiser pledged an “ongoing process” to build mutual confidence.
06/06/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Five-member delegations from the Israeli Knesset and the Palestinian Legislative Council will meet in Rhodes, Greece, from 11 to 12 June 2008, under the auspices of PACE, to discuss human rights and “confidence-building measures” such as easier movement of people and initiatives for ending incitement to hatred.
25/04/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Commenting on the outcome of the trials against Andrei Kim and nine other young people in Belarus who were arrested after taking part in the entrepreneurs’ demonstration of 10 January 2008, Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, said: ”The sentences handed down against these young political activists are harsh, unjustified, and constitute an abuse of the criminal justice system for political purposes.”
17/04/2008 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE’s Political Affairs Committee has called for “consistent and coherent” international pressure on China ahead of the Olympic Games to improve its record in the fields of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, including freedom of expression. In a statement adopted today following a hearing it had organised, the committee pledged to look into the question further, pointing out that China had “a unique opportunity” to show Europe and the world at large its determination to improve its record.