12/12/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The potential for finding a compromise between Belgrade and Pristina over Kosovo’s future status has been exhausted, according to PACE's Political Affairs Committee. The UN Security Council should now overcome existing differences and impose a solution, the committee said in a draft resolution adopted yesterday, but if it was incapable of achieving a unanimous position, it was “not to be excluded” that Kosovo would make a unilateral declaration of independence. In this case, the EU should “endeavour to achieve a single position” towards such a declaration.
11/12/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris today, condemned the twin bomb blasts in Algiers, including one at the headquarters of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “While it is not yet clear who was behind these attacks, the deliberate targeting of aid workers and students is contemptible,” said the committee’s First Vice-Chair Konstantin Kosachev (Russian Federation, EDG). “A terrorist attack on innocents is no way to achieve political goals.”
13/11/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“Truth commissions may be an effective mechanism for addressing past human rights violations, thus bringing reconciliation to a society emerging from a difficult past. In the case of the Chechen Republic, a Truth Commission could be one way of meeting the need to deal with the legacy of the conflict in this region, to reconstitute the history of abuses committed, and of violence and injustices suffered, by all sides involved,” according to a report by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), adopted today in Paris by PACE Political Affairs Committee.
06/11/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE is well-placed as a platform for discussing different experiences of conflict-settlement, parliamentarians agreed at the end of a two-day hearing on "frozen conflicts" in Berlin (5-6 November). The hearing brought together experts and government representatives from the countries concerned by the conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria.
31/10/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Jonas Cekuolis (Lithuania, ALDE) today hailed ever-more intensive co-operation “on the basis of common values” between the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS IPA). Delivering a speech on behalf of PACE President René van der Linden at the 29th plenary session of the CIS IPA in St Petersburg, he pointed out that the two parliamentary bodies had organised a series of joint conferences since 2002 and announced that the next one, on migration, will take place in April 2008.
25/10/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on strengthening co-operation with the Maghreb countries, made an official visit to Algeria (19-22 October) and Tunisia (22-24 October) to explore the possibilities of political, judicial, administrative and cultural co-operation with the countries of the region.
19/10/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), PACE rapporteur on strengthening cooperation with the Maghreb countries, will visit Algeria from 19 to 22 October. Her schedule in Algiers includes meetings with the speakers of the two chambers of Parliament as well as the Prime Minister, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mourad Medelci. Mrs Durrieu will discuss questions regarding cooperation in all its forms, particularly in the area of promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law. She will also focus on inter-faith dialogue in meetings with the senior religious representatives in the country. Mrs Durrieu is planning also to visit Tunisia and Morocco, as well as the seat of the Arab League in Cairo at the end of November.
15/10/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), PACE Rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee, will carry out a fact-finding visit to Belarus from 16 to 19 October as part of the preparation of his report on the situation in that country. He will meet a number of official representatives, including the speaker of the parliament and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Justice, as well as representatives of the opposition parties, civil society and NGOs.
15/03/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
A report on the state of democracy in Europe has recommended key ways to improve democratic functioning on the continent, including enlarging the right to vote, greater representation for women, more “direct democracy”, a free, pluralist media and civic education. The text – approved on Monday 12 March by PACE’s Political Affairs Committee – will be a highlight of an all-day plenary debate on human rights and democracy in Europe, scheduled for Wednesday 18 April.
12/03/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The PACE Political Affairs Committee today declared itself in favour of the Republic of Montenegro acceding to the Council of Europe, while enumerating a list of commitments to be honoured by this country. The text adopted, drafted by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), welcomes the political will expressed by the Montenegro authorities to continue the reform process, while calling for concrete implementing measures. In particular, the committee noted the undertaking given by the authorities to adopt a new Constitution within a maximum period of one year and their intention of honouring the international treaties to which the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was party.
26/02/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Montenegro should be able to accede to the Council of Europe in the “very near future”, said PACE rapporteur Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), following talks today in Podgorica with Montenegro’s leaders. A final opinion could be approved by the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee on 12 March said the rapporteur, who met the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament as well as leaders of political factions. He welcomed the constructive and positive atmosphere of the discussions and the “co-operative spirit” of the accession procedure so far.
13/02/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris on 13 February, designated Andrea Rigoni (Italy, EPP/CD)as the rapporteur on the situation in Belarus. Mr Rigoni is one of the 20 PACE Vice-Presidents and leader of the Italian PACE delegation.