13/05/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has said that the Council of Europe can point to “an extremely positive” record of achievement in the last sixty years. Addressing the organisation’s Foreign Ministers in Madrid at a meeting to mark the 60th anniversary, the President said the Council’s moral force flowed from “a unique combination of diplomatic subtlety and rigour in defending our values”. Concerning the Ministers’ decision to forward a list containing two candidates for the election to the post of Secretary General, the President said that although he was not yet in a position to present the Assembly’s reaction, he thought that the parliamentarians “are not going to like this decision”.
27/04/2009 | President
PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, today recalled what he described as “so many good reasons for the Council of Europe to persevere in its mission” at a ceremony held in plenary sitting to mark the 60th anniversary of the organisation. “Our first duty is never to forget the slogan of the pioneers of European integration – never again. Nobody is ever proof against fresh excesses, which is why we must keep alert so as never to allow a recurrence of the ills that the founders of our organisation set out to eradicate,” he stressed.
22/04/2009 | President
“The emergence of various forms of intolerance and racism within our communities and in relations between nations is a cause for concern. The Durban Review Conference taking place in Geneva is proof that we need to step up our efforts to combat racism,” said PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig. “On the one hand, the Conference has shown us the determination of the international community to make progress in this field, but at the same time, it provides a platform for intolerant remarks presented as anti-racism. However, denial of the Holocaust is in itself a manifestation of racism and an incitement to hatred.”
21/04/2009 | President
Attending the conference on “The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: Achievements and Challenges”, held in Bilbao (Spain) on 20 and 21 April, PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig reiterated the Council of Europe’s commitment to promoting multilingualism in Europe. “Language is much more than a communication tool or a cultural microcosm,” he said. “Language is the foundation on which intellectual wealth and personal and collective identity are built. But above all, language is a right, and the right to language is inalienable”, he added. The PACE President expressed his belief that “the Europeans of tomorrow will be able to speak several languages.”
07/04/2009 | President
"We have learned with concern about the violent events which have taken place in Chisinau following the 5 April parliamentary elections in Moldova. The storming of public buildings is unacceptable and we urge a halt to any further violence on all sides. We underline at the same time the importance of securing people’s right to peaceful assembly. We call on all political leaders in the country to enter into a dialogue with a view to preventing any further violence...
07/04/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig today sent a letter to the President of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, and to the President of the Senate of the Republic, Renato Giuseppe Schifani, conveying the following message: "On behalf of all the members of the Parliamentary Assembly, I offer you my condolences following the tragic loss of human life caused by yesterday’s earthquake and its continuing aftershocks in the Abruzzi region."
30/03/2009 | President
At the close of a meeting of the Ad hoc Committee of the PACE Bureau in Valencia (Spain) today, its President, Lluís Maria de Puig, welcomed the dialogue that had been instituted between the Georgian and Russian delegations. "Today we have succeeded in bringing representatives of the Georgian and Russian delegations together round a table. To me, their participation is a sign that they are in favour of the principle of dialogue and believe that our Assembly can play a positive and constructive role in this respect," he said.
19/03/2009 | President
“I welcome the decision by Democratic governor Bill Richardson to sign the bill abolishing the death penalty in New Mexico, following last Friday’s vote in the Senate, which came out in favour of abolition by 24 votes to 18,” said PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, in a statement today. “Since 1997, the 47 Council of Europe member states have formed a de facto death- penalty-free zone. I am glad that a growing number of civilised countries share our position on this fundamental human rights issue and that recourse to capital punishment is decreasing throughout the world. To inflict death is not to do justice,” he added.
16/03/2009 | President
Speaking at a ceremony in Lisbon to award the Council of Europe’s 2008 North-South Prize, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig said the two winners represented a “meeting of civilisations” which had marked the Iberian Peninsula in the past. The prize was being awarded to Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan and former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio, High Representative of the UN’s Alliance of Civilisations initiative. “The memory of humanity has been marked by this crossroads of civilisations, where the three monotheist religions were able to show that intelligence and reason can overcome destructive passions and prejudice,” Mr de Puig said. He also welcomed Italy's decision to rejoin the North-South Centre.
11/03/2009 | President
“I am deeply shocked by the cruel murder spree that has taken place today at the 'Albertville' School in Winnenden (Germany), which will devastate the families concerned,” said PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig. “A few moments of random violence will cause years of pain. It is too early to draw wider lessons from this, but I know that there will be much soul-searching to come. For now, my thoughts and deep sympathy are with those facing the loss of those dearest to them.”
04/03/2009 | President
"Social peace is sorely tried in all our countries by the current financial and economic crisis," the Assembly President pointed out today in Strasbourg when addressing the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. "Closer co-ordination and greater solidarity among our member states are essential. Concerted social action by all partners within our countries is likewise essential. For in such exceptional and alarming circumstances, our duty is to ensure better protection for the most vulnerable among those stricken by the crisis, and to make protection of social and economic rights the first priority."
25/02/2009 | President
At the end of his official two-day visit to Morocco on 24 and 25 February, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig, said that PACE will discuss possible forms of enhanced co-operation with Maghreb parliaments. He said he was very satisfied with his visit, the warm welcome and the keen interest expressed by his Moroccon interlocutors to establish a permanent relationship with PACE based on the adherence to common values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. During his stay, the President met the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Minister of Justice, the Speaker of the House of Councillors, the Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as the Chairman and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Chairman of the Human Rights Advisory Council.