04/06/2008 | President
Speaking on the eve of World Environment Day, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has called for “a right to a healthy environment” – and pledged to press for a legally-enforceable right at the European level.
30/05/2008 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Lluís Maria de Puig, today expressed his profound concern after the banning of Turkey’s only gay rights association, just ordered by a Turkish court.
26/05/2008 | President
In the address which he delivered on Saturday at The Hague on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Congress of Europe, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig paid tribute to the decisive conference which was held from 7 to 11 May 1948 and was destined to have considerable influence over the form subsequently taken by the European Union. He also commended the action of the European Movement which was crucial in bringing the Council of Europe into being in 1949, as well as in the process of European integration from which the European Union grew.
26/05/2008 | President
PACE Standing Committee will meet in Stockholm on Thursday 29 May 2008 at the invitation of the Swedish Parliament. After the opening of the meeting by Lluís Maria de Puig, President of PACE, and a welcome address by Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, the Committee will discuss the priorities of the Swedish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers - the Council of Europe’s executive organ - with Cecilia Malmström, Swedish Minister for European Union Affairs. They will also meet with Erkki Tuomioja, President of the Nordic Council.
23/05/2008 | President
A new book on International parliaments – analysing their growing global importance and providing a guide to around forty of them – was launched yesterday on the fringes of the European Speakers’ Conference taking place in Strasbourg. Written by PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig, who is a historian as well as parliamentarian, the 120-page book (published in French and English) is believed to be the first in this field. “Parliaments are increasingly going global, and I am interested in how this is happening and where it is going,” said the President.
23/05/2008 | President
“The Council of Europe, because of its large membership, but even more because of its unique arsenal of legally-binding conventions, monitoring mechanisms and its unparalleled legal and political expertise, represents all of us,” said the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament Jozefina Topalli, addressing fellow Speakers from across Europe in Strasbourg today. Giving a keynote speech on the added value of the Council, she outlined how Albania had benefited from the Council’s assistance for the last 13 years.
23/05/2008 | President
“Parliaments should not only listen to the voice of civil society, but sometimes Parliaments should also take responsibility and lead public opinion when dealing with human rights, rule of law and democracy issues. This has been seen in Europe with abolition of the death penalty, it can be seen in tackling racist and xenophobic tendencies in society”, today said PACE President presenting the conclusions of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament.
23/05/2008 | President
“Finding better ways to involve civil society more closely in political life is currently a key challenge for our parliaments” today said Speaker of the Swedish Parliament Per Westerberg addressing the Conference of Presidents of Parliament. Mr Westerberg stressed that an “independent civil society is a precondition for true democracy and good governance, especially when parliamentary opposition is weak”, and that it “provides politicians with valuable input”, adding that the Swedish Parliament had a long tradition of cooperation with civil society.
23/05/2008 | President
“Citizen participation in political life and in policy formation itself is crucial for the future of our democracies”, says Sonja Licht, President of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence on the occasion of 19th European Conference of Presidents of Parliament. “Parliaments and civil society have to establish new arrangements to strengthen their communication and co-operation, such as exchanges of information, public debates on new legislation and financial affairs, and joint hearings on topics of concern,” she added.
22/05/2008 | President
Co-operation with civil society has become a “keystone” of European politics, something considered a utopia sixty years ago, according to the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Dr Katalin Szili, giving one of the keynote speeches at the opening of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments in Strasbourg. Drawing on a 32-country survey, Dr Szili said dialogue with NGOs was becoming more formalised, but often involved better-resourced national umbrella organisations rather than grass-roots associations.
22/05/2008 | President
At the opening of the 19th European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, the host, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig warmly welcomed the extremely successful co-operation which has developed in recent years between PACE and national parliaments as regards national-level investigation of suspected violations of human rights in member states' territories. He also recalled the key role of parliaments to ensure ratification and implementation of Council of Europe conventions and in giving full effect to European Court of Human Rights judgments in member countries' legal systems. On 22 and 23 May, the parliamentary summit will bring together some 250 participants, including 40 Speakers and 21 Deputy Speakers.
13/05/2008 | President
PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, made the following statement today: “I would like to express my dismay at yesterday’s announcement of a recent date for the execution of José Ernesto Medellin, the Mexican on death row in Texas. Mr Medellin says that he was never given prompt access to consular officials, as required by international law.