09/03/2012 | Monitoring
After his talks in Podgorica, including visits to refugees and displaced persons in the Konik camp, Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), PACE Rapporteur on the monitoring of Montenegro, stated that he was expecting a major political gesture from the Montenegrin authorities: “Montenegro generously took in over 120 000 refugees and displaced persons fleeing the war in former Yugoslavia and Kosovo. Now the authorities can seize this historical opportunity to integrate those who will not or cannot go back home..."
02/03/2012 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs Davit Harutyunyan (Armenia, EGD) and Indrek Saar (Estonia, SOC)has welcomed the decision of the European Council to grant Serbia the status of candidate country. "This decision acknowledges the significant progress made by Serbia in adopting European legal standards, co-operating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and pursuing the dialogue with Pristina by diplomatic and peaceful means,” they said.
02/03/2012 | Monitoring
The independence of the judiciary, the situation of the media and the fight against corruption in Montenegro are among issues to be raised by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), PACE monitoring co-rapporteur during a fact-finding visit to the country from 5 to 8 March 2012.
13/02/2012 | Monitoring
Kerstin Lundgren (Sweden, ALDE) and Jana Fischerová (Czech Republic, EDG), PACE co-rapporteurs who have been appointed to assess the request for the opening of a monitoring procedure in respect of Hungary – following a motion signed by 24 members of the Assembly in January 2011 – will make a fact-finding visit to Budapest on 16-17 February 2012.
02/02/2012 | Monitoring
PACE rapporteurs on Azerbaijan, Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC) visited Baku from 31 January to 2 February 2012 in the framework of the monitoring procedure. They held meetings with the Chairman Of Milli Mejlis and the leadership of political parties represented in the Parliament, with the Minister of Justice, Prosecutor General and the Head of the Presidential Administration as well as with the Deputy Chair of the Supreme Court and the Ombudsperson. They also met representatives of some opposition parties which have no seats in the Parliament, journalists and representatives of civil society.
27/01/2012 | Monitoring
Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC), co-rapporteurs of PACE for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Azerbaijan, will make a fact-finding visit to that country from 31 January to 2 February. In Baku, the co-rapporteurs are due to meet the President of the Republic Ilham Aliyev, the Speaker of Parliament Ogtay Asadov, the Minister of Justice Fikrat Mammadov and the leaders of political parties represented in Parliament.
26/01/2012 | Monitoring
PACE's Monitoring Committee has requested an opinion from the Venice Commission, the Council’s group of independent legal experts, on whether another five laws recently adopted in Hungary are in line with the Council’s standards. This is in addition to an opinion on three laws which has already been requested by the Hungarian authorities.
26/01/2012 | Monitoring
PACE's Monitoring Committee made public an information note by the co-rapporteurs on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Georgia, Kastriot Islami (Albania, SOC) and Michael Aastrup Jensen (Denmark, ALDE), on their fact-finding visit to Tbilisi and Batumi (11 – 14 October 2011). The note focuses on the electoral reform in progress, administration of justice, prison conditions and the repatriation of the Meskhetian Population.
12/01/2012 | Monitoring
John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) and Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD), PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia, will make a fact-finding visit to Yerevan on 16-17 January. Talks are scheduled with the President of the Republic Serzh Sargsyan, the President of he National Assembly Samvel Nikoyan, the Foreign Affairs minister Edward Nalbandyan and the Justice minister Hrayr Tovmasyan, as well as with the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Tigran Mukuchyan.
16/12/2011 | Monitoring
“Serbia has made significant progress in many areas and is heading towards the full completion of its commitments. However some key issues remain unsolved or incomplete, or were not completely implemented: reform of the justice system, the fight against corruption, independent media and the rights of minorities,” Davit Harutyunyan.
16/12/2011 | Monitoring
Meeting in Paris on 15 December, PACE Monitoring Committee reminded Bosnia and Herzegovina that it is time to honour its commitments to the Council of Europe. On the basis of a report by Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD) and Karin Woldseth (Norway, EDG), the committee adopted a draft resolution once again calling upon the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the key political stakeholders to stop obstructionism and work constructively at the level of state institutions.
16/12/2011 | Monitoring
PACE Monitoring Committee has called for charges against former government members in Ukraine, including former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, to be dropped. Former Interior Minister Jurij Lutsenko and former Defence Minister Valeriy Ivashenko should be released at once for humanitarian reasons because of their rapidly deteriorating health, the committee said.