26/01/2011 | Session
PACE today decided to give three delegations – those of Montenegro, San Marino and Serbia – until the opening of the April session (11-15 April 2011) to appoint at least one woman Representative or their voting rights will be suspended. Any ban would stay in place until a female Representative is appointed.
25/01/2011 | Session
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly, Turkish President Abdullah Gül said that while trying to come out of a severe economic crisis which causes a mood of deep pessimism, Europe should not forget that it is also a cradle for notions such as democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. "Europe is a way of life based on shared common values and standards with universal relevance", he said.
25/01/2011 | Session
PACE has called for international and Albanian investigations into crimes committed in the aftermath of the conflict in Kosovo, including “numerous indications” that organs were removed from prisoners on Albanian territory to be taken abroad for transplantation. Adopting a resolution based on the report by Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE), the Assembly demanded follow-up investigations into indications of secret detention centres under the control of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and disappearances linked to the Kosovo war, as well as “the collusion so often complained of between organised criminal groups and political circles”.
25/01/2011 | Session
Following a debate on the protection of journalists’ sources, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today declared that the disclosure of information identifying a source should be “limited to exceptional circumstances” where vital public or individual interests are at stake. In specific cases, the competent authorities should state why the vital interests of disclosure outweigh the interests of non-disclosure.
25/01/2011 | Session
PACE meeting this week in plenary session in Strasbourg, today elected Paulo Sérgio Pinto de Albuquerque as judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Portugal. Mr de Albuquerque, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of nine years starting after 5 February 2011.
25/01/2011 | Session
Expressing concern at the decline in member states’ commitment to the Council of Europe, PACE has suggested holding a summit “to give the Organisation fresh political impetus, make its member states more responsible towards it and, if need be, redefine its current role”. In a resolution adopted today, based on the report by Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD) on follow-up to reform of the Council of Europe, members of the Assembly reiterated their support for the first wave of measures introduced by the Secretary General.
24/01/2011 | Session
On adopting its final agenda at the opening of the 2011 Winter Session (24-28 January), the Parliamentary Assembly decided to hold three urgent debates on Thursday 27 January. The subjects will be the recent violence against Christians in the Middle East, the situation in Belarus in the aftermath of the presidential election and the situation in Tunisia. The Assembly has also decided to hold a current affairs debate on the functioning of democracy in Hungary.
24/01/2011 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today re-elected Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu as its President. PACE also elected its Vice-Presidents
24/01/2011 | Session
Following the adoption of its agenda this morning, PACE will debate the report by Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE) on “Inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo” on Tuesday 25 January at 10 a.m., instead of at 3 p.m. as originally foreseen. Mr Marty will give a press conference at 4.30 p.m. (Room 1, Palais de l’Europe).
24/01/2011 | Session
In his opening speech today at the January PACE session, the President of the Assembly Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu regretted that in some member states, confrontations between the government and the opposition were seriously hampering the functioning of democratic institutions. “People must not die as a result of political struggles. This is clearly unacceptable,” the President said, referring to the situation in Albania, where existing tensions degenerated last week, resulting in the deaths of several persons.
24/01/2011 | Session
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and the chairs of the five political groups today paid tribute to Mateo Sorinas, on the eve of his retirement, for his 33 years of outstanding work in the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly, and in particular for the last five years spent as PACE Secretary General.
24/01/2011 | Session
The credentials of the PACE delegations from Montenegro, San Marino and Serbia were challenged on the opening day of the Assembly’s plenary session in Strasbourg on the grounds that they do not contain at least one Representative who is a member of “the under-represented sex”, as required by the Rules.