16/03/2007 | News
The Standing Committee of the PACE drew attention today to the failure of the United States, an observer to the Council of Europe, to comply with its obligation to respect human rights and the rule of law, especially in its ”war against terror”. It warned that, since the 11 September attacks, the Bush Administration has “inappropriately and unilaterally disregarded key human rights and humanitarian legal norms”. The parliamentarians criticised the unlawful detention of persons in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, the setting up of a “spider’s web” of illegal detentions and inter-state transfers, and bilateral immunity agreements. They added that the Bush Administration has “tarnished its reputation as a beacon in defending human rights”. The Standing Committee called on the US Government and American parliamentarians to initiate a dialogue on a global strategy based on respect for human rights.
16/03/2007 | News
The PACE Standing Committee today underlined the “significant differences” between Council of Europe member states regarding solid waste management. It warned that this situation results in considerable public health hazards and additional costs in both the short and the long term. The Assembly called on member states to comply with occupational health and safety standards during waste collection, establish regular waste collection systems for all urban, suburban and rural areas and enforce compliance with strict standards for landfilling.
16/03/2007 | News
The PACE Standing Committee sounded the alarm regarding the need to address the problems caused by electronic waste (e-waste), which “threatens to overwhelm the world's landfills with permanent toxic substances”. The Assembly called on the Council of Europe member states to take legislative and regulatory measures in order to restrict the use of hazardous materials in the production of electrical and electronic equipment and implement effective management systems for e-waste.
09/03/2007 | News
Joint statement by the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Chairman of the Congress, the Secretary General and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe: “Three years ago 192 people were killed and more than 2000 people were injured in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Europe. The anniversary of the Madrid bombings is an occasion to reaffirm our solidarity with the families of the victims and the Spanish people, but also to reiterate the call for a better, broader and stronger international co-operation in the fight against terrorism."
22/02/2007 | News
PACE President René van der Linden today welcomed a 'historic' first meeting between the leading religious figures in Cyprus since the division of the island. The two leaders – Cypriot Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II and the Turkish Cypriot Director of Religious Affairs Ahmet Yonluer – were brought together by the PACE President as the culmination of a series of bi-communal meetings, whose aim was to “create person-to-person dialogue” to help resolve the Cyprus problem. They agreed to promote respect for places of worship in all parts of the island, and to meet again soon.
16/02/2007 | News
"We should make full use of the expertise and the experience of former members of parliaments, whose willingness to join in the observation process is most commendable", PACE President René van der Linden today underlined when presenting the conclusions of a two day Conference on the Parliamentary dimension of election observation, organised by the PACE in Strasbourg. The debate revealed the need for a post-electoral dialogue and assistance programmes to put findings and the conclusions of election observation missions onto a practical plane. For election observation to maintain credibility, participants said, the application of sanctions should be systematically considered and, in case of serious shortcomings, applied.
15/02/2007 | News
"There is a real proliferation of observer delegations and groups involved in election observation. The concept of an International Election Observation Mission has proven its validity with the test of time," PACE President René van der Linden said today at the opening of a conference on the parliamentary dimension of election observation, organised by the PACE in Strasbourg. Mr van der Linden called on the participants “to give serious thought to the proposal for a formal inter-institutional arrangement”, which would "involve all its members on the principle of equality, spell out its operational modalities and focus on the substance of the findings".
15/02/2007 | News
Adressing the Conference on "The parliamentary dimension of election observation", organized by the PACE in Strasbourg, Assembly President René van der Linden today called for greater involvement of experienced politicians in election observation. “Parliamentary observers have their duties to their constituencies and parliaments and are in no position to ensure a long-term presence in the field. However, their personal experience as democratically elected representatives allows them to feel the political temperature with a short-term observation presence. On that basis they can make sound political judgments and give valuable recommendations. Therefore, it would be important to constitute a pool of experienced politicians and involve them in election observation.”
14/02/2007 | News
“I congratulate the European Parliament on its substantial work, which provides confirmation of the main conclusions of my own interim report, adopted by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in June 2006,” said Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur Dick Marty, reacting to today’s vote in the European Parliament. “The ‘spider's web’ I described has been revealed to be even more dense thanks to the investigations carried out by Mr Fava, to whom I pay tribute.” Mr Marty went on: “The Fava report is part of the drive for truth that makes me persevere in my ongoing work to establish the full facts and determine the necessary action to prevent such violations occurring in future. This work is not over yet!"
13/02/2007 | News
PACE's Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris, has deplored the outburst of violence which accompanied demonstrations against the Ahtisaari plan in Pristina during the week-end. In a statement, the committee urged both the Serbian and the Kosovo Albanian negotiating teams to engage in a "constructive and pragmatic dialogue".
26/01/2007 | News
The Council of Europe should encourage a process of “responsible food consumption” by boosting partnerships of solidarity between producers and consumers, and encouraging young people to develop an ethos of responsible food consumption, PACE said in a resolution. In the long run, it hopes synergies will develop between government, businesses and citizens which will help to sustain a whole new culture of socially-responsible eating.
25/01/2007 | News
While underlining the importance of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights for the protection of media freedom throughout Europe, the PACE called for additional measures for effectively protecting the lives and freedom of expression of journalists. Following the proposals by the rapporteur (Andrew McIntosh, United Kingdom, SOC), the Assembly called on all parliaments concerned “to conduct parliamentary investigations into the unresolved murders of journalists as well as attacks and death threats against them, in order to shed light on individual cases and develop as a matter of urgency effective policies for the greater safety of journalists”.