25/01/2007 | News
That Protocol 14 needs bringing into force as a guarantee of a better functioning European Court of Human Rights was the conclusion reached by PACE's current affairs debate. That is prevented by the recent non-ratification by the State Duma of the Council of the Russian Federation since the Protocol cannot take effect until all the member states have ratified it. The debate was requested by Dick Marty (Suisse, ALDE) in his capacity as Chair of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. Its aim, he said, was not to point the finger but to think about what could be done, and he was open to dialogue with the Duma Legal Committee because he was convinced that dialogue could put right various misunderstandings. “We have a responsibility to future generations to safeguard the independence of the European Court of Human Rights,” he concluded.
25/01/2007 | News
European governments are still not doing enough to protect people affected by HIV/AIDS from discrimination, the Assembly said following a joint debate. It called for special measures to protect children and young women, including empowering young women through information and awareness-raising, and demanded high-quality medical services, research into new treatments, a ban on compulsory HIV/AIDS screening and the criminalising of the wilful transmission of the disease.
25/01/2007 | News
While welcoming progress made, the Assembly decided to pursue its monitoring until measures taken or planned in the fields of election legislation, local and regional government, the fight against corruption, domestic violence and trafficking in human beings, the judiciary and electronic media, the prevention of torture and respect of minority and children’s rights have produced tangible results. The parliamentarians praised the open and constructive policy which Albania has maintained towards Kosovo, but regretted that Albanian political life has continued to be dominated by confrontation and obstructionism.
24/01/2007 | News
Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Future Status Process for Kosovo, addressed the Parliamentary Assembly during its debate on the current situation in Kosovo. He said that the main aim of his proposals – which are to be published in the very near future – was to make peaceful coexistence of all the communities possible, ensuring that all, and particularly the minorities, lived in dignified, safe and economically viable conditions. He also pointed to the important role that the Council of Europe would play in the implementation of his proposals.
24/01/2007 | News
In a wide-ranging speech to the PACE, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis evoked the Council of Europe’s 'crucial role' in southeastern Europe, including Kosovo, where there "still remains a great deal to be achieved". It is "essential for peace in the area that the solution be mutually acceptable to both sides as well". The prime minister expressed support for EU candidate status to "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", but under certain conditions – including "the name issue". Alluding to the 'strained' workload of the Human Rights Court, he said that ratification of Protocol 14 is 'crucial' and regretted that negotiations have stalled on the accession of the EU to the European Convention of Human Rights.
24/01/2007 | News
The Assembly has called on member states “not to use energy supply as an instrument of political pressure” and appealed for a stable and reliable energy system in Europe based on mutual commitments, long-term agreements and transparent competitive rules. Such a partnership between Russia and other European countries depending on Russian energy imports would be “strategically beneficial for all concerned”, the parliamentarians said. In a resolution, based on a report by Marko Mihkelson (Estonia, EPP/CD), they also expressed concern at Gazprom’s heavy monopoly of Russia’s gas market, and called on member states to open up their gas transportation systems to both domestic and foreign competition.
24/01/2007 | News
"For San Marino the number one priority is to ensure the efficiency of the European Convention on Human Rights machinery", Fiorenzo Stolfi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of San Marino and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, told the Parliamentary Assembly. He stressed the need for Protocol 14 to enter into force as soon as possible, to guarantee the efficacy of the unique system the Convention offers. He also developed two other priorities of San Marino’s Chairmanship, namely relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union and intercultural dialogue.
24/01/2007 | News
At the end of a debate on the current situation in Kosovo, with the participation of Martti Ahtisaari, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Future Status Process of Kosovo, the PACE said that “a negotiated and mutually accepted solution to Kosovo’s status is the best guarantee that the outcome will not be disputed in the future”. However, the adopted text underlines that if long-term deadlock leads to continuing insecurity and instability, “an internationally-imposed solution” may have to be envisaged as a last and extreme resort. Whatever solution is found, it must ensure that minorities are specially protected and that human rights principles are upheld.
24/01/2007 | News
Concerned over the many cases of non-compliance with the social legislation on employer-employee relations, particularly affecting foreign labour in the agricultural sector, the PACE today said that all agricultural workers, whether permanent or seasonal, should be entitled to the same rights as other workers by the application of national and international legislation. In another debate regarding “The situation of migrant workers in temporary employment agencies”, the parliamentarians called for rules that ensure equal treatment and basic rights of temporary and migrant workers.
23/01/2007 | News
Tiny Kox (Netherlands) was today elected President of the United European Left Group. Mr Kox was born on 6 May 1953 in Veldhoven (Netherlands). Since 1973, he has lived in Tilburg, where he was a member of the city council between 1982 and 1999 for the Socialist Party. From 1994 until 2003, he was the party's general secretary. Since 2003 he has been the leader of the Socialist Party group in the Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer, First Chamber of States-General), where he is a member of several committees, notably European Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Budget, as well as of the national executive of the party. He leads the SP delegations to PACE and NATO parliamentary assemblies. He is married with Irene and has two children, Klaas (23) and Ties (21).
23/01/2007 | News
Adressing the Assembly in a debate on combating all forms of violence against children, Unicef Director General Ann M. Veneman welcomed the fruitful co-operation between the Council of Europe and Unicef. She stressed the need for collaboration between governments, civil society, teachers, parents and children to achieve a world that respected children. The Princess of Hanover, as president of the World Association of Children’s Friends (AMADE), described several projects in Monaco and welcomed the progress represented by the Council of Europe’s launch of its ''Building a Europe for and with Children'' programme in Monaco in April 2006. She particularly drew attention to the importance of the draft convention on sexual exploitaion of children, which was nearing finalisation. ''The Council of Europe has a fundamental role to play in this field but it cannot go it alone. We are all of us spurred on by a shared ideal,'' she said.
23/01/2007 | News
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly, referring to the Council of Europe, the European Union and the OSCE, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt declared: "the three organisations differed in their methods, particularly on the question of integration. But what was really important was the specific nature of their task, their own particular contribution to the common European project. Their aim was not to compete with each other but to be mutually supportive. They should work together to establish the roots from which our model of society grows, which does not prevent some from going further in certain areas," he added.