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In Iceland, a focus on the power of human rights and democracy to defeat extremism

27/09/2016 | Political Affairs and Democracy

Icelandic leaders welcomed the Political Affairs Committee to Reykjavik, speaking out strongly in favour of the Council of Europe’s core principles as the most effective way to counter hate-speech, extremism and terrorism.

Statement of the PACE assessment mission for the Constitutional referendum in Azerbaijan

27/09/2016 | Election observation

The Bureau of the PACE, upon the invitation of the Azerbaijani authorities, decided to send an ad hoc committee to conduct an assessment mission of the 26 September Constitutional referendum in Azerbaijan.

PACE President makes official visit to Iceland, joins with Utøya survivor at #NoHateNoFear event

23/09/2016 | Political Affairs and Democracy

Pedro Agramunt will make an official visit to Iceland on 26 and 27 September. In Reykjavik, he is due to meet the President of Iceland and the Speaker of Parliament, as well as the Foreign and Finance Ministers.

New seminar for staff of national parliaments on ECHR

23/09/2016 | Parliamentary support

A seminar for staff of national parliaments, aimed at improving their knowledge of the European Convention on Human Rights and in particular regarding the execution of judgments of the Court, will be held in Strasbourg on 26-27 September.

PACE delegation makes pre-electoral visit to the Republic of Moldova

22/09/2016 | Election observation

A delegation, led by Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter, will carry out a mission to Chisinau on 27-28 September, to assess the election campaign and political climate prior to the presidential election on 30 October.

Committee calls for the protection of unaccompanied minors in Europe to be harmonised

22/09/2016 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation

Migration Committee called on European governments to improve the protection of unaccompanied migrant minors and to avoid them going missing. Accelerated asylum application procedures should be implemented.

Promoting migrants in the labour market to overcome Europe’s “demographic winter”

22/09/2016 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation

With the world’s lowest fertility and most ageing population, the countries of the Council of Europe need to develop “migration policies oriented towards the future, that attract qualified migrants”, the committee said.

Parliamentary hearing in Tirana on ‘Interreligious Dialogue and Tolerance’

21/09/2016 | Monitoring

The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly, will organise a joint hearing with the Albanian Parliament on Friday 23 September (morning), on “Interreligious Dialogue and Tolerance”.

Surrogacy: governments should consider drawing up guidelines to safeguard children’s rights

21/09/2016 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

PACE committee recommends that the Council of Europe's ministerial body considers the desirability and feasibility of “drawing up European guidelines to safeguard children’s rights in relation to surrogacy arrangements”.

PACE observers: partnership with Jordan’s Parliament on the right track, early elections well administered

21/09/2016 | Election observation

Following the invitation of Jordan’s Independent Electoral Commission, PACE observed, for the first time, the early elections to the Jordanian House of Representatives which took place on 20 September.

Tax avoidance and evasion pose a threat to social justice

21/09/2016 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

The committee is concerned by the scope of tax avoidance and evasion, as illustrated by the “Panama Papers” scandal, which exposed how shadow companies and secret accounts are used to hide taxable income and assets in tax havens”.

PACE to send ‘assessment mission’ to Azerbaijan’s constitutional referendum

20/09/2016 | Election observation

PACE is to send a seven-member “assessment mission”, headed by Aleksandar Nikoloski, to the 26 September referendum on amendments to the Constitution of Azerbaijan, following an invitation from the authorities.