20/03/2013 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
On the basis of a report by Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG), the Legal Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris today, agreed that the Draft Protocol 15 to the European Convention on Human Rights, which the Committee of Ministers has submitted to PACE for opinion, could be adopted and opened for signature and ratification as presently drafted, without amendment.
20/03/2013 | Monitoring
Theodora Bakoyannis (Greece, EPP/CD) has been appointed as a co-rapporteur for PACE’s monitoring of the Russian Federation, to replace György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD), who leaves this post after three years. She will work alongside the existing co-rapporteur Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC). The Russian Federation is one of ten Council of Europe member states subject to the monitoring procedure, which assesses how far a country honours its obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe.
19/03/2013 | Rules, Ethics and Immunities
Though public administrations have to accept the changing social and economic environment, public services cannot be built on the contingencies of the moment. The State remains a guarantor of social, economic and territorial cohesion.
19/03/2013 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
"Avoiding stateless in general, and granting access to nationality for long-term legal residents, is certainly a political issue as well as a legal one, but without political will, progress is impossible. Too many children are still born stateless and this is a blatant violation of the most basic of human rights," Boriss Cilevics (Latvia, SOC).
18/03/2013 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Council of Europe member states should enact laws enabling them to prosecute “child sex tourists” for acts committed abroad, PACE’s Social Affairs Committee has said, approving a report on the topic today at its meeting in Berlin.
18/03/2013 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Sport should lead by example in combating racism, PACE's Equality Committee said today in a declaration ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March).
18/03/2013 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Some Council of Europe member states are "squarely slipping back" towards greater discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation and gender identity, according to PACE rapporteur Håkon Haugli (Norway, SOC), speaking on the eve of a major conference on freedom of expression for LGBT people to take place in Warsaw on Tuesday 19 March.
18/03/2013 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee of the PACE, meeting in Rabat today, recommended that, in their external relations, member states take into account the question of respect for the fundamental rights of religious communities and the matter of their protection.
15/03/2013 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Working with people who have the potential to become abusers to stop them ever harming children and setting up “children’s houses” for child-friendly justice were among a number of innovative approaches to tackling child sex abuse discussed at a meeting of PACE’s ONE in FIVE network in Berlin yesterday.
15/03/2013 | Rules, Ethics and Immunities
Parliamentarians from Norway voted most often in plenary debates during 2012, holding on to the top slot they obtained in 2011. Norway’s delegation cast over 87 per cent of their maximum number of possible votes.
14/03/2013 | President
“The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the home of democracy and human rights, welcomes the election of Pope Francis,” PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon said today, congratulating the new Pontiff on his election.
14/03/2013 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Leading members of Morocco’s parliament and government yesterday briefed PACE’s Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, meeting in Rabat, on the progress that has been made in strengthening human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the country since the Moroccan Parliament became PACE’s first ever “Partner for democracy” nearly two years ago.