30/01/2013 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Pietro Marcenaro (Italy, SOC), Chair of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy and rapporteur on the Middle East, has called on the Israeli government to reconsider its decision to boycott the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and suspend its relations with the UN Human Rights Council. The UPR is a mechanism whereby the Human Rights Council reviews the human rights records of all UN member states.
28/01/2013 | Monitoring
In a declaration adopted on 22 January, following the preliminary conclusions of Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), rapporteur for post-monitoring dialogue with Turkey, the PACE Monitoring Committee welcomed the resumption of talks by the Turkish authorities with a view to finding a political solution to the Kurdish issue.
28/01/2013 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), PACE member of the Equality and Non-Discrimination Committee, will make a fact-finding visit to Sweden on 29-30 January as part of the preparation of his report on “Parental leave as a way to foster gender equality”.
25/01/2013 | Session
Although progress has been made along the path towards gender equality, reconciling private and working life today is a challenge for both women and men. Adopting a resolution based on a report prepared by Carmen Quintanilla (Spain, EPP/CD), the Assembly called on Governments to introduce a series of measures...
25/01/2013 | Session
PACE calls for a series of steps to combat trafficking for forced labour without penalising its victims – including laws to prosecute end-users and perpetrators, better regulation of the workplace and reviewing immigration and return policies.
24/01/2013 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“I was outraged to learn that a peaceful, authorised demonstration in support of freedom of expression and against a bill to prohibit so-called ‘homosexual propaganda’ was violently disrupted in the city of Voronezh in southwest Russia”, today said Håkon Haugli, PACE General rapporteur on the rights of LGBT people.
24/01/2013 | Session
Given the mounting tensions over asylum and irregular migration into Greece, Turkey and other Mediterranean countries, the PACE has underlined the need to rethink responsibilities here and deal with what should be recognised as a European problem and not one confined to a single or a few European States.
24/01/2013 | Session
“Our close and joint cooperation and engagement with our partners in the East and in the Southern neighbourhood represents a powerful instrument to support their process of transformation and the development of deep rooted democracy..." declared today Jean-Claude Mignon and Štefan Füle.
24/01/2013 | Session
The Assembly today said that “the increased involvement of, and solidarity by, European and African States, the EU and the United States of America, in support of Malian and French forces on the ground”, are necessary to put an end to the establishment of a “regime based on terrorism, hostage taking and drug and arms-trafficking in the Sahel” and restore Mali’s constitutional order and territorial integrity.
24/01/2013 | Session
"The Council of Europe is a key partner in various aspects of the enlargement process and has a key role in the European Neighbourhood Policy", said European Commissioner Stefan Fule while addressing PACE on Thursday. The Commissioner responsible for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy of the European Union highlighted the relevance of the strategic partnership with the Council of Europe for its indisputable assets...
24/01/2013 | Session
PACE, approving a wide-ranging assessment of the state of media freedom in Europe, has demanded greater protection for the continent’s journalists, less pressure on broadcasters, and more transparent media ownership.
24/01/2013 | Session
“As parliamentarians, we must vigorously oppose the resurgence of racism, xenophobia and cruelty that we are seeing in some states. We must work together to eradicate these things. Our duty of remembrance towards the victims means that we must take action,” said the PACE President in Strasbourg, speaking at a ceremony to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.