11/01/2013 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
The members of PACE Ad hoc Sub-Committee on the large-scale arrival of irregular migrants, asylum seekers and refugees on Europe's Southern shores, accompanied for part of the visit by PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, will make a fact-finding visit to Greece from 14 to 16 January.
01/01/2013 | President
On this first day of the New Year, I would like to wish happiness, prosperity, health and peace to the 800 million Europeans living in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as to the citizens of the Observer states and to our Partners for Democracy. I also address my best wishes to the 636 MPs who are members of our Assembly, to the members of the Committee of Ministers, to our Secretary General and to the Deputy Secretary General, to the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly, as well as to all the officials and staff working for different Council of Europe bodies.
29/12/2012 | President
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon this morning expressed his sadness and consternation following the death of the young student who was gang-raped in a bus in New Delhi. "I would like, once again, to condemn this cowardly and ignoble act. At the same time, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the family and to the relatives of the young woman," declared the PACE President.
23/12/2012 | President
"I am relieved that we finally get out of this intolerable situation of status quo and stagnation hanging over the Baumettes prison in Marseille. To think that, on the eve of the year 2013, we have to take emergency measures by carrying out rodent and insect controls in a prison in France to improve the living conditions of detainees offends me deeply," declared this morning PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon.
20/12/2012 | President
During his working visit to the Republic of Moldova from 17 to 20 December and in his address to its parliament, PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon offered the services of the Parliamentary Assembly as a platform for relaunching dialogue between the representatives of the Moldovan Parliament and the Transnistrian Supreme Soviet.
20/12/2012 | Session
Addresses by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle, and Italian Minister for Justice Paola Severino (to be confirmed) will be among highlights of PACE’s Winter Session 2013 (Strasbourg, 21-25 January).
19/12/2012 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
“Good governance of sport is affected by what is at stake in terms of power and by the opaque nature of decision-taking processes. And FIFA bears a particular responsibility. We are committed to encouraging the reforms which should give this world body the transparency and sense of responsibility that it lacks,” said Gvozden Flego (Croatia, SOC), Chair of the PACE Culture Committee, speaking this morning at the opening of a hearing in Paris on the governance of FIFA.
19/12/2012 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
The Council of Europe Museum Prize for 2013 has been awarded to the Museum of Liverpool (United Kingdom) by the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
18/12/2012 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“There are many faces that do not reach the limelight. Father Zerai’s is one of them,” said Giacomo Santini (Italy, EPP/CD), Chair of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, on International Migrants Day.
18/12/2012 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
PACE Culture Committee considers that national parliaments should deliver policies for culture “which effectively uphold our common core values” – human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These policies should also ensure adequate access to education and support participation in cultural life, creativity and innovation.
18/12/2012 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
At the end of a fact-finding visit to Copenhagen made in the context of preparation of his report on “Strengthening the institution of Ombudsman in Europe”, the rapporteur of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Jordi Xuclà i Costa (Spain, ALDE), noted that the Danish system for protecting citizens’ rights against maladministration was a good example on which other European states could draw.
17/12/2012 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“The Russian Parliament should remove the consideration of a draft bill prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality among minors from its order of business,” said Håkon Haugli (Norway, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on Tackling discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.