05/10/2012 | Session
In a statement adopted today, PACE’s Bureau has called on Council of Europe member States to give greater support to the North-South Centre, especially in its work to assist democratic processes in Arab countries in transition focusing on youth and young adults, including young women in Europe’s neighbouring regions.
05/10/2012 | Session
György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD), rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the situation of human rights defenders, has expressed serious concern at recent threats to Tanya Lokshina, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch in Russia. “I am worried about the worsening situation of human rights defenders in Russia and the hostile climate for their work. The recent threats sent via mobile phone to Ms Lokshina, a highly-regarded human rights defender, are unacceptable...
05/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Jean-Claude Mignon will chair the round table on “Is representative democracy in crisis?”, which is organised by PACE in the context of the World Forum for Democracy. It will bring together PACE members Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) and members of parliament from across the world. Andy Richardson (Interparliamentary Union) will present a Global Parliamentary Report on “The changing nature of parliamentary representation”.
04/10/2012 | Session
“I strongly condemn the killing of Turkish civilians by Syrian cross-border shelling – this is only the latest and worst of several such incidents, which are an unacceptable violation of Turkish sovereignty...” declared today PACE President, Jean-Claude Mignon, on the occasion of a PACE urgent debate on the European response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
04/10/2012 | Session
PACE has today condemned “the continuing, systematic and gross human rights violations, amounting to crimes against humanity, committed in Syria,” and called on Europe to show greater solidarity with Syrians who are victims of the conflict and the neighbouring states sheltering them. In a resolution based on a report by Giacomo Santini (Italy, EPP/CD), the Assembly said the humanitarian situation was “becoming more and more critical” for the estimated 1.2 million Syrians...
04/10/2012 | Session
In a statement adopted today in Strasbourg, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) announced its unanimous decision to support the proposal by Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, to nominate Ales Bialiatski – the human rights defender sentenced on 24 November 2011 to four and a half years’ imprisonment – for the 2013 PACE Human Rights Prize.
04/10/2012 | Session
The Council of Europe’s knowledge and experience provide the key to promote democratic societies that respect and uphold diversity, Albanian President Bujar Nishani told the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly today. Marking Albania’s first ever chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, Mr Nishani called for support for membership of Kosovo in the Council of Europe as a way to ensure that European standards take root.
04/10/2012 | Session
In a resolution adopted today on the basis of a report by Oliver Heald (United Kingdom, EDG), PACE decided to introduce a code of conduct for its members and establish a system of rules relating, in particular, to political favouritism, offers of gifts or hospitality to members, situations of conflict of interest, or the use of members’ mandates to promote or safeguard personal interests.
04/10/2012 | Session
PACE has called on Europe’s governments to ensure the viability and quality of public-run schools, while upholding the right to establish and run private schools as part of the national education system, provided they meet certain standards. In a resolution based on a report by Carmen Quintanilla (Spain, EPP/CD), the Assembly said Council of Europe member States should respect parents’ right – spelled out in a Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights – to have their children taught “in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions”, insofar as these are compatible with the Council of Europe’s fundamental values.
04/10/2012 | Session
“Somehow, we in this Assembly must try to persuade the international community to get serious about the problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG) today in Strasbourg, opening a current affairs debate on the Safarov case.
03/10/2012 | Session
Impunity for violent attacks against migrants in Council of Europe states represents a danger for democracy, according to participants at a hearing with representatives of Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) organised in Strasbourg by PACE’s Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons Committee. According to the Amnesty representative, the escalation of violence against migrants in Greece, including racially-motivated attacks, requires an urgent response that has so far not been taken.
03/10/2012 | Session
PACE has spelled out a series of specific steps for greater participation, more transparency and stronger supervision of elections across the Council of Europe area. Approving a report by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), the Assembly – drawing on its experience of observing more than 140 elections to date – said election laws in Europe were a good basis, but ruling parties were failing to implement them fully. Despite “considerable improvements” in recent years, the holding of “free and fair” elections remained a major challenge, it said.