14/11/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE will convene its network of contact parliamentarians to stop sexual violence against children on 20 November in Moscow on the occasion of International Children's Rights Day. The discussion directed at the topic of “sexual abuse inflicted on children within the circle of trust” will enable the parliamentarians to strengthen prevention and protection policies as well as sanctions at national level.
13/11/2012 | Monitoring
On returning from her third fact-finding mission to Turkey from 5 to 9 November 2012, Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), PACE rapporteur on post-monitoring dialogue with Turkey recalled the four main issues raised during her visit. Referring to the reception of Syrian refugees, she highlighted the “outstanding effort” of the authorities and the Turkish people’s “exemplary solidarity”...
13/11/2012 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
States Parties bear the “primary responsibility” for ensuring the European Convention on Human rights is applied effectively at national level – alongside the Strasbourg Court and Committee of Ministers – according to PACE’s Legal Affairs Committee. Approving a report by Serhii Kivalov (Ukraine, EDG) during a meeting yesterday in Paris, the committee deplored the fact that the Court was “still overloaded with a large number of repetitive cases revealing widespread dysfunctions in national legal orders”.
13/11/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the situation in Kosovo*, will make a fact-finding visit to Belgrade on 15-16 November 2012, in the framework of the preparation of his report. During his visit, he is due to meet the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and the Foreign Minister...
09/11/2012 | President
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon and the EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle, meeting yesterday in Brussels, have agreed a series of steps to deepen co-operation and enhance co-ordination between PACE and the European Commission. They agreed to meet much more regularly – every two months, beginning in December – to discuss current issues.
08/11/2012 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE’s General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty, Renate Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD), today regretted the narrow loss of SAFE California initiative in the California election on 6 November. Addressing a message to anti-death penalty activists, she stated: “You have come a long way already, don’t give up!...
07/11/2012 | Parliamentary support
A seminar on the topic “Controls exerted by Parliaments on Governments’ actions”, bringing together six members of the PACE with between 30 and 40 members of the Moroccan Parliament, will take place in Rabat.
07/11/2012 | President
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon this morning congratulated Barack Obama on his re-election as President of the United States of America. “I send my heartfelt congratulations to President Obama on his re-election and wish him every success. Throughout his first term of office, he has placed social justice, equality and solidarity at the very centre of his actions; these are the same values which guide the activities of the Council of Europe. President Obama has given a commitment to continue along this path over the coming four years."
07/11/2012 | President
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon spoke this morning in Brussels in favour of closer co-operation between PACE and the European Parliament, particularly as regards specific issues of respect for fundamental rights in states both within the European Union and beyond. The President also called for the EU’s speedy accession to the European Convention on Human Rights in order to “fill a gap in the European human rights safeguards”.
05/11/2012 | Monitoring
Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), PACE rapporteur for post-monitoring dialogue with Turkey, is to visit the country from 5 to 10 November 2012 for a fact-finding visit. Talks (to be confirmed) are planned in Ankara and Istanbul with the President of the Republic and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Justice, Labour and the Interior.
31/10/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“This is my third visit to Kosovo since the adoption of my last report in 2010. My impression is that the democratic interplay in Kosovo is improving over the years, but democracy needs time,” said PACE rapporteur Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), speaking to the media at the end of a two-day visit to Kosovo (29-30 October 2012).
30/10/2012 | President
At the close of their official visit to Tunisia, Edmond Panariti, Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania, and Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Council’s Parliamentary Assembly – accompanied by Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio – called on Tunisian authorities to push ahead with the on-going constitutional reform “so as firmly to establish the foundations of a democratic and pluralistic society in which the rights and freedoms of all individuals are respected...”