26/04/2012 | Session
PACE's Monitoring Committee made public an information note by the co-rapporteurs on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Azerbaijan Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono (Malta, SOC) on their fact-finding visit to Baku (31 January-2 February 2012). The note focuses on the state of democracy, human rights and freedoms.
26/04/2012 | Session
The efforts undertaken by the Russian authorities have improved the lives of a substantial number of displaced persons, but an important number still do not fully enjoy their rights after up to twenty years in displacement, the Assembly underlined today...
26/04/2012 | Session
It is now up to all players – the European Court of Human Rights, national governments, the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly – to ensure that the Brighton Declaration is put into effect, said Hans Franken (Netherlands, EPP/CD), opening a current affairs debate today on the future of the Court.
25/04/2012 | Prizes
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, the Chairperson of the European Museum Forum (EMF) Goranka Horjan, and Strasbourg City Councillor Nicolas Matt, have awarded yesterday evening the 2012 Museum Prize to the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (Cologne), represented by the museum director, Prof. Dr. Klaus Schneider.
25/04/2012 | Session
Football’s governing body FIFA should open a “detailed and exhaustive” internal investigation into whether, and to what extent, the elected candidate in its recent election for President exploited his institutional position to obtain “unfair advantages for himself or for potential voters”, according to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
25/04/2012 | News
Expressing its concern at the scale of manipulation of sports results, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today called for the adoption of mechanisms to limit the risk of match-fixing, illegal betting and other forms of corruption. This problem and the illicit profits from sports betting are "jeopardising public order and the rule of law".
25/04/2012 | Session
In a resolution adopted today, PACE asked member states to "ensure respect for freedom of expression and information on the internet and online media by public as well as private entities".
25/04/2012 | Session
Speaking on the tenth anniversary of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership of the Council of Europe, the foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdžija of Bosnia-Herzegovina pledged that the struggle for full compliance with international human rights and democratic standards would continue.
24/04/2012 | President
“Ten years ago to the day Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Council of Europe. In 2002, this sent out a strong message and constituted an opportunity for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance along the road to European integration. With membership of the Council of Europe came new opportunities: several major reforms have been introduced, such as defence reform, the launch of the police reform and the establishment of a unified ombudsman institution,” declared PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, speaking today.
24/04/2012 | Session
A failure to react to distress calls and a “vacuum of responsibility” for search and rescue are among a “catalogue of failures” which led to the deaths of 63 people fleeing the conflict in Libya by sea during a tragic 15-day voyage in March 2011, according to PACE.
24/04/2012 | Session
Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Dine El Otmani today pledged to ensure that partnership with the Council of Europe is a success. Speaking today to the Parliamentary Assembly, he stressed that Morocco shares the values of the Council of Europe, and that a solid foundation existed for establishing the rule of law and sustainable economic development.
24/04/2012 | Session
In a resolution adopted today, PACE invites countries in the southern Mediterranean that have recently moved towards democracy to introduce reforms “to enhance the status of women and eradicate all forms of discrimination against them”, and to promote women’s representation in elected public bodies.