29/02/2012 | President
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon has called for a “strong partnership” between the Council of Europe and the organs of the United Nations in dealing with crises, such as the current situation in Syria, during a meeting in New York with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
28/02/2012 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Jean-Claude Mignon, today appealed to the Ukrainian authorities to free former Ukrainian Minister of the Interior Yuriy Lutsenko, who was yesterday sentenced by a court in Kyiv to four years' imprisonment for exceeding his official powers and for abuse of office.
27/02/2012 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, who was sentenced today by a Kyiv court to four years in prison for abuse of office and abuse of power, is “the victim of a political vendetta”, according to Marieluise Beck (Germany, ALDE), PACE Rapporteur on “Threats to the rule of law in Council of Europe member states: asserting the Parliamentary Assembly’s authority”.
27/02/2012 | President
When it comes to combating violence against women, "we are all responsible – parliaments, international organisations, diplomatic missions and non-governmental organisations – whether we are involved in the political sphere or on the ground, we must all work together to disseminate the international instruments and spread the practices which can turn the tide," said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, speaking in New York today at an event held on the sidelines of the 56th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
24/02/2012 | President
Jean-Claude Mignon, PACE President will be meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in New York on 29 February. Their talks will focus primarily on co-operation between the two organisations in crisis management in the world and on promoting democracy and human rights.
24/02/2012 | Election observation
A 29-member delegation of PACE, headed by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), will visit the Russian Federation from 1 to 5 March to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The delegation is due to meet the candidates in the presidential election, the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Vladimir Churov, NGOs and media representatives, and diplomats from some Council of Europe member states in Moscow, before observing the ballot on 4 March.
24/02/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on the situation in Kosovo,* has welcomed the agreement reached today in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on two key issues, namely Kosovo’s representation in regional forums and technical details of how Serbia and Kosovo will manage their joint borders. “I congratulate the Serbian and Kosovo negotiators, whom I met during my recent visits to Belgrade and Pristina, for their goodwill and responsible leadership, which demonstrate their willingness to move forward and to be part of the European family,” Mr von Sydow said.
23/02/2012 | President
PACE President, Jean-Claude Mignon, said today that he was deeply shocked at the death of the French photographer Rémi Ochlik and the American journalist Marie Colvin working for the Sunday Times, who were both killed in the bombardment of Homs. “On behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly, I would like to express my sincerest sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of the victims.”
23/02/2012 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“The European Court of Human Rights has today delivered a landmark judgment which clarifies member states’ obligations regarding interception at sea,” said Giacomo Santini, PACE Chair of the Committee on Migration. “The Hirsi and others v. Italy judgment unambiguously upholds the right of persons intercepted at sea not to be pushed back and to request asylum,” he added. “In this way, the Court has closed the door to any state wanting purely and simply to push back those intercepted at sea.”
22/02/2012 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Marieluise Beck (Germany, ALDE) will conduct a fact-finding visit to Kyiv in connection with the preparation of her report on “Threats to the Rule of Law in Council of Europe member states - Upholding the authority of the Parliamentary Assembly”.
15/02/2012 | President
Increased co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament was the main focus of meetings held yesterday and today in Strasbourg by the PACE President, Jean-Claude Mignon. During these meetings Jean-Claude Mignon advocated increased reciprocal participation in activities of common interest organised by the two institutions, including joint field visits.
14/02/2012 | President
Media professionals have a genuine power to "convey a positive message of intercultural dialogue and promote ideological, cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity" PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon declared today in Strasbourg at the opening of a colloquy on the theme "Media which express cultural diversity: situation and prospects", organised by the University of Strasbourg's UNESCO Chair.