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
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.
24/04/2012 | President
Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), today expressed his deep concern at the decline in Yulia Tymoshenko’s health and her decision to carry out a hunger strike in response to the violence and abuse she says she is suffering.
24/04/2012 | Session
“We must all encourage women to continue and increase their participation in democratic movements : there can be no democracy without respect for women’s rights,” said the PACE President, speaking today at the opening of a hearing on women’s contribution to the Arab Spring and the outlook for the status of women.
24/04/2012 | Session
PACE parliamentarians today set out a series of ideas for increasing the involvement of citizens in decisions which affect them, especially at local level. Adopting a report by the Earl of Dundee (United Kingdom, EDG), the Assembly called on cities and governments to share ideas about “practical ways to enhance participation, citizenship and good governance at local levels”.
23/04/2012 | Session
When adopting the agenda of its plenary Spring Session (23-27 April), the Assembly decided to hold an urgent debate on the situation in Syria as well as a current affairs debate on the the future of the European Court of Human Rights and the Brighton Declaration.
23/04/2012 | Session
At the opening of its Spring plenary Session (23-27 April 2012), the Assembly today elected its Vice-Presidents with respect to Luxembourg (Fernand Boden) and Spain (José Maria Beneyto Pérez).
23/04/2012 | Session
In his opening address PACE President, Jean-Claude Mignon, welcomed in particular the decision to hold an urgent debate on Syria on Thursday morning. "Our aim, as ever, is to ensure that the democratic changes in the southern Mediterranean go off as peacefully as possible, with full respect for fundamental human rights. This has not always been the case in Syria, where there have been over ten thousand deaths and thousands of refugees – a genuine humanitarian disaster. We cannot remain silent in the face of such atrocities!" he said.
23/04/2012 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
It is “difficult to imagine” that FIFA’s leadership would not have known of significant sums paid to certain FIFA officials in the context of contracts with collapsed Swiss sports promoter ISMM/ISL for World Cup television rights, according to the author of a PACE report due to be debated on Wednesday this week.
23/04/2012 | Session
Governments must work together in a spirit of cooperation to ensure that the package agreed at the Brighton Conference for reform of the Court of Human Rights is brought into the European Convention of Human Rights by 2013, UK Europe Minister David Lidington told the Assembly today.
23/04/2012 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“Fighting discrimination against LGBT people is at the heart of the Council of Europe’s mission”, Håkon Haugli (Norway, SOC), PACE General Rapporteur on the rights of LGBTs said when presenting the priorities of his mandate. “LGBTs should enjoy all human rights, and not different or lesser rights as other people..."