05/03/2012 | Standing Committee
A parliamentary debate on the need for independent and credible expert assessments will be among the highlights of the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to be held in Paris on Friday 9 March 2012.
02/03/2012 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
The adoption of a report on good governance and ethics in sport, including a number of recommendations concerning recent events at football’s governing body FIFA, will be the highlight of a meeting of PACE Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Paris on Tuesday 6 March 2012.
02/03/2012 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs Davit Harutyunyan (Armenia, EGD) and Indrek Saar (Estonia, SOC)has welcomed the decision of the European Council to grant Serbia the status of candidate country. "This decision acknowledges the significant progress made by Serbia in adopting European legal standards, co-operating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and pursuing the dialogue with Pristina by diplomatic and peaceful means,” they said.
02/03/2012 | Monitoring
The independence of the judiciary, the situation of the media and the fight against corruption in Montenegro are among issues to be raised by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), PACE monitoring co-rapporteur during a fact-finding visit to the country from 5 to 8 March 2012.
29/02/2012 | President
“We must redouble our efforts as parliamentarians and lawmakers to promote the empowerment and emancipation of rural women,” said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon today at a meeting held in New York by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women on the occasion of the 56th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
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.