24/01/2012 | Session
On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the Council of Europe, which will be celebrated in April 2012, PACE, meeting in plenary in Strasbourg, has once again called on the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the key political stakeholders to “stop obstructionism and work constructively at the level of state institutions”. “It is time to move from ethnocracy to democracy,” said Karin Woldseth (Norway, EDG) – one of the co-rapporteurs on the subject, with Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD) – at the opening of the debate.
24/01/2012 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“In the field of action to combat sexual violence against children, preventive measures and investment in training for educational staff, health professionals and social workers are essential, so that the signs of violence can de detected at the earliest possible stage,” said Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking today at the 6th meeting of the network of contact parliamentarians for the Campaign to stop sexual violence against children.
23/01/2012 | Session
Jean-Claude Mignon (EPP/CD) from France has just been elected PACE President. Taking over from Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (Turkey, EDG), he is the 26th President of the Assembly since 1949 and the first French person to hold this office in 23 years. “First and foremost, I want to make sure in my new position that the rule of law, respect for human rights and the promotion of democracy are not just empty words, and that we are moving forward in these areas, including beyond our borders, in particular by engaging with Europe’s neighbours who are moving down the path to democracy,” he said today.
23/01/2012 | Session
When adopting its final agenda at the opening of the Winter Session 2012, PACE decided to hold a current affairs debate on "The Russian Federation between elections," on Thursday 26. However, it decided not to follow the proposal of the Danish delegation to the PACE to hold a current affairs debate on "The situation of democracy in Hungary". Speeches by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Finnish President Tarja Halonen will be among the highlights of the session.
23/01/2012 | Election observation
The playing field for Russia’s parliamentary elections was “slanted in favour of United Russia”, according to a report by PACE’s election observers made public today, and debated by the Assembly. Although the seven political parties running created the possibility of real competition, the denial of registration to certain parties had “narrowed political competition”, the report, presented by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), concluded.
23/01/2012 | Session
The credentials of the Ukrainian delegation to the Assembly were challenged on procedural grounds on the opening day of the session in Strasbourg. Making the challenge on behalf of the EPP/CD group, Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania) considered that three members of the Ukrainian delegation should not be seen as members of the opposition and therefore the political balance of the delegation was not respected.
23/01/2012 | Session
At the opening of its winter plenary session today, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) elected its Vice-Presidents. The seat for the Vice-President in respect of Spain remains vacant...
23/01/2012 | Session
“At the end you can always say that we have done not enough, but I can assure you that I did my best during my Presidency to strengthen the Parliamentary Assembly and its institutional role”, Mevlut Cavusoglu today at his last press conference in his capacity of President of the Assembly. Referring to the vote of the French Parliament Lower Chamber on the bill criminalizing the denial of the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’, Mr Cavusoglu said that in fact “France is criminalizing freedom of speech”, which goes against the Council of Europe values.
23/01/2012 | President
Jean-Claude Mignon, elected today as PACE President, will lay a wreath at the Strasbourg war memorial in Place de la République at 5.30 pm on Tuesday 24 January. The ceremony will be attended by the Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, representatives of Strasbourg City Council, the Conseil Général and the Regional Council, and the Chairpersons of the United Kingdom, Russian and German delegations to the PACE.
21/01/2012 | Election observation
A PACE post-election delegation, ending a two-day visit to Moscow, has welcomed widespread indications – from across the political spectrum – of the need for political change in Russia, and called for this change to be substantial and sustainable. It should not be a survival mechanism, the delegation said. The six-member delegation, visiting Moscow on 20 and 21 January, said that Russian voters, whatever their political views, were making increasingly clear their preference for elections that are conducted fairly, and called on the politicians to respond to this need as an urgent priority. Recent mass demonstrations throughout Russia had acted as a wake-up call, it pointed out.
20/01/2012 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The whole region is facing decisions which call for considerable responsibility and risks which can be tackled only by courageous leadership. Pro-European leaders should demonstrate that they are prepared to take on responsibility”, PACE rapporteur on the situation in Kosovo*, Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), said today at the end of a two day visit to Belgrade.
20/01/2012 | Session
The Danish delegation to the PACE today requested that a current affairs debate on “The state of democracy in Hungary” be held during the next part session (23-27 January 2012). This proposal, which will be submitted to the Bureau of the Assembly at its meeting on Monday 23 January at 8 am, will not be approved until the Assembly has adopted its final agenda at the opening of the session.