30/12/2011 | President
PACE President welcomed the agreement between the leaders of key political parties of Bosnia and Herzegovina about the formation of a new government, which came after more than a year of tense and dificult negotiations. "During my recent meetings with the leaders of all political parties, I felt that an agreement was close to being concluded; Therefore, I stressed that the formation of a new government was the first priority..."
22/12/2011 | Session
Addresses by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze will be among highlights of PACE’s winter session (23-27 January 2012). There has also been a request for an urgent debate on “The Russian Federation between two elections”.
18/12/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Cavusoglu today paid tribute to the late leader of the “Velvet Revolution” Vaclav Havel for his vision of a better Europe and his outstanding contribution to the values the Council of Europe stands for: human rights, the rule of law and democracy.“In his speech before PACE on 10 May 1990, Vaclav Havel gave us the key to a new European home: ‘without dreaming of a better Europe we shall never build a better Europe,’ he stressed.
16/12/2011 | Monitoring
“Serbia has made significant progress in many areas and is heading towards the full completion of its commitments. However some key issues remain unsolved or incomplete, or were not completely implemented: reform of the justice system, the fight against corruption, independent media and the rights of minorities,” Davit Harutyunyan.
16/12/2011 | Monitoring
Meeting in Paris on 15 December, PACE Monitoring Committee reminded Bosnia and Herzegovina that it is time to honour its commitments to the Council of Europe. On the basis of a report by Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD) and Karin Woldseth (Norway, EDG), the committee adopted a draft resolution once again calling upon the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the key political stakeholders to stop obstructionism and work constructively at the level of state institutions.
16/12/2011 | Monitoring
PACE Monitoring Committee has called for charges against former government members in Ukraine, including former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, to be dropped. Former Interior Minister Jurij Lutsenko and former Defence Minister Valeriy Ivashenko should be released at once for humanitarian reasons because of their rapidly deteriorating health, the committee said.
16/12/2011 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“This visit to Malta was important for my inquiry into who is responsible for lives lost in the Mediterranean Sea, and enabled me to piece together another part of the puzzle in the case of the ‘left-to-die boat’”, said PACE rapporteur Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC), speaking at the end of a two-day visit to Malta.
16/12/2011 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
In a statement to mark International Migrants Day (18 December), the Chair of PACE's Migration Committee has reaffirmed the importance of upholding both the rights of migrants and the rule of law. Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG) said: “Trafficking and irregular migration have given all migrants a bad name, which has meant the weak and innocent lose out. This unfortunately translates into an over-reliance on detention of migrants and asylum seekers.”
15/12/2011 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The authorities in Belarus are “deliberately turning their back on Europe and the values it upholds”, PACE Political Affairs Committee said today, giving its full backing to the EU’s targeted sanctions of the country. Approving a draft resolution and a draft recommendation, based on a report by Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), the committee expressed its “deep concern” at the deteriorating situation of human rights and civil and political liberties in the country.
15/12/2011 | Monitoring
Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), PACE rapporteur on post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria, will make a fact-finding visit to that country on 19-21 December 2011. During his visit, discussions are scheduled with the President of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Interior and Justice, as well as meetings with the judicial authorities.
15/12/2011 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“The humanitarian situation in the Gali region has now reached a turning point, but whether the turn is for the better or for the worse depends on all parties involved,” said Tina Acketoft (Sweden, ALDE), rapporteur of PACE Migration Committee, speaking at the end of a four-day visit to Georgia, including Tbilisi, Gali and Sukhumi. The fact-finding visit took place as part of preparation for her report “Follow-up on the humanitarian consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia: the humanitarian situation in the war-affected areas.”
14/12/2011 | Political Affairs and Democracy
In a draft Resolution adopted unanimously at a meeting in Paris today, PACE Political Affairs Committee stresses that the Council of Europe standard-setting, advisory and monitoring role should be appropriately reflected in the political documents of the Eastern Partnership of the EU (EaP) and the findings of its monitoring mechanisms fully taken into account.