21/06/2011 | Session
The Assembly today elected André Potocki as judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of France. Mr Potocki, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of 9 years starting on 4 November 2011. Judges are elected by PACE from a list of three candidates nominated by each State which has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.
21/06/2011 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“The media have a key role to play in challenging the myths that persist in the portrayal of rape, which influence the public’s perception of this crime”, said the Eaves NGO representative Heather Harvey in Strasbourg today, at a meeting of the network of PACE contact parliamentarians actively combating violence against women.
20/06/2011 | Session
Adopting the final agenda of its plenary Summer Session, the Assembly today decided to hold, on Thursday 23 June, a current affairs debate on the political and humanitarian consequences of the situation in Syria and Libya. The parliamentarians noted that Mohamed Mouldi Kefi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia will not intervene in the debate on the situation in Tunisia. The Assembly also decided to hold a debate on the expansion of democracy by lowering the voting age to 16, on Thursday 23 June.
20/06/2011 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which opened today in Strasbourg its Summer Session 2011, elected Krista Kiuru (Finland, SOC) Vice-President of the Assembly with respect to Finland.
20/06/2011 | Session
“During this session, we will face a historic decision to grant the first ever ‘Partner for Democracy’ status to the parliament of a country beyond Europe’s geographical borders. The fact that this country is the Kingdom of Morocco gives this moment an even greater significance,” said the President of PACE this morning at the opening of the summer session in Strasbourg. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu once again called for a summit of heads of state and government to be held to put the recommendations of the report, ‘Living together – Combining diversity and freedom in 21st century Europe’, into practice.
20/06/2011 | Session
Speaking at a press conference today, PACE President Mevlüt Cavusoglu announced that the Assembly’s Migration Committee will carry out an inquiry into the tragic incident of 8 May, in which reportedly 61 boat people escaping from Libya died after their appeals for rescue had been ignored by armed forces operating in the Mediterranean. “We have a clear moral and legal obligation to save persons in distress. No vessel can ignore an appeal for rescue,” he said.
20/06/2011 | Session
PACE today welcomed the decision by the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to introduce a biennial programme and budget for 2012-2013, which the Assembly sees as a major step forward, provided that the rules of implementation allow a flexible use of appropriations.
20/06/2011 | Session
During a parliamentary debate on the expenditure of the Assembly for 2012-2013, based on the report by Erol Aslan Cebeci (Turkey, EPP/CD), PACE reiterated its support for the reform process undertaken by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. In this connection, it has set up an ad hoc Committee on the Reform of the Assembly, whose aims are to strengthen the Assembly’s political relevance and effectiveness, to make it more visible and to improve the participation of its members, while reinforcing its interaction with national parliaments.
20/06/2011 | Session
Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, currently Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, says that Ukraine wants to see tolerant, open and mutually supportive societies based on respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law, thrive across Europe. Speaking today to the Assembly, he said that Ukraine has agreed shared priorities for its period in office, with protection of children’s rights topping the list.
17/06/2011 | President
On the eve of World Refugee Day (20 June), Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, PACE President delivered the following message: "This World Refugee Day, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which defines who is a refugee, what rights they have, and how states must treat them..."
15/06/2011 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Equal Opportunities has urged the European Parliament to help ensure that European Union member states – and the EU itself – sign up to and ratify the new Council of Europe convention on violence against women and domestic violence. Speaking to the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, José Mendes Bota (Portugal, EPP/CD) said that further efforts were needed to ensure that the groundbreaking convention quickly enters into force, as it has the potential to change the lives of millions of women in Europe and elsewhere.
15/06/2011 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
A statement issued today by the co-chairs of a PACE-European Parliament joint informal body says there is agreement that, following the accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Parliament will be entitled to participate in the sittings of PACE and its relevant bodies when the latter exercises its functions related to the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights. The arrangements must now be approved by both the Assembly and the European Parliament.