26/04/2011 | President
National parliaments must play a key role in stemming the flood of applications submerging the European Court of Human Rights, PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, speaking today at the opening of the High-Level Conference on the future of the Court in Izmir, Turkey. Parliaments should "rigorously and systematically verify the compatibility of draft and existing laws with the Convention’s standards", the President pointed out, which would prevent some cases reaching Strasbourg in the first place. Secondly, they should apply pressure on governments to rapidly implement the Court’s judgments when violations were found.
26/04/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will make an official visit to Croatia on 28-29 April 2011. During his visit, he is due to meet the President of the Republic Ivo Josipović, the Speaker of Parliament Luka Bebić, the Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandroković.
21/04/2011 | President
The President of PACE and the leaders of the Assembly’s five political groups have saluted the Tunisian people’s determination to build “a genuine democratic society based on universal values”. Speaking at the end of a visit to Tunisia by PACE’s Presidential Committee, they said the government and people were managing the transition well, leading the way for other countries in the region. They also welcomed the creation of a series of commissions to prepare the democratic transition which were established on the basis of a wide agreement between political forces, NGOs and experts.
19/04/2011 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights has called on participants at a special meeting of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee which opens in Strasbourg today to fight terrorism “in a manner which fully respects human rights and the rule of law”.
15/04/2011 | Session
While underlining that climate change compounds the problem of malnutrition in the world’s most arid regions, the Assembly drew attention to the fact that water shortages also led to acts of violence and conflicts “which may threaten a state’s political and social stability”. The close links between water and security are being confirmed, said the parliamentarians, while noting that water had become “a military and political tool and a new weapon for terrorists”.
15/04/2011 | Session
PACE has called on Council of Europe governments to adopt 15 guiding principles for treating unaccompanied children arriving at their borders – mainly boys of 14 to 17 who are escaping war, violence or extreme poverty. In a resolution approved today, based on a report by Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE), the parliamentarians said such children should never be refused entry, deported or held in detention, and should receive special assistance commensurate with their age.
15/04/2011 | Session
PACE today adopted a resolution and a recommendation advocating a series of measures to be taken by member states and the Committee of Ministers to protect migrant women in the labour market. In particular, the Assembly called on member states to improve laws and policies that regulate the employment of women migrant workers. Member states were also urged to encourage countries of origin to create an effective system of information on jobs abroad, to help women avoid the dangers of trafficking and target appropriate jobs.
14/04/2011 | Session
All European states should share collectively the responsibility for dealing with the arrival of large numbers of irregular migrants, refugees and asylum seekers on Europe’s southern shores following events in North Africa, according to PACE. In a resolution based on a report by Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC), adopted today following an urgent debate in Strasbourg, the Assembly welcomed the efforts so far of the “frontline states” to provide humanitarian assistance in line with their international obligations.
14/04/2011 | Prizes
The 2011 Europe Prize has been awarded jointly to the towns of Landerneau (France) and Hünfeld (Germany). This decision was taken unanimously by the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) at its April plenary session in Strasbourg.
14/04/2011 | Session
When opening the current affairs debate on “the situation in Northern Africa” this morning, Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) said that when citizens were confronted with threats and were fighting a daily battle against poverty, unemployment and unpredictable security services, their dignity ultimately suffered, and that it was not surprising that revolutionary movements had emerged in certain Northern African countries. “Leaders should never treat their people with violence and these populations should be helped to live in dignity,” he said.
14/04/2011 | Monitoring
While welcoming the authorities' many initiatives for electoral reform and reform of the judiciary and the police, PACE co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia (John Prescott, United Kingdom, SOC, and Axel Fischer, Germany, EPP/CD) say that it is now time for these initiatives to be translated into action. The rapporteurs emphasise in an information note that legislative changes alone are not sufficient and "should be accompanied by policies aimed at changing existing practice and mentalities".
14/04/2011 | Monitoring
The PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Moldova, Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD) and Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC), have encouraged all political parties in the country – including within the ruling coalition – to reach an agreement to ensure a swift election of the President of the Republic. In an information note on their first visit to the country (21-24 March), made public today, the co-rapporteurs said this would contribute to the stability needed to secure the process of democratisation.