24/01/2011 | Session
The credentials of the PACE delegations from Montenegro, San Marino and Serbia were challenged on the opening day of the Assembly’s plenary session in Strasbourg on the grounds that they do not contain at least one Representative who is a member of “the under-represented sex”, as required by the Rules.
24/01/2011 | Session
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu issued a strong condemnation of today’s bomb blast at Moscow’s main airport as members of the Assembly – currently in session in Strasbourg – stood in silence for a minute to remember the victims. “On behalf of the Assembly, I would like to express my shock and horror at the news of today’s bombling, which has – according to reports – killed at least 31 people and injured more than 100 more. It seems that a suicide bomber may have been involved,” the President said in a statement to the Assembly.
24/01/2011 | Session
In his speech to the parliamentary Assembly today, the Secretary General highlighted the pivotal role of the Council of Europe and the relevance of its ongoing reform, aiming at political action on a pan-European level. "A cold wind is blowing over Europe", he said.
24/01/2011 | Session
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly, Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, stressed his support to the reform process initiated by the Secretary General, recalling his country’s commitment as Chair of the Committee of Ministers 'to put the Council of Europe back on the international scene as an innovative, more flexible and visible organisation.'
24/01/2011 | News
British Conservative MP Robert Walter was today unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the European Democrat Group (EDG), currently the third largest of the five political groups in the Parliamentary Assembly. The Vice-Chairpersons are Konstantin Kosachev (Russian Federation) and Karin Woldseth (Norway). “It is a great honour for me to be entrusted with this difficult but challenging task,” Mr Walter said.
21/01/2011 | President
"The European Court of Human Rights today delivered a milestone judgment damning how Europe is protecting its refugees, asylum seekers and irregular migrants,” today said PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. “While the M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece judgment is only against two member states, the implications of the judgment will be rippling through the capitals of Europe,” he added.
18/01/2011 | Monitoring
"We should not argue about the past any more - we need to discuss the future. The cornerstone of building the future is of course a lasting political settlement of the conflict in conformity with international law and guaranteeing security and the freedoms and rights of the populations concerned. Until this lasting settlement is found, the conflict will continue to compromise both the stability and the economic development of the whole region," declared PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at the opening of a hearing on the current situation with regard to “the consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia”.
17/01/2011 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs for Ukraine Mailis Reps (ALDE, Estonia) and Marietta Pourbaix–Lundin (EPP/CD, Sweden), welcomed today’s adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the Law on Access to Public Information. “The adoption of this law, which was called for by the Assembly, takes into account recommendations made by the international community and civil society, and will increase the transparency of governance and will be an important tool in the fight against corruption”, they said.
17/01/2011 | Session
A report on illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo will be among the highlights of the winter PACE plenary session (24-28 January 2011), along with addresses by the President of Turkey Abdullah Gül, the President of Serbia Boris Tadic, the President of Romania Traian Basescu and the Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha.
14/01/2011 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Renate Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD), PACE rapporteur on "The death penalty in Council of Europe member and observer states - an unacceptable violation of human rights", has welcomed the decision of the Illinois legislature to abolish the death penalty. "It will now be up to the new Governor Pat Quinn, a close ally of Barrack Obama, to sign this initiative into law. I can only encourage him to do so without hesitation," said Renate Wohlwend.
13/01/2011 | Monitoring
“The implementation of reforms by Turkey will be closely monitored,” said Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), PACE rapporteur for the post-monitoring dialogue with Turkey, at the end of her initial fact-finding visit to Turkey from 8 to 12 January 2011. "There are positive trends and real progress has been made. However, there are still major problems with regard to the length of detention on remand and court proceedings, the functioning of the judicial system, freedom of expression and the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights...
12/01/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has expressed profound concern at the recent social and economic tension in Tunisia and voiced his regret that protests which have been ongoing since mid-December have degenerated into violent clashes with the police, leading to the deaths of at least 21 people. The President, speaking at the end of an official visit to the country (10-12 January 2011), called on the authorities to “manage the crisis in a responsible manner and in full conformity with Council of Europe standards, in particular avoiding the disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials”.