03/11/2010 | President
The European Convention on Human Rights has helped to build a Europe united from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, and now faces a new chapter in its history with EU accession and reform of the Court, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has said. Speaking at a...
02/11/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has welcomed the continued negotiations between the leaders of the two Cypriot communities under UN auspices, and called on both parties to show “political courage and firm determination to find a fair, lasting and comprehensive solution for a peaceful and united Cyprus”, one which would guarantee the legitimate rights of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots in full compliance with the values and principles of the Council of Europe.
29/10/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu is to make an official visit to Cyprus from 31 October to 2 November. On 1 November, he will meet among others President Demetris Christofias, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Marios Garoyian, and the Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou. On 2 November, Mr Çavusoglu will hold meetings in the northern part of the island. The same day he will attend a joint meeting with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, the Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus Chrysostomos II, and with the head of religious affairs of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mehmet Emin Yeltekin.
28/10/2010 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand will speak at a hearing on "the right of everyone to participate in cultural life" that the Committees on Culture of the French National Assembly and the PACE are holding on Wednesday 3 November. The meeting, organised under the High Patronage of the President of the French Republic, will be opened by the Chairpersons of both committees, Michèle Tabarot and Gvozden Srecko Flego.
27/10/2010 | Elections
A PACE pre-electoral delegation today ended a visit to Chisinau to evaluate the election campaign on the eve of the 28 November 2010 parliamentary elections in Moldova. The pre-election delegation noted with satisfaction the confidence of political stakeholders in the transparent functioning of the Central Election Commission.
27/10/2010 | President
In his speech before the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Strasbourg today, the PACE President stressed once again the need for reform of the Council of Europe. “Our Organisation needs to become more pro-active, more relevant and closer to the needs and aspirations of our fellow Europeans,” he said.
26/10/2010 | President
"Extremist populist parties have sought to capitalise on society's security concerns by simply equating immigration with crime and insecurity. In an attempt to regain the support of the electorate, mainstream political parties are picking up some of the radical, xenophobic and discriminatory language of extremist parties. This is an extremely worrying trend.
25/10/2010 | President
“The issue of discrimination against Roma is just the tip of the iceberg. Extremist populist parties have sought to capitalise on society's security concerns by simply equating immigration with crime and insecurity. In an attempt to regain the support of the electorate, mainstream political parties are picking up some of the radical, xenophobic and discriminatory language of extremist parties. This is an extremely worrying trend. We should not hide behind populist rhetoric,” said Mevlüt Çavusoglu today, addressing the students of the Maastricht School of Management during his visit to the Netherlands.
21/10/2010 | Elections
A five-member, cross-party delegation from PACE, visiting Azerbaijan ahead of the 7 November parliamentary elections has welcomed an overall calm atmosphere in the run-up to the elections. “This is a positive departure from the ways of the past where electoral campaigns were marred by violence and mutual recriminations,” the delegation said.
20/10/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
New forms of democracy – in which citizens can participate directly in decisions, for example – are needed to supplement traditional representative democracy if the current crisis in democracy is to be overcome, Lord Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) has told the Forum for the Future of Democracy in Yerevan. Delivering a speech on behalf of PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu, Mr Prescott said there was a need for “sustained forms of interaction between people and the authorities”.
20/10/2010 | President
Speaking at the High-level meeting on Roma in Strasbourg today, the PACE President declared that in the Assembly’s view “there should be no shirking of responsibility: education, employment, social inclusion, health services and housing are almost entirely national responsibilities”.
20/10/2010 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“In the current process of reform in the Council of Europe, the protection of the environment and territorial planning should be regarded as part of the Council of Europe’s ‘core business’,” today said Valeriy Sudarenkov (Russian Federation, SOC), speaking at the ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Council of Europe Landscape Convention today in Florence.