22/06/2010 | Session
Following a proposal by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Assembly today decided to reintroduce on the agenda the debate on "Prohibiting the marketing and use of the Mosquito youth dispersal device". It will take place on Friday 25, at 10 a.m. and will consequently replace the debate on the need to avoid duplication of the work of the Council of Europe by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.
22/06/2010 | Session
“Improving the protection of witnesses is essential for the success of the work of justice and a key means of achieving reconciliation in the Balkans,” said Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD). In his report adopted yesterday by the PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Mr Gardetto assesses the effectiveness of the protection and support programmes for witnesses to the war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia in proceedings at national level (in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo*) and international level, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
22/06/2010 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE’s Committee on Social Affairs today held a hearing on "Child abuse in institutions: ensuring full protection of the victims", in the framework of the preparation of a report on the subject by Marlene Rupprecht (Germany, SOC). Participants included Massimo Introvigne, sociologist (Vatican City); Marian Shanley, Member of the Commision to Inquire into Child Abuse (Ireland); Christine Bergmann, Special Representative on Cases of Child Abuse (Germany); Helgard Van Hüllen, Member of the Executive Board of Victim Support Europe and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Council of Europe's Deputy Secretary General.
22/06/2010 | Session
In an opinion adopted yesterday on the basis of the report by Erol Aslan Cebeci (Turkey, EPP/CD), the Assembly signified its support for “the process launched to revitalise the Council of Europe”, in order to give the Organisation greater political effectiveness and influence in Europe. However, the parliamentarians consider that the success of the reforms proposed by the Secretary General must be based on “true, substantial and permanent dialogue, not only between the two statutory organs but also with other entities of the Organisation.”
21/06/2010 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Considering the fact that the practice of conscientious objection arises in the field of health care when healthcare providers refuse to provide certain health services based on religious, moral or philosophical objections, PACE's Health Committee called on European governments to develop regulations that define conscientious objection in that field. The draft resolution, prepared by Christine McCafferty (United Kingdom, SOC), emphasizes the need “to balance the right of conscientious objection of an individual not to perform a certain medical procedure” with the responsibility of the profession and “the right of each patient to access lawful medical care in a timely manner”.
21/06/2010 | Session
The Chair of the Committee of Ministers, Antonio Miloshoski, has described his country's priorities over the coming months: supporting the Interlaken process to ensure the long term effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights, protecting national minorities and marginalised groups such as Roma and encouraging intercultural dialogue and the participation of young people in public affairs. He told his audience that he was looking for an open, informal and constructive dialogue with the Assembly and that he knew he could count on their support in securing his chairmanship's objectives.
21/06/2010 | Session
In his first address ever before the Parliamentary Assembly as Croatian President, Ivo Josipovic called the role of the Council of Europe "indispensable" for promoting human rights and described in detail the condition of democracy, human rights and freedoms in his country. He outlined progress made and challenges still to be faced with regard to minority rights, refugees and displaced persons, fighting corruption, reforming the judiciary, cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and working with neighbours in the Balkans to improve regional stability.
21/06/2010 | Session
This session will be marked by the venue of three Heads of State and Government from the Western Balkans, a communication by the Macedonian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers and a debate on the situation in Kosovo, the PACE President said in his opening speech of the PACE June session today. He stressed that together with his official visits to the region and PACE’s previous discussions on Albania as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the priority given to the issues at stake there were a clear illustration of the Balkan dimension of the Council of Europe and of his presidency in particular.
21/06/2010 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today elected Márton Braun (Hungary, EPP/CD) Vice-President of the Assembly with respect to Hungary.
21/06/2010 | Session
Adopting the final agenda of its Summer 2010 plenary session (21-25 June), the Assembly decided to hold an urgent debate on the flare-up of tension in the Middle East (Thursday morning) and a current affairs debate on the situation in Kyrgyzstan (Thursday afternoon), followed by the debate on the handling of the H1N1 pandemic. The debate on prohibiting the marketing and use of the “Mosquito” youth dispersal device has been removed from the agenda. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, President of the Republic of Ingushetia (Russian Federation) will address the Assembly in the framework of the debate on legal remedies for human rights violations in the North Caucasus Region.
18/06/2010 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
On the occasion of World Refugee Day, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Antonio Miloshoski and Assembly President Mevlüt Çavusoglu, referred to this year’s theme "home" and underlined the vulnerability of all those who had to flee from their home and their country. They drew attention to the obligation of Council of Europe member states to comply with international treaties for the protection of refugees and asylum seekers and the necessity to collaborate with the UNHCR.
18/06/2010 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“World Refugee Day is an important opportunity to remind governments of their human rights obligations to asylum seekers and refugees. Our Committee continues to be concerned about the treatment of child migrants and refugees. The committee has recently reconfirmed its total opposition to the detention of child migrants and its concerns over forced returns", declared John Greenway (United Kingdom, EDG), Chair of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population on the eve of World Refugee Day on 20 June.