23/06/2010 | Session
The Assembly today proposed a set of measures aimed at enhancing people's participation in the conduct of public affairs. They include the elaboration of an Additional Protocol to the ECHR guaranteeing the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs as a human right and a fundamental political freedom. The adopted text, based on the report by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), also proposes to set up a Strasbourg Democracy Forum as an umbrella structure providing an international reference in the field of democracy and a laboratory for new ideas.
23/06/2010 | Session
Debating today the state of democracy in Europe and the progress of the Assembly`s monitoring procedure, the Assembly said some of the member countries assessed were still in need of electoral reform in spite of a general improvement noted in election laws. Parliamentarians discussed how well democratic institutions are working in Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia while Bulgaria was involved in post-monitoring dialogue.
23/06/2010 | Session
In a resolution adopted today on the basis of the report by Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD), the Assembly recommended that its member states “adopt a less national policy and a more European coordinated … reaction to face the global economic crisis”. Governments should also “pay more attention to the fight against corruption inside state institutions”. Furthermore, the PACE calls upon national parliaments to “monitor closely the reform process of economic and financial governance”.
23/06/2010 | Session
Addressing the Assembly on 23 June, the French sociologist Alain Touraine highlighted the relevance of democracy in view of the current financial crisis in Europe. He stressed the importance of strengthening general participation in the political process, and called on the Assembly's role to avoid any democratic deficit. "Media need to be reliable: freedom is essential and monopoly is dangerous for the state of democracy in Europe," he added.
23/06/2010 | Prizes
The President of the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Aleksei Lotman (Estonia, UEL), and the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on the Europe Prize, Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD), today awarded mayors of 18 prize-winning municipalities with the European Diploma 2010, on the occasion of a ceremony attended by about 80 people. MM Lotman and Fischer welcomed the enthusiasm shown by the European local authorities by taking part in the ceremony.
23/06/2010 | Session
There should be no general prohibition on wearing the burqa and the niqab or other religious clothing, the PACE has said – though it added that legal restrictions may be justified “for security purposes, or where the public or professional functions of individuals require their religious neutrality, or that their face can be seen”. In a resolution unanimously adopted today, the Assembly said the veiling of women is often perceived as “a symbol of the subjugation of women to men” but a general ban would deny women “who genuinely and freely desire to do so” their right to cover their face.
23/06/2010 | Session
In a statement made during the Parliamentary Assembly debate on Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia in Europe, Jorge Sampaio, UN High Commissioner for the Alliance of Civilisations, offered further cooperation of the Alliance with the Council of Europe to fight Islamophobia. He also said that education on cultural diversity, strengthening the role of towns in managing cultural diversity, interreligious dialogue, and engaging young people should be priority strategies to fight Islamophobia.
23/06/2010 | Monitoring
In an information note on their fact-finding visit to Kyiv (1-4 June 2010), declassified by the Monitoring Committee on 22 June, the co-rapporteurs Renate Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD) and Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE) express their concern about the increasing number of allegations that democratic freedoms, such as freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of the media have "come under pressure in recent months". Any regression in the respect for and protection of these rights, they said, "would be unacceptable for the Assembly".
23/06/2010 | Monitoring
In an information note on recent developments in Moldova, declassified by the Monitoring Committee on 22 June, the co-rapporteurs Josette Durrieu (France, SOC) and Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/CD) underline one more time that "it is imperative that the present institutional crisis be swiftly resolved". They call for the organisation of a referendum on the choice of the presidential election procedure as "the sole possible solution". This will allow, they say, to give the present political class "a clear indication of the voters’ choice".
22/06/2010 | Session
In a joint debate today the Assembly called on member States to only apply readmission agreements in the cases of countries which respect human rights and have a fully functioning asylum system. This is fundamental, the parliamentarians said, to protect irregular immigrants, especially third-country nationals who may risk finding themselves in a country which is not their`s of origin and where they have limited social rights and no opportunities to submit an asylum application. According to the rapporteur Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC) , ”the chain of readmission agreements will hinder the chances of refugees to reach a safe haven”.
22/06/2010 | Session
In a recommendation adopted today, the Assembly advocates greater Council of Europe involvement in Kosovo* beside other international partners such as EULEX and OSCE. The parliamentarians feel that a larger commitment by the Organisation could help “raising standards in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law”, and enable the population of Kosovo to enjoy an equivalent level of rights as that upheld by the Council of Europe.
22/06/2010 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting this week in plenary session in Strasbourg, today elected Vincent Anthony De Gaetano as judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to Malta. Mr De Gaetano, 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 as of the date of taking up office and in any event not later than 3 months as from 22 June 2010. Judges are elected by PACE from a list of three candidates nominated by each State which has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.