27/01/2010 | Session
Under-representation of women in politics is a threat to the legitimacy of democracies. The global situation is severe with less than 20% of parliamentary seats held by women and not even 5% women heads of state. At the end of a debate on the ways to increase women's representation in politics through the electoral system, the Assembly called on member states to employ a series of measures to rectify this situation by reforming electoral systems and by applying positive discrimination, such as introducing quotas for women on political party lists (in countries with a proportional representation system).
27/01/2010 | Session
Increased trust and confidence in an electoral system may greatly contribute to an enhanced interest among citizens in the political process as a whole and, in consequence, to overcoming the feeling of political discontent and disaffection among them, according to PACE. And the Council of Europe, it said, can make a considerable contribution to the achievement of this objective. Following the proposal by the rapporteur (Hendrik Daems, Belgium, ALDE), the parliamentarians proposed that a common understanding be established of the principles which qualify elections as “fair and free” , and that the application of these be ensured in all elections in every Council of Europe state.
27/01/2010 | Session
PACE today adopted a recommendation to the Committee of Ministers containing a series of measures to guarantee greater respect for media freedom and the safety of journalists. The Assembly proposes in particular a review of national legislation to ensure that anti-terrorism measures fully respect media freedom. It also reaffirms that defamation laws should not be used to silence critical comment and satire in the media, and calls on governments to ensure fair and equal access of all political parties and candidates to the media before elections.
27/01/2010 | Session
Both Greece and Turkey should treat all their citizens who are members of religious minorities according to the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights – rather than invoking “reciprocity” under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne as a basis for refusing to implement some rights. Approving a report today on “Freedom of religion and other human rights for non-Muslim minorities in Turkey and for the Muslim minority in Thrace (Eastern Greece)”, PACE acknowledged the question was “emotionally very highly charged”.
27/01/2010 | Session
The Assembly held its debate on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity this morning but, at the rapporteur's suggestion, voted in favour of referring the text back to the committee concerned. Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), explained that so many amendments (80) had been tabled that the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights had yet not been able to decide on the majority of them. For that reason, he proposed that the Assembly hold an initial debate today and vote on the text at the next plenary session (26-30 April).
27/01/2010 | Session
The credentials of the Albanian delegation to the Assembly, which were challenged on the opening day of the session on the grounds that it did not reflect the composition of the Albanian Parliament, were confirmed yesterday. In its opinion, the Rules Committee said it had examined the objections, but concluded the delegation was appointed in compliance with the Rules – though it also expressed the hope that “a solution will be found to end the political situation in the country which would also allow the Albanian parliament to appoint a complete delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly under normal conditions”.
27/01/2010 | Session
The credentials of the Armenian delegation to the Assembly, which were challenged on the opening day of the session on the grounds that the Armenian Parliament had “manipulated its internal rules”, were confirmed yesterday. In its opinion, the Rules Committee said it had examined the objections, but concluded the Armenian delegation was appointed in compliance with the Rules – though it added that the situation of the Armenian opposition should continue to be monitored.
27/01/2010 | President
On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Mevlüt Çavusoglu (Turkey, EDG), PACE President, stressed that remembering was the best way to prevent a repeat of the tragedy of the Holocaust. “Under Resolution 60/7 of 2005, the United Nations General Assembly declared 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Exactly 65 years ago, on 27 January 1945, the Soviet military liberated some 7,000 prisoners remaining in the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.
27/01/2010 | Session
The Middle East peace process is in the doldrums and the slow progress is causing frustration and bitterness, the Assembly today stated at the end of a debate on the situation in the Middle East. All parties must overcome distrust to get it back on track, the parliamentarians said, and recalled that neither military action nor terrorism will achieve peace. A negotiated solution agreed by both parties is the only way forward, they underlined during a debate in which participated Daniel Ayalon, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel, and Mohammad Shtayyeh, Minister of Public Works and Housing of the Palestinian National Authority.
26/01/2010 | Session
In a resolution adopted today, the Assembly called on Council of Europe member states which had not yet done so to sign and/or ratify the Council of Europe Convention on action against trafficking in human beings, and encouraged the European Union to accede to it. It also spoke out in favour of intensified co-operation with other international organisations, taking special care to avoid all risk of duplication between the different monitoring mechanisms.
26/01/2010 | Session
PACE has again urged all domestic stakeholders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to engage fully in a meaningful and constructive dialogue about amendments to the Constitution, in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission, before the 2010 parliamentary elections. Based on the report by Mevlüt Çavusoglu (Turkey, EDG) and Kimmo Sasi (Finland, EPP/DC), the Assembly also suggested launching a wide discussion, with the participation of key local and international stakeholders, about the challenges the country has to face.
26/01/2010 | Session
As part of a parliamentary debate on action against trafficking in human beings and the need to promote the Council of Europe convention on trafficking, PACE's Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men organised a press conference with Nikolay Mikhaylovich Rantsev, the father of a victim of trafficking. Mr Rantsev took his case to the European Court of Human Rights and on 7 January 2010, the Court found against Cyprus and Russia. The applicant’s lawyer, Ludmila Churkina, was also present, together with Gisela Wurm (Austria, SOC), PACE rapporteur on action against trafficking, and José Mendes-Bota, Chairperson of the Committee.