30/11/2009 | President
"My most sincere condolences to the families of those who lost their lives as a result of Friday's bomb attack," said President de Puig, responding to reports of a terrorist attack on the Moscow to St. Petersburg railway line. "The Assembly condemns terrorism as an affront to the civilised values of our Organisation and its member states," he added.
26/11/2009 | Election observation
PACE pre-election delegation observed an overall free and competitive atmosphere in Ukraine in the run-up to the 17 January 2010 Presidential election. The situation with the freedom of the media improved significantly after the 2004 elections. The delegation notes the commitment and endeavors of journalists, although it recognises that the media works under heavy financial and business influences. In order to assist more efficiently the Ukrainian people to make a well-founded choice, politicians should have no role in setting the agenda for the media. Intimidation is, hopefully, a thing of the past.
25/11/2009 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE rapporteur on climate change, John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), has welcomed US President Barack Obama’s decision to attend the UN Climate Change conference in Copenhagen. At a PACE committee meeting on Friday, and during a later House of Commons debate, Mr Prescott called on the President – as well as the leaders of China and India – to attend the event. “Hopefully China and India will now follow Obama’s lead,” Mr Prescott said today.
25/11/2009 | President
Council of Europe member states should aim to adopt laws in the field of minorities on the basis of the best European practice, declared PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig at the end of a two-day official visit to Hungary (24-25 November). He stressed that Council of Europe standards and instruments, including the expertise of the Venice Commission, its group of independent legal experts, should be used to settle possible conflicts. Besides this legal framework, the Parliamentary Assembly represents the most appropriate forum to pursue political dialogue on these issues, the President pointed out.
25/11/2009 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Christos Pourgourides (Cyprus, EPP/CD), PACE rapporteur on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, has ended a two-day visit to Rome (23-24 November 2009) by calling for a solution to the structural problem of excessive length of judicial proceedings in Italy. Mr Pourgourides called upon members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, representing both the ruling party and the opposition, to act together to adopt all the necessary measures to speed up criminal and civil proceedings.
24/11/2009 | Monitoring
PACE’s Monitoring Committee should have a greater focus on the rights of vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, the disabled, migrants and minorities, according to its Chairperson. “The financial crisis will continue to have detrimental effects on how these groups are treated,” pointed out Serhiy Holovaty (Ukraine, ALDE) at a recent hearing. The Committee decided to make greater use of these bodies’ work when assessing how vulnerable groups in monitored countries are faring in the justice system, employment, housing and education, and whether they face discrimination or racism.
23/11/2009 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), PACE rapporteur on climate change, today called on the leaders of the United States, China and India to personally take part in the Copenhagen climate change conference in December. “These talks are vital for the future of the planet. These three countries can make the difference between success and failure. It is vital that their leaders are there, alongside the 60 other presidents and prime ministers who have already said they are coming,” he said.
20/11/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has written to the new President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and the new EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Baroness Ashton to congratulate them on their election. In his letters, he stressed the “common aim” of the two bodies, the EU and the Council of Europe, to create a stronger European identity, built around common values, and invited them to address the Assembly soon.
20/11/2009 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Irrespective of her origin or background, any victim of gender-based violence residing in Europe must be able to receive protection and rehabilitation, said PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig, in a statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. "In this context, the Assembly forcefully and resolutely perseveres with its commitment to promote the drafting of the future Council of Europe convention to prevent and combat violence against women, including domestic violence," he said.
20/11/2009 | Standing Committee
In their addresses at the opening of PACE Standing Committee today in Bern, Chiara Simoneschi-Cortesi, President of the National Council of the Swiss Confederation and Micheline Calmy-Rey, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Foreign Affairs Department, recalled the major contribution of the Council of Europe and its Assembly to peace and progress in Europe. Further efforts must be made to guarantee the long-term effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights and specifically of individual petitions, they stressed.
20/11/2009 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Christos Pourgourides (Cyprus, EPP/CD), rapporteur of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of PACE, will make a fact-finding visit to Rome on 23 and 24 November as part of the preparation of his report on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. This is the third, after Bulgaria and Ukraine, in a series of visits intended to bring parliamentary pressure to bear on states where the execution of the Court’s judgments meets with delays or difficulties.
20/11/2009 | Election observation
An eight-member, cross-party delegation from PACE, led by Mátyás Eörsi (Hungary, ALDE), will carry out a pre-electoral mission to Kyiv on 24-26 November, ahead of the presidential election in Ukraine on 17 January 2010, to assess the electoral framework and campaign so far. The delegation intends to meet candidates, including Volodymyr Lytvyn, Yuliya Tymoshenko, Viktor Yanukovich and Viktor Yushchenko. It will also meet the Chairman of the Constitutional Court, election officials and representatives of civil society and the media.