17/09/2009 | Session
The challenges posed by climate change, the war between Russia and Georgia one year after and the election of the Council of Europe’s new Secretary General are among highlights of PACE autumn session in Strasbourg (28 September-2 October 2009). Slovenian President Danilo Türk will address the Assembly and French Secretary of State for European Affairs Pierre Lellouche will take part in a debate on the future of the Council of Europe in the light of its 60 years of experience.
15/09/2009 | President
Addressing today’s meeting of the General Assembly of the European Network of Local and Regional Authorities for the Implementation of the European Landscape Convention (RECEP-ENELC), the President of PACE pointed out that the Assembly has already adopted a recommendation on the conservation and use of the landscape potential of Europe.
15/09/2009 | News
A group of 72 members of PACE has requested the reconsideration of the credentials of the Russian delegation to the Assembly on the substantive grounds that Russia has persistently failed to honour its obligations and commitments.
15/09/2009 | Bureau
To mark its support for the UN International Day of Democracy on 15 September, PACE Bureau adopted the following statement: “The world’s celebration of the UN’s International Day of Democracy touches a special chord with the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly. Sixty years ago, in 1949, the Council of Europe was created by ten European countries trying desperately to recover from the onslaught of nazism and fascism and the horrors of World War II, in order that Europe would never again experience such a negation of basic human values and rights."
14/09/2009 | President
During the course of five informal meetings between the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Bureau of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, we have reached an agreement on a proposed package of measures to enhance dialogue and co-operation between the two statutory organs of the Council of Europe.
11/09/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
We must resist attempts to exploit problems in fields governed by our fundamental principles and values or to relativise them according to their political expediency, and show political courage in criticising actions that are incompatible with the Council of Europe’s principles and values. This was the conclusion of the Political Affairs Committee in the draft resolution it adopted in Paris on the basis of the report by Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPPE/CD), which will be debated in plenary on Thursday 1 October.
11/09/2009 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
A PACE rapporteur has expressed his “serious concern” that 36 of the 47 Council of Europe member states are now failing to fully implement within a reasonable time judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, which are supposed to be binding. Implementing judgments normally means that the state concerned pays the victim the compensation directed by the Court, and changes its laws or practices to avoid a repetition of the violation. Christos Pourgourides (Cyprus, EPP/CD), who regularly monitors this issue for the PACE, was presenting an updated list of outstanding judgments to the Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee in Paris.
11/09/2009 | President
“Human rights are present in all spheres of society” said Lluís Maria de Puig, President of the PACE, at a Conference in Paris on the future of human rights and democracy in Europe. At the outset, the Council of Europe’s main aim was to seek universal solutions to specific situations; now it felt that each country should make its own contribution to universal issues such as terrorism, global warming and problems arising in the financial sector. Mr de Puig called for an approach which incorporated human rights into the response to political and economic issues.
11/09/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The PACE Political Affairs Committee and the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe organise a conference at the French National Assembly in co-operation with academics and representatives of civil society and youth. This event will focus on the major challenges facing the Council of Europe in the defence of human rights and democratic ideals. The conference will be opened by Lluís Maria de Puig, President of PACE, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, acting Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio, former President of Portugal and Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD), leader of the French delegation to PACE.
10/09/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
In a draft resolution adopted in Paris today, PACE Political Affairs Committee calls for a transitional reform of the UN Security Council, based on the establishment of a new category of non-permanent seats, as well as the prohibition of the recourse to the veto in the case of actual or threatened serious and widespread human rights violations. They also recommended the introduction of a parliamentary dimension in order to restore the role and authority of the General Assembly. The report, by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), is due to be debated by the plenary Assembly on Wednesday 30th September.
10/09/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Approving a resolution by Tadeusz Iwinski (Poland, SOC) on the request by the Parliament of Kazakhstan for observer status with PACE), the Political Affairs Committee said it would be more appropriate if future co-operation would take the form of Partnership for Democracy, a recently created new status, provided there is a specific request by the parliament of Kazakhstan.
10/09/2009 | Monitoring
In a draft resolution adopted yesterday in Paris, PACE Monitoring Committee strongly urges the Russian authorities, before the end of the year, to give unrestricted access to EU Monitors to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, grant freedom of movement for Georgian civilians and international and humanitarian organisations over the administrative boundaries, recognise the right of return of all IDPs of this conflict and to initiate a credible investigation into alleged ethnic cleansing in South Ossetia.