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.
10/09/2009 | Monitoring
In a draft resolution adopted yesterday at a meeting in Paris, the Monitoring Committee calls upon the new dominant coalition and the opposition in Moldova to enter into meaningful negotiations to break the deadlock and bring about the election of the President. Once the new state institutions are put in place, they should straightaway work on a far-reaching reform, including constitutional amendments if relevant, in order to establish genuine democratic safeguards against similar institutional and political deadlock situations, the co-rapporteurs on the functioning of democratic institutions in Moldova, Josette Durrieu (France, SOC) and Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/CD) stressed.
09/09/2009 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“If the Council of Europe is to wear proudly its human rights badge, it must be more ambitious in tackling the human rights and humanitarian consequences of the war between Russia and Georgia.,“ said Corien Jonker (The Netherlands, EPP/CD), Chair of the Migration and Refugee Committee in her address to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, today in Strasbourg. In speaking to the representatives of the 47 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states, Mrs Jonker called on them to get the Council of Europe involved in the so called “Geneva Process”, the political mechanism for dealing with the aftermath of the conflict.
09/09/2009 | Monitoring
In a vote in Paris today on a draft resolution on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Monaco, PACE Monitoring Committee said it was in favour of closing the monitoring procedure having regard to the progress achieved since 2004. The committee said it was confident that the Monegasque authorities will continue the reforms commenced. Remaining commitments will be closely monitored within the so-called post-monitoring dialogue.
08/09/2009 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Widespread public attitudes to rape which tend to shift the blame from the attacker to the victim are a major obstacle to the reporting, effective investigation and prosecution of cases of rape and sexual assault, according to a report adopted today in Paris by the PACE Equal Opportunities Committee on the rape of women, including marital rape. The report, which will be discussed by PACE at a coming plenary session, recommends the launch of a Council of Europe campaign to change those attitudes.
08/09/2009 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
PACE Committee on Equal Opportunities today designated the three winners of the PACE Gender Equality Prize. The first winner is the Portuguese Socialist Party, Partido Socialista, followed by the British Labour Party and Swedish left-wing party Vänsterpartiet. All three were rewarded for the steps they had taken to significantly improve women’s participation in their parties or in the elected assemblies of their respective countries.