22/06/2009 | Session
PACE today elected two Vice-Presidents: Dariusz Lipinski, Poland and Lilja Mósesdóttir, Iceland.
22/06/2009 | Bureau
PACE Bureau, meeting in Strasbourg today, expressed its disappointment that the competent authorities of Bulgaria had until now failed to issue an invitation for PACE to observe the forthcoming parliamentary elections of 5 July 2009 and considered this to be a clear case of lack of cooperation with PACE. The Bureau recalls that Bulgaria is subject to a post-monitoring dialogue and that, in accordance with the existing rules, the Bureau decided, on 27 April 2009, to observe the 5 July elections and set up a twenty member ad hoc committee for that purpose, a decision on which the Bulgarian side was fully aware.
19/06/2009 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
On the eve of World Refugee Day, Corien Jonker (Netherlands, EPP/CD), Chair of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Migration and Refugee Committee reminded governments and civil society that “World Refugee Day is a day to bring the plight of 10 million refugees world wide into our homes and hearts. Visiting refugee camps and IDP centres in different parts of the world, I have seen for myself the plight of these vulnerable persons who have been forced to flee their homes,” said Mrs Jonker.
18/06/2009 | News
The PACE rapporteurs on the consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia, Luc van der Brande (Belgium, EPP/ CD) and Mátyás Eörsi (Hungary, ALDE), as well as Corien Jonker (Netherlands, EPP/CD), rapporteur on the humanitarian consequences of this war, today jointly expressed great concern that Russia had vetoed the continuation of the mandate of the UN Observer Mission to Georgia (UNOMIG) and its work in the breakaway region of Abkhazia.
18/06/2009 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE's Committee on Economic Affairs and Development will meet on Friday 19 June 2009 at the OECD headquarters in Paris. As part of the preparation of the report by Konstantinos Vrettos (Greece, SOC), "Wealth, welfare and wellbeing: how to reconcile them in a changing Europe?", the committee members will hear the address of Corinne Lepage, EMP and former French Minister for the Environment, coinciding with the publication of her book Vivre Autrement (alternative living). Enrico Giovannini, head statistician of the OECD and member of the Stiglitz Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, will also attend the meeting.
17/06/2009 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“Combating violence against women, especially in the private sphere, should be enhanced in Europe with a legally binding instrument. I therefore invite the Ministers of Justice to support the current drafting of a convention which can effectively combat the most widespread and most severe forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, and that should encompass the gender dimension”, declared in Tromsø Carina Hägg (Sweden, SOC), Chair of the PACE Sub-Committee on violence against women, at the opening of the 29th Conference of Council of Europe Ministers of Justice.
17/06/2009 | President
During a two-day official visit to “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” ending today, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig said that since its declaration of independence and subsequent accession to the Council of Europe in 1995, the country had made steady progress on the path of strengthening its democratic institutions, affirming the principles of rule of law and effectively protecting human rights and national minorities. “However, ‘the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ still has issues to face in the process of consolidating its democratic institutions. The confidence of all political players in the parliamentary process must be bolstered,” said PACE President.
17/06/2009 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs Josette Durrieu (France, SOC) and Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/CD) for the monitoring of Moldova’s obligations and commitments, today took note of the positive changes to the Electoral Code which the Moldovan Parliament adopted on Monday and which tend in the direction of the Venice Commission’s and the Assembly’s recommendations. These changes, which were adopted by 59 out of 101 votes, the opposition having declined to associate itself with the ballot, are intended to reduce the electoral threshold from 6% to 5%, and the participation threshold from 50% plus one vote to 33% plus one vote.
16/06/2009 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“The family should be seen as one of the essential resources for kick-starting the economic system. In that respect, legislators are able to steer social and family policies towards strengthening family cohesion while enabling families to face the challenges raised by the crisis,” Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD) emphasised today at the opening of a Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Family Affairs, organised in conjunction with the Austrian Ministry of the Economy, Family and Youth.
16/06/2009 | President
"We are very concerned about some of the proposed changes to the legislation regulating non-governmental organisations and media in Azerbaijan. Amendments as proposed, which will be reportedly submitted for parliamentary decision this Friday, may create serious obstacles for the freedom of expression and normal functioning of the civil society in Azerbaijan. They may even lead to the closing of the Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Baku"...
15/06/2009 | Monitoring
Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD) and John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), PACE co-rapporteurs on the monitoring of the honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia, will be making a fact-finding visit to Yerevan on 16 and 17 June 2009, as part of the implementation of PACE Resolutions 1609 (2008), 1620 (2008) and 1643 (2009) on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia. The co-rapporteurs are to meet the President of the Republic Serzh Sargsyan, the President of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian and the Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan.
15/06/2009 | President
Lluís Maria de Puig, Président de l’ l’Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l’Europe (APCE), se rendra les 16 et 17 juin en visite officielle dans « l'ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine », au cours de laquelle il devrait rencontrer le Président de la République, Gorge Ivanov, le Président de l’Assemblée, Trajko Veljanoski, le Premier ministre, Nikola Gruevski, et le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Antonijo Milososki.