10/04/2008 | President
“I deplore the decision of the Japanese authorities to carry out the four executions that have taken place today, in secret, and without prior warning,” said PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig. “The death penalty is not a civilised act of justice, but the way it is carried out in Japan is particularly chilling,” the President said, pointing out that condemned persons had no prior warning, and that the executions were only announced after they had taken place.
07/04/2008 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE member Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE), today criticised draft EU anti-terror rules for failing to give due consideration to fundamental human rights. The revised Framework Decision currently being drafted defines EU-wide laws against inciting terrorist attacks, and recruiting or training terrorists, but does not spell out that these laws must be applied in line with existing international human rights standards, such as freedom of expression, association and religion.
07/04/2008 | Election observation
Nearly all aspects of Montenegro’s first post-independence presidential poll were in line with international standards for democratic elections, observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) concluded in a joint statement issued today. “This is another important step towards the citizens of Montenegro creating an established 21st century democracy,” said David Wilshire, head of the PACE delegation. “We were delighted to welcome Montenegro to the Council of Europe family of nations and are pleased to be able to help the country develop its electoral laws, procedures and practices. We wish them well.”
07/04/2008 | Election observation
A PACE delegation, led by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), will make a pre-election visit to Serbia from 8 to 10 April, ahead of the parliamentary elections of 11 May. The delegation will meet members of political parties not represented in Parliament, the President of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of the Electoral Commission, and representatives of civil society and the media.
04/04/2008 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
In St. Petersburg today, the International Parliamentary Conference on the globalisation of migration processes and problems of legal regulation, as jointly organised by the PACE and the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS (IPA CIS), adopted a declaration inviting CIS and Council of Europe member States to develop common strategies for framing laws and policies on migration.
04/04/2008 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE rapporteur on secret detentions Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE) has strongly criticised what he called the “hypocrisy” of European governments in continuing to deny their involvement in secret detentions or illegal renditions, unlike the United States. Speaking at a Brussels conference about reporting on torture, Mr Marty said: “The United States made a choice – which I think was a wrong choice – to fight the war on terror using illegal means, but they at least made it openly and defend it. European governments, on the other hand, have been entirely hypocritical since their complicity has been clandestine. Even now, they do not have the courage to declare their involvement, unless forced to do so.”
04/04/2008 | President
PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, today welcomed the reopening, after some teething problems, of the Ledra Street crossing as highly symbolic. “I can only repeat that I am deeply convinced that this step will play an important role in promoting dialogue and reconciliation. The Parliamentary Assembly will support all efforts aimed at turning the Buffer Zone in Cyprus from a symbol of division into a symbol of co-operation,” the President stressed.
04/04/2008 | President
PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig today invited the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) to take part in the launch of a “European Day of Integration and Intercultural Tolerance”. “This is a clear and visible sign of our shared commitment to making this goal a top political priority for Europe”, explained the President. He added that “if the IPA CIS joined this PACE/European Parliament initiative, it would become a symbol of the whole Eurasian continent”, providing an “excellent contribution to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008”.
03/04/2008 | Election observation
A three-member delegation from the PACE, led by David Wilshire (United Kingdom, EDG), will be in Montenegro from 3 to 7 April to observe the presidential elections, alongside observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR). The delegation members will meet the President of the Republic of Montenegro, Filip Vujanovic, the candidates standing for election, the officials responsible for organising the elections and media representatives, and will then observe the voting on 6 April at a representative sample of polling stations.
03/04/2008 | President
Speaking at the 30th Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig stressed that relations with neighbouring countries of the Council of Europe are one of his priorities. “I am persuaded that the European democratic model based on our organisation’s fundamental values continues to exercise its power of attraction well beyond Europe. We must work closely with our neighbours including those in Central Asia and think about pragmatic methods enabling us to develop an institutional dialogue in specific fields of co-operation,” he said.
02/04/2008 | Session
Slovak President Ivan Gašparovic, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner are among the leading personalities to address the PACE during its spring session in Strasbourg (14-18 April 2008). An urgent debate has been requested on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia, and current affairs debates requested on the Middle East, Tibet and Kosovo.
01/04/2008 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig paid homage in Lisbon to the two winners of the North-South Prize 2008, Simone Veil and Kofi Annan, whose "exceptional qualities and universal standing have helped overcome the greatest cleavages and promote the most difficult causes, thanks to their profound and unfailing attachment to human rights and the dignity of all".