07/09/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today qualified the Polish opposition to a European Day against the Death Penalty as “unacceptable” and condemned the Polish government’s position. “By taking this position, the Polish government prevents other EU member states from sending a clear signal to all those countries in the world which still apply capital punishment. The same goes for the larger 47-member Council of Europe, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a death-penalty-free zone.
03/09/2007 | Election observation
In anticipation of the parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 30 September, a pre-electoral delegation of PACE, consisting of a representative of each of the five political groups of the Assembly and led by Hanne Severinsen (Denmark, ALDE), will visit Ukraine from 4 to 6 September. During its visit, the delegation will meet various leading figures, including the President, Prime Minister and President of the Constitutional Court, the ministers of the interior and foreign affairs, officials of the political groups represented in parliament, election officials and representatives of civil society and the media.
03/09/2007 | President
René van der Linden will attend the 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly, which will be held in Sibiu from 4 to 9 September and attended by Christian church leaders, high-level representatives of European institutions and leading Romanian figures. The gathering, aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue, will include conferences and bible studies and will discuss the spiritual unity of churches and the modern world.
31/08/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden will be visiting his home country, the Nether-lands on Monday 3 September. Since the start of his Presidency in 2005 it will be his first official visit to the Netherlands, where he is also a member of the Dutch Senate. During the visit, the President will meet with Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen and the Minister for European Af-fairs Frans Timmermans. He will also have discussions with the chairpersons of the political groups of the Dutch Parliament as well as bilateral consultations with the President of the Senate, Yvonne Timmerman-Buck and the President of the House of Representatives, Gerdi A. Verbeet.
30/08/2007 | President
At the end of today’s joint meeting between the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament (EP) and the ad hoc Committee of the Chairpersons of Political Groups (Presidential Committee) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), it was agreed that the good functioning of the European Court on Human Rights is in the best interests of all European citizens and that the question of its financing should be of joint concern.
30/08/2007 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
After talks with politicians, with the Ombudswoman for Children and with representatives of various NGOs during his visit to Ukraine from 27 to 30 August, Michael Hancock (United Kingdom, ALDE), Rapporteur for the PACE Social Affairs Committee, notes that, while the problem of children abandoned at birth persists, the authorities are committed to combating the phenomenon by introducing major reforms focusing on children's rights, with appropriate financial resources, the aim being to "de-institutionalise" this practice.
24/08/2007 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden concluded his official visit to the Middle East (18-24 August) by the Palestinian Territories (23-24 August) inviting President Mahmoud Abbas to address PACE. In his talks with René van der Linden, President Abbas stressed that security problems in the Palestinian Territories could only be overcome through cooperation between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He fully supported the role of religious leaders and of inter-religious dialogue as a complement to the political process. He finally said he was ready to work, alongside Israel, with the Council of Europe to eradicate incitement to hatred from school books and the media.
23/08/2007 | President
At the end of his three-day visit to Israel, PACE President René van der Linden stressed that PACE would remain committed to helping support the peace process. In his talks with President Shimon Peres, who has twice addressed PACE in the past (in 1986 and 2002), the latter expressed his respect for the Assembly, which he says “represents the views of all Europe” and welcomed its contribution to the Middle East peace process. According to the PACE President, Mr Peres remains optimistic about both political and economic perspectives.
23/08/2007 | President
Following his statement concerning an execution in Texas, PACE President René van der Linden today also strongly condemned the execution of three death row inmates in Japan. He expressed regret that according to the information available, current Justice Minister Jinen Nagase has signed the execution orders for ten death row inmates since taking office and did not pursue the direction taken by his predecessor, Seiken Sugiura, who refused to sign the orders during his term, thus ending a de facto moratorium.
23/08/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden, and as such representing a 47-nation “death-penalty-free zone” in Europe, strongly condemned today’s execution of Johnny Ray Conner in Texas. “This 400th execution since Texas resumed the death penalty in 1982, after an 18-year moratorium, is a macabre milestone in the state’s history,” Mr van der Linden said.
20/08/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today ended an official visit to Jordan by expressing his hope that the revived Arab peace initiative and a possible US-sponsored conference would “create new opportunities and a momentum for peace” in the region, which all agreed depended above all on a resolution of the Palestinian problem. Speaking following a private audience with King Abdullah II, as well as meetings with the Jordanian Prime Minister and the heads of both Houses of Parliament, the President also said there was general agreement that Europe should play “a stronger role” in the Middle East peace process.
19/08/2007 | Election observation
While the 2007 parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan reflected welcome progress, a number of international standards were not met, in particular with regard to elements of the new legal framework and the vote count, concluded international observers. "Building a democracy is a long and hard task," said the head of the PACE delegation David Wilshire (United Kingdom, EDG). "However, the people of Kazakhstan are making real progress. I am not surprised that more needs to be done but saddened that the outstanding challenges include some fundamental matters."