26/02/2007 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Montenegro should be able to accede to the Council of Europe in the “very near future”, said PACE rapporteur Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), following talks today in Podgorica with Montenegro’s leaders. A final opinion could be approved by the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee on 12 March said the rapporteur, who met the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament as well as leaders of political factions. He welcomed the constructive and positive atmosphere of the discussions and the “co-operative spirit” of the accession procedure so far.
26/02/2007 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
Blasphemy laws will be scrutinized at a colloquy on questions related to state and religion, organised by PACE's Culture Committee. The colloquy, on Tuesday 27 February 2007 in Strasbourg, will also address laws on state religion and religious influence in national life in areas such as education, matters of dress, holidays and food. Participants – including philosophers, historians and lawyers of different faiths – will also discuss creationism in education, and the contribution of religions to governance.
23/02/2007 | Monitoring
Two members of PACE's Monitoring Committee travelled to Brighton and London on 26 and 27 February 2007 to look into allegations of irregularities involving postal and absentee votes in the United Kingdom. Former German Justice Minister Herta Däubler-Gmelin (SOC) and Polish Senator Urszula Gacek (EPP/CD) will now report to the Monitoring Committee, which will decide whether or not allegations of electoral fraud merit the opening of the Assembly’s “monitoring procedure”.
22/02/2007 | News
PACE President René van der Linden today welcomed a 'historic' first meeting between the leading religious figures in Cyprus since the division of the island. The two leaders – Cypriot Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II and the Turkish Cypriot Director of Religious Affairs Ahmet Yonluer – were brought together by the PACE President as the culmination of a series of bi-communal meetings, whose aim was to “create person-to-person dialogue” to help resolve the Cyprus problem. They agreed to promote respect for places of worship in all parts of the island, and to meet again soon.
22/02/2007 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Abortion and its impact on women and girls in Europe will be the theme of a hearing to be held in Paris on Tuesday 27 February by PACE's Equal Opportunities Committee. In preparation for a report on the subject by Gisela Wurm (Austria, SOC), the participants will look into the situation of women in pregnancy conflicts, access to safe and legal abortions, sex education and access to affordable contraception.
22/02/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today called for the Buffer Zone in Cyprus to be turned from a symbol of division into a symbol of co-operation, and urged Cypriot leaders to take other such “bold steps” to resolve the conflict on the island. Speaking at the end of a four-day official visit to Cyprus, the President called on both sides to honour signs of trust and confidence shown by the other side. “Concessions will be painful, but dialogue and joint action are the only way forward.”
21/02/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden has invited religious leaders from both parts of Cyprus to meet – for the first time, following earlier failed attempts – as part of a series of bi-communal meetings on the third day of an official visit to the island. Speaking following a meeting today with Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos, Mr van der Linden said that organising meetings and exchanges between Cypriots from the two communities on the island was “one of the best ways to overcome prejudice and misunderstanding” and could help to create a climate conducive to a solution of the Cyprus problem.
21/02/2007 | Prizes
On 23 February 2007, the European Foundation for Culture, Pro Europa, will award the “European prize for Human Rights 2007” to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The ceremony will take place in the hearing room of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, at 3pm. Bernard Schreiner, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and President of the French delegation to PACE, will award the prize.
20/02/2007 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
PACE's Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee adopted a draft report on the quality of medicines in Europe at its meeting in Paris on 22 February 2007. The report, by Bernard Marquet (Monaco, ALDE), highlights the alarming increase in counterfeit medicines, which now account for 10% of the world market, and cost states 500 billion euros in lost taxes every year. It calls for an international convention, defining a new offence – pharmaceutical crime – and making it possible to arrest, prosecute and punish the producers of counterfeit or adulterated medicines.
16/02/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden will make an official visit to Cyprus from 19 to 22 February 2007, during which he hopes to promote dialogue and reconciliation. Speaking on the eve of the visit, the President said: “There will be no lasting resolution of the situation in Cyprus without serious and sustained dialogue between the two communities, at every possible level. We have already encouraged working contacts in our Assembly, where two Turkish Cypriot representatives participate in our activities. As President of the Parliamentary Assembly, a body that relies on and promotes mutual respect and open dialogue, one of the main aims of my visit will be to try and bring people together.”
16/02/2007 | News
"We should make full use of the expertise and the experience of former members of parliaments, whose willingness to join in the observation process is most commendable", PACE President René van der Linden today underlined when presenting the conclusions of a two day Conference on the Parliamentary dimension of election observation, organised by the PACE in Strasbourg. The debate revealed the need for a post-electoral dialogue and assistance programmes to put findings and the conclusions of election observation missions onto a practical plane. For election observation to maintain credibility, participants said, the application of sanctions should be systematically considered and, in case of serious shortcomings, applied.
16/02/2007 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The request made by PACE rapporteur on secret detentions Dick Marty to visit the US detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba has been turned down. Mr Marty, who made the request in October 2006, aimed to question detainees about reports that they were earlier held in secret prisons in Europe. "If I cannot speak freely with detainees ... such a visit would be pointless,” he said. “I do not believe in parliamentary tourism at the taxpayer's expense. I am disappointed at this refusal by the US, an observer to the Council of Europe, but my investigation continues.”