29/06/2006 | News
The Assembly today congratulated both Montenegro and Serbia on the peaceful and democratic way in which the dissolution of the State Union took place, and hoped that the outcome of the referendum “will contribute to the further regional stabilisation of the Western Balkans”. Pending a decision on the membership of the new State, PACE allowed the participation of an ad hoc delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro in its activities and announced the stepping up of its programme of parliamentary assistance to both Serbia and to Montenegro. PACE’s Monitoring Committee was instructed to contribute to the negotiation of the commitments that Montenegro will enter into upon accession.
29/06/2006 | News
The Assembly today decided to carry out country-by-country assessments of the extent to which all the Council of Europe’s member states are honouring their statutory and other conventional obligations. In a new procedure, it launched a three-year cycle of reports, based on comparative information from all the Council’s bodies, beginning with Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France and Germany. These states are invited to sign or ratify Council of Europe conventions or, in some cases, join Council monitoring bodies.
29/06/2006 | President
PACE President René van der Linden has welcomed today’s decision of the US Supreme Court that the ‘military tribunals’ set up by the Bush Administration to try Guantanamo detainees are illegal. "I am pleased that the Court has come to exactly the same conclusion as our Assembly, which pointed this out nearly three years ago," he said. "Anyone detained in Guantanamo, or anywhere else, who is alleged to have committed a crime should be tried without delay – but it must be a fair trial, with all the rights and safeguards of international law, long enshrined in the US justice system of which Americans are rightly proud. Anything less is unjust and undermines the fight against terrorism."
28/06/2006 | News
Whatever their legal status, irregular migrants retain their basic human rights, PACE pointed out today, calling for consolidation of the patchwork of international laws which currently apply to them. States should not use unreasonable force to prevent the entry of irregular migrants, and have a duty to rescue those whose lives are in danger. They should be protected from inhuman treatment or trafficking and provided, where necessary, with basic shelter and emergency healthcare, the parliamentarians said.
28/06/2006 | News
“Freedom of expression should not mean the freedom to insult,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today, addressing the Assembly as part of a debate on freedom of expression and respect for religious belief. Presenting his joint initiative with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for an “Alliance of civilisations”, Mr Erdogan also said the recent cartoon crisis had revealed the growing and dangerous polarisation of the international community along cultural and religious fault-lines, exploited by extremists. He appealed for a middle way of respect, tolerance and cultural pluralism: “We must mobilise our hopes, not our fears”.
28/06/2006 | News
“The Alliance of Civilisations, which you co-chair with Prime Minister Zapatero of Spain, aspires to deepen the understanding of each other’s cultures and faiths and build on common and shared values,” PACE President René van der Linden stressed in his welcome speech to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “You are trying to bring rapprochement and co-existence of different cultures and religions and overcome all forms of fanaticism and ignorance that breed conflicts and extremism. We in the Parliamentary Assembly fully share and support your aspirations. As a genuinely pan-European body, we are the natural forum for inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue,” Mr van der Linden said.
28/06/2006 | News
Three new judges - in respect of Finland, Monaco and Switzerland - were elected to the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday 27 June 2006. Päivi Hirvelä has been elected judge in respect of Finland, Isabelle Berro-Lefevre has been elected the first judge in respect of Monaco and Giorgio Malinverni has been elected judge in respect of Switzerland. Judges are elected by PACE from lists of three candidates nominated by each State which has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.
28/06/2006 | News
“Freedom of expression should not be further restricted to meet the increasing sensitivities of certain religious groups,” PACE said today at the end of a debate on freedom of expression and respect for religious beliefs, in which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took part. On the basis of the proposals of the rapporteur, Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC), the adopted text said that there cannot be a democratic society without the fundamental right to freedom of expression. “This freedom is not only applicable to expressions that are favorably received or regarded as inoffensive but also to those that may shock, offend or disturb the state or any sector of the population, in accordance with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights”, the text states.
28/06/2006 | News
Adressing PACE today, the President of Russia's Federation Council, Sergey Mironov, stated that Europe is not just about pluralism but about integrated democracy. "The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe should take the lead in ensuring greater co-operation between parliaments and the different institutions of Europe," he said. The Russian Federation wants to see more pan-European co-operation, Mr Mironov said.
28/06/2006 | News
A year on from the Third Summit, the Assembly today welcomed action on ensuring the Court’s effectiveness, looking at the future of democracy, restructuring monitoring, setting up a taskforce for social cohesion and – in the form of the Juncker Report – improving EU-Council of Europe relations, but said it remained concerned at the low use of the Council’s potential to set standards and shape international law. The parliamentarians also urged further “courageous action” to enable the Court to handle its workload, strengthening of the Convention system, pushing forward in discussions with the EU and more reflection on future challenges.
28/06/2006 | News
The Assembly gave its backing today to the Council of Europe's Campaign to combat violence against women, to be launched on 24 November 2006, by pledging a series of initiatives at parliamentary level. The 46 national parliaments were invited to symbolically join forces at midday on 24 November to condemn domestic violence against women and call for its eradication to be made a political priority at the highest level. The parliamentarians urged countries to adopt legislative measures, making marital rape a criminal offence, for example, and allowing the banning of a violent husband from the marital home.
28/06/2006 | News
In a resolution adopted today, PACE pointed out the political relevance of cultural values and inter-cultural dialogue in facing situations of conflict and terrorism. It also stressed the importance of education for democratic citizenship and of cultural diversity in sustainable development. Accordingly, cultural issues should be central to the long-term mission of the Council of Europe, the parliamentarians said. They emphasised the possibilities of joint programmes in the cultural field with other organisations such as the EU, OSCE and UNESCO.