31/03/2006 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
PACE’s Culture Committee has strongly condemned the denial of academic freedom in Belarus. In a statement adopted at the end of a Prague colloquy, the committee denounced the “totally controlled” system of education in the country and the harrassment of non-conforming teachers and students.
31/03/2006 | President
In his speech at the 17th European People’s Party Congress in Rome, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the EPP’s founding, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) René van der Linden called for EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights as a crucial guarantee against new dividing lines in the implementation of human rights in Europe. He said that the European Union must take much greater advantage of the Council of Europe’s unique instruments and mechanisms for promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
31/03/2006 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The Sub-Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs of the PACE, meeting in Paris on 27 and 28 March 2006, discussed the bird flu crisis. Their Chairs, Daniel Goulet (France, ADLE) and Walter Schmied (Switzerland, ALDE), appeal to all member states, to national, regional and local authorities and to all relevant organisations within civil society to help circulate accurate information based on scientific fact.
31/03/2006 | President
At a private audience in Rome on 3 April, Pope Benedict XVI and Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President René van der Linden discussed questions of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue as well as relations between the Holy See and the Council of Europe. The President also presented a letter inviting His Holiness to address the Parliamentary Assembly.
28/03/2006 | President
Speaking at the end of a two-day visit to Moscow, held to discuss the priorities of the forthcoming Russian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, PACE President René van der Linden stressed the necessity of establishing a strategic partnership between the Council of Europe and Russia based on mutual trust and close permanent contacts. "The forthcoming Russian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers offers a great opportunity to open a new era in our relationship with Russia, ensuring that old rivalries will not be revived and that there will be no more dividing lines in Europe", he said.
27/03/2006 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Following the decision taken by the Heads of State and Government at their Third Summit last year, the Council of Europe will launch by the end of 2006 a pan-European campaign to combat violence against women, including domestic violence. The PACE will organise the parliamentary dimension of this campaign under the title “Parliaments united combating domestic violence against women”.
27/03/2006 | Election observation
The 26 March parliamentary elections in Ukraine further consolidated the breakthrough in the conduct of a democratic election process that began less than a year and a half ago. Overall, fundamental civil and political rights were respected.
27/03/2006 | News
A two-year programme of parliamentary assistance for the three Assemblies of the State Union and the two republics of Serbia and Montenegro begins today with a seminar in Strasbourg for civil servants from all three bodies. The 1.58 million euro programme, carried out jointly by PACE and the European Agency for Reconstruction, will involve help for harmonising these bodies’ rules with European norms and improving their administration, as well as providing expertise on the EU acquis. The overall aim is to promote “European-minded leadership and a constructive political dialogue” as part of helping Serbia and Montenegro to meet its Council of Europe obligations and commitments and achieve the aims of the EU’s Stabilisation and Association Process.
23/03/2006 | President
PACE President René van der Linden is to visit Moscow on 27 and 28 March 2006 for discussions with the authorities on the priorities of the next chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which the Russian Federation will hold from May to November 2006. According to the PACE President, “Russia is important to the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe is important to Russia. The country is set to chair a democratic European organisation for the first time. I am sure that Russia will seek to strengthen our organisation’s unique role in Europe.”
22/03/2006 | Session
A call to stop trafficking in women before the World Cup as well as debates on the human rights of members of the armed forces, on combating the resurrection of nazi ideology and on the situation in the Middle East are among the highlights of PACE's Spring Session (Strasbourg, 10-13 April 2006). Also on the draft order of business – adopted by the Assembly's Bureau this week – is a debate on relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union, and addresses by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker. The Assembly will decide its final agenda only at the opening of the session.
22/03/2006 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Meeting in Paris on 13 March 2006, the Assembly's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights held an exchange of views on the proposed EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, with the participation the European Parliament's rapporteurs, Mrs Kinga Gal and Mr Cem Ozdemir. During this meeting, members of the Committee expressed a number of serious reservations and objections to the proposals made by the European Commission and the amendments being considered by the European Parliament. In the interests of stimulating the wider debate, the Minutes of this exchange of views have been declassified by the Committee and are now publicly available.
22/03/2006 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today expressed his deep satisfaction following the announcement of a permanent ceasefire by the terrorist organisation ETA. "This is very good news, although it must be treated with caution. I am extremely hopeful that the ceasefire announcement will be confirmed in practice and that peace will prevail once and for all. A horizon of hope is opening up today for all Basque, Spanish and European citizens. It is now time to honour the memory of the hundreds of victims of ETA by joining forces to ensure that peace is victorious over violence".