09/03/2006 | President
René van der Linden, President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), today condemned actions aimed at creating a climate of intimidation by the Lukashenko regime against opposition candidates ahead of the presidential election in Belarus, following the arrest and trial of Vincuk Viachorka, Chair of the Belarusian Popular National Front Party and an aide of presidential candidate Alexander Milinkevich.
09/03/2006 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The PACE Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men meeting today in Paris, decided to submit a request for an urgent debate with the title "stop trafficking in women before the World Cup" to be held during the PACE spring session in Strasbourg (11-14 April).
08/03/2006 | Monitoring
Charles Goerens (Luxembourg, ALDE) was today appointed as new co-rapporteur alongside Milos Budin (Italy, SOC) for the monitoring of the obligations and commitments of Serbia and Montenegro by the Monitoring Committee.
07/03/2006 | News
With a view to tomorrow’s International Women’s Day, PACE President René van der Linden today urged the organisation’s member states as well as the European Community to adhere to the Convention on action against trafficking in human beings. “Whilst fully supporting all current initiatives for a ‘red card to forced prostitution’, I hope we can avoid yellow cards for our member states for not having taken the necessary legal action to prevent trafficking in general, and forced prostitution in particular,” he said.
02/03/2006 | Election observation
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) pre-electoral mission that visited Ukraine from 28 February to 2 March 2006 today welcomed the vastly improved atmosphere in which the electoral campaign and the preparations for the forthcoming parliamentary elections are taking place. Almost all interlocutors met by the delegation expressed their confidence in the election process up to now and their expectation that these elections would be conducted in accordance with universally accepted democratic standards. This is a marked improvement in comparison to the last Presidential elections.
23/02/2006 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The enquiries being conducted by the Council of Europe and the European Parliament into alleged illegal transport and detention in Europe should not be considered as "enquêtes de condamnation" but should be aimed at defending the fundamental rights, values and freedoms upon which the European institutions are based, PACE rapporteur Dick Marty and EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini have agreed following a meeting in Brussels. In a joint statement, they stressed that the full co-operation of both EU and Council of Europe member states was vital to establish the truth. Later Mr Marty also presented his interim assessment to a temporary committee of MEPs.
23/02/2006 | President
René van der Linden, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), today called for an end to the isolation of the Belarusian people and proposed the opening of a Council of Europe office in Minsk. “We need to break the isolation of the Belarusian people. We must strengthen direct contacts with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. We need to reinforce our presence in Belarus. Our Assembly has suggested establishing a Council of Europe Information Centre in the country. I think that this initiative is of fundamental importance to enable us to reach the people of Belarus,” Mr van der Linden said in a speech.
17/02/2006 | President
René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, today expressed his full support for the UN report condemning US detention practices at Guantánamo Bay. "As the Parliamentary Assembly pointed out in its own report last year, the United States Government has betrayed its own highest principles in the zeal with which it has attempted to pursue the "war on terror"," said Mr van der Linden. "Guantánamo is one of the most extreme examples of these misguided and unlawful policies. I join with the European Parliament in strongly urging the US government to close the detention camp immediately and either release the detainees or bring them to trial without further delay."
16/02/2006 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs are organising a conference on Belarus in Prague on Thursday 23 February, in the run-up to the presidential election, which will be taking place in that country on 19 March. The conference will be opened by the President of the PACE, René van der Linden, and the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cyril Svoboda, on 23 February at 9am. in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Czernin Palace, Grand Hall, Loretanske namesti 5, Prague). It will be open to the press.
14/02/2006 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today expressed his great disappointment at the lack of breakthrough in the latest round of presidential talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "I must once again reiterate that there will be no sustainable development or prosperity for the region and no future for its children without a peaceful settlement to this dispute," said Mr van der Linden, who held a series of high-level meetings with political leaders when visiting the region last August. "I strongly encourage all parties to resume their discussions as soon as possible and with renewed determination. The Minsk Group process retains the full political support of the Assembly," he added. "In addition, we will continue to facilitate parliamentary diplomacy as a supplementary means of promoting dialogue and rapprochement, in particular through our ad-hoc committee dealing with the issue, which will be meeting next month. Following this, I intend to discuss ways to intensify these efforts when I meet the speakers of the parliaments of Armenia and Azerbaijan in May."
10/02/2006 | President
In his speech at a joint meeting of the Greek Parliament’s Defence and Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Justice Committees, PACE President René van der Linden stressed that he did not see an added value of a EU Agency of Human Rights. “We are concerned about the geographical remit of such an Agency. Such an Agency should gather and analyse data within the EU 25 member states only.
09/02/2006 | President
Referring to the controversy and violent response to Danish caricatures in several countries worldwide, PACE President René van der Linden said today that there cannot be a democratic society without the fundamental right to freedom of expression and information, but underlined that freedom of thought, conscience and religion constitutes one of the essential freedoms of individuals. Mr van der Linden, who is paying an official visit to Greece at the invitation of the Speaker of Parliament Anna Benaki, said: “Democratic pluralism and tolerance require that the religion and beliefs of individuals are fully respected. Rights come with responsibilities. In a globalised world where information travels so fast, the media should be aware of its impact on millions and millions of people. Everywhere, they should use their power to cultivate peace and understanding, as well as respect for what other cultures and religions hold most sacred,” the President said.