09/11/2005 | President
Adressing today the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, PACE President René van der Linden stressed that the results achieved by Turkey have made possible the start of the negotiations on the EU membership, and reminded that, in fact, the so-called Copenhagen criteria are values and standards of the Council of Europe. "I hailed the EU decision to start the negotiations and, in doing so, I declared that Europe must meet its promises and commitments, just as Turkey must fulfill its obligations and commitments. I have strongly argued that Turkey needs and merits the prospect of full EU membership, just as the EU needs and merits Turkey", he said.
09/11/2005 | President
PACE President René van der Linden, who is on an official visit to Turkey from 9 to 13 November, today addressed the Turkish Parliament. The first foreign guest to speak before the Grand National Assembly of Turkey this year, René van der Linden stressed the importance of Turkey for the Council of Europe and for European and world affairs in general. In his speech, the President of PACE pointed in particular to issues such as the major political and legislative reforms accomplished by Turkey. The results achieved made it possible for Turkey to start accession negotiations with the EU. "Turkey needs and merits the prospect of full EU membership, just as the EU needs and merits Turkey" he said.
07/11/2005 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
In the context of its chairmanship of the Parliamentary Troika of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, the PACE and its Committee on Culture, Science and Education are organising a parliamentary workshop hosted by the Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro in Belgrade on 7 and 8 November. The workshop coincides with European Year of Citizenship through Education 2005 and the 50th anniversary of the Council of Europe’s European Cultural Convention. The Parliamentary Troika is made up of members of the Council of Europe and OSCE Assemblies and the European Parliament.
07/11/2005 | President
Assistance from the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly for the major political and legislative reforms under way in Turkey, the process of accession for this Council of Europe member state to the European Union, the key role to be played by Turkey as a European country with a majority Muslim population in indispensable intercultural and inter-faith dialogue, the situation in Cyprus and the issue of minorities will all be among the topics covered by the President of the Assembly, René van der Linden, on his official visit to Turkey from 9 to 13 November.
07/11/2005 | Election observation
The 6 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan did not meet a number of OSCE commitments and Council of Europe standards for democratic elections. While there were improvements in some respects during the pre-election period, uncertainty was evident with regard to key aspects of the process such as voter registration, and continued restrictions on the freedom of assembly, a fundamental right, marred the campaign period. The Head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Leo Platvoet, said: “The Council of Europe is the guardian par excellence of democratic principles. These were not fully respected in this election.”
07/11/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE) was today elected Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. He takes over from Serhiy Holovaty (Ukraine, ALDE), recently appointed as Ukraine’s Minister of Justice. Dick Marty is a member of the Parliamentary Assembly since 1998.
07/11/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE's Legal Affairs Committee appointed today its Chairperson Dick Marty (Switzerland, ALDE) as rapporteur to examine the subject of alleged secret CIA detention centres with a view to a possible urgent debate at the next Standing Committee's meeting (Bucharest, 25 November 2005). The Committee recalled that in PACE Resolution 1433 (2005) the Assembly calls upon member States "to ensure that their territory and facilities are not used in connection with practices of secret detention." The Committee also agreed to authorise Mr Marty to visit certain member States, if need be. It finally urged the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to request all member States to provide him with any information at their disposal by virtue of Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
04/11/2005 | President
Strasbourg, 04.11.2005 – In the wake of the violence in several suburban areas of France which has seen hundreds of vehicles set on fire and major damage caused, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden, this morning called for calm and dialogue in accordance with the rule of law. "It is these neighbourhoods' own residents who are suffering most from the consequences of a senseless spiral of violence which is depriving them of their means of transport, both private and public, their schools and, in many cases, their jobs. This violence must stop immediately. The authorities must not only take a firm line with the troublemakers, but also make an early start to the dialogue."
04/11/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Following the allegations published in the international press about the existence of secret CIA detention centres in Europe, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President René van der Linden today asked the Assembly’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, which is to meet in Paris on Monday 7 November, to closely look into this matter. The President reminded that all Council of Europe member States are under a legal obligation to respect the relevant provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture. In this context, he drew attention to the recently PACE adopted resolutions 1433 and 1463 and recommendations 1699 and 1719 on “Lawfulness of detentions by the United States in Guantánamo Bay” and on “Enforced disappearances”.
03/11/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Organised on 4 November by the Parliamentary Assembly’s Environment Committee, this colloquy will look at the role of local administration and public services in waste management and environmentally-friendly treatment techniques. Meeting separately a day earlier, the committee will hold an exchange of views with members of the Romanian government and parliament, and may approve reports on Regrouping agricultural land in central and eastern Europe and on the 50th anniversary of the Europe Prize.
03/11/2005 | President
“Democratic government is a basic social necessity. It is therefore all the more important that, as the world changes, democracy remains relevant and alive.” Addressing the Opening Session of the Forum for the Future of Democracy in Warsaw, Poland, René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), continued by stating that “it is only democracy, when coupled with respect for human rights and the rule of law, that can ensure the conditions for economic growth and the material well-being of our citizens.” The President warmly welcomed the Forum’s theme of ‘Civic participation.’ “Civil society must be an integral part of the democratic process, systematically providing constructive criticism and new ideas,” he said.
03/11/2005 | Election observation
Lord Russell-Johnston (United Kingdom, LDR) and Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) participated on 24 October in New York in a meeting organised by UNEAD (UN Electoral Assistance Division), the Carter Center and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to commemorate the endorsement of the declaration of Principles for International Election observation and the Code of Conduct for International election observers. The two documents were endorsed by PACE Bureau during its last meeting (28 October 2005). The meeting was co-chaired by UN SG Kofi Annan, former US President Jimmy Carter and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in her capacity as Chair of the NDI. The Co-Chairs in their key-note statements characterised election observation as 'the second most important area of activities after security', while Ms Albright expressed confidence that as we were moving to an ever safer world election observation 'key to assisting human rights and democracy' would move further to center stage and take precedence over security.