28/10/2005 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, René van der Linden, has firmly condemned the remarks of the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has confirmed his statement calling for Israel to be wiped off the map. “I am deeply shocked and preoccupied by this statement and the attitude of the Iranian President who is openly defying the values of the international community. Such utterances are absolutely intolerable and unacceptable. We want to see Israel live in safety and peace with its neighbours. For the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the establishment of two States remains the sole realistic political solution to resolve the conflict, and the road map continues to be the valid reference for the peace negotiations. The international community, and especially the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and the Russian Federation, must commit themselves more to the negotiation process and do everything in their power to attain peace, which appears closer today than it has been for many years.”
28/10/2005 | Election observation
A 47-member delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, headed by Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), will observe the 6 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan alongside observers from the OSCE and European Parliament. The delegation – the largest observation team ever deployed by the Assembly – will be in the country from 4 to 7 November.
28/10/2005 | News
Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), who is heading PACE's team of observers at the 6 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, has welcomed recent moves by President Ilham Aliyev to ensure transparent elections, including plans to ink voters’ fingers and his pledge to prosecute officials who interfere in the electoral process. "These respond to some of the recommendations we made to the President during our pre-election visit, and should contribute towards making these elections more democratic," he said. "This is a crucial opportunity for Azerbaijan to show it can uphold Council of Europe democratic standards which, as a member of our organisation, it has promised to do."
25/10/2005 | President
Speaking during an official visit to Albania, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, René van der Linden, has called for zero tolerance towards corrupt judges and prosecutors.“Albanian society suffers from corruption, organised crime and trafficking in human beings, but not a single person responsible has been brought to justice,” he pointed out. “Albania has a very low rate of convictions and prosecutions. This country should show zero tolerance towards judges and prosecutors who are found to be corrupt or violate their professional code of ethics. Persons guilty of such conduct should not only be dismissed, but also prosecuted,” he said, adding that there was an urgent need to “strengthen the judiciary and ensure its independence and impartiality”.
24/10/2005 | Prizes
A Danish television documentary about the human consequences of the 2002 mid-air collision over Germany yesterday won one of fourteen Prix Europa trophies at a ceremony in Berlin. The 6000-euro prize, which was donated by the Assembly in the "current affairs" category, was presented by Eddie O’Hara (United Kingdom, SOC) to the makers of the film "Victim No. 72", one of around thirty films submitted in this category. The Prix Europa, which has been supported by the Council of Europe since its creation in 1987, rewards Europe’s best TV, radio and internet productions.
24/10/2005 | President
Addressing the newly elected Albanian Parliament in Tirana today, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) René van der Linden called for increased efforts to fight corruption and organised crime, to implement legislative and electoral reform and to support the freedom and independence of the press.“Six years after my first visit to Albania, this country is on its way to becoming a more open and liberal society. However, illicit influence on public life by organised crime, endemic corruption and poverty amongst certain segments of Albanian society, and a weak and inefficient judiciary system and state administration, are some of the ills that continue to impede progress. That is what the Albanian people want to see change. You now face the challenge of living up to their expectations", the President said.
21/10/2005 | President
PACE President René van der Linden, at an event organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung on Thursday 20 October 2005 in Brussels, proposed that the European Union’s unspent resources in the field of democracy and human rights should be pooled in a combined European Union/Council of Europe fund to finance joint programmes intended for the development and consolidation of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. He will make this proposal to Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, who has been asked to prepare a report on the relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union.
20/10/2005 | News
The fight against corruption and organised crime, legislative and electoral reform and freedom of the press are among the main topics which René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will be discussing during his official visit to Albania from 24 to 26 October 2005. The visit is in response to an invitation from the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Jozefina Topalli, with whom the President will hold talks on Monday 24 October. He will also meet the President of the Republic Alfred Moisiu, Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the Ministers of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Education and European Integration.
20/10/2005 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The concept of preventive war, transatlantic relations and UN reform are among topics to be discussed during a series of meetings between the Parliamentary Assembly's Political Affairs Committee and Canadian parliamentarians and foreign policy experts in Ottawa on 24 and 25 October 2005. The parliamentarians will meet Canadian former Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, and Canada’s former ambassador to the United Nations Paul Heinbecker. They will also hold an exchange of views with Canadian Minister for International Co-operation Aileen Carroll on promoting democracy and good governance.
20/10/2005 | President
Speaking following today’s meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Presidential Committee and the European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents in Brussels, Assembly President René van der Linden said: “I am confident that the European Parliament will address the problems raised with a view to the mandate of the future EU Fundamental Rights Agency and will help to avoid duplication, which would waste resources and put standards and achievements at risk. There can only be one standard in the field of human rights protection, the one set by the European Convention on Human Rights and enforced by the Court of the Council of Europe for 800 million European citizens”, René van der Linden said.
19/10/2005 | President
On 20 October 2005, in Brussels (Belgium) a joint meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's (PACE) Presidential Committee and the European Parliament's (EP) Conference of Presidents, will bring together the President of the EP Josep Borrell and PACE President René van der Linden, as well as the respective Chairpersons of the political groups, to discuss the new EU Fundamental Rights Agency and its Neighbourhood policy.
18/10/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
More than one hundred national, regional and local elected representatives, members of governments, experts, international organisations and associations from about 50 countries, including Europe, the Maghreb, the Middle East and North America, participate in a conference on “Water Management: A Shared Responsibility”, in Strasbourg on 20 and 21 October 2005. This conference is a joint initiave of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe to address water management as a challenge for local, regional and national decision-makers, including members of Parliament.