03/10/2005 | President
On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of German reunification, PACE President René van der Linden stressed that this was the first Eastern enlargement of free Europe. "It paved the way for Central and Eastern European countries towards the Council of Europe, but also for EU and NATO membership. It made a fundamental contribution to strengthening Europe. With its competence in both East and West, Germany remains a crucial partner not only in the Council of Europe, but also for the further development of Europe," he said. He also stressed the importance of political leadership and called for vision for Europe whilst paying tribute to Helmut Kohl and Jacques Delors for their outstanding contribution to building Europe.
03/10/2005 | Session
PACE today welcomed the working draft of a binding UN instrument to fight enforced disappearances – situations where people are abducted by the state, or groups acting with its acquiescence, followed by concealment of their fate. If the draft is further negotiated, the parliamentarians called for partial retroactive application, no amnesty for perpetrators and no possibility for them to be tried in military courts. Rapporteur Christos Pourgourides (Cyprus, EPP/CD) – author of an earlier PACE report on enforced disappearances in Belarus – said Council of Europe member states should in any case make declarations maximising the "protective effect" of the treaty.
27/09/2005 | Bureau
The head of a delegation of PACE parliamentarians meeting the Liechtenstein parliament this week said "a constructive dialogue" had begun over the constitutional and political practice in Liechtenstein following constitutional changes introduced in 2003. Marcel Glesener (Luxembourg, EPP/CD) said the talks covered the principle of "constitutional dualism", the process for appointing judges, the Prince's sanctioning of laws and his immunity for public acts. Also discussed was the "popular initiative" or referendum on questions about the beginning and end of life scheduled for later this year. In January 2004 PACE decided not to open a monitoring procedure as regards Liechtenstein following the constitutional changes, but to begin a dialogue on their application.
23/09/2005 | News
Intercultural and inter-religious dialogue will be one of the main issues discussed at the autumn session (3-7 October 2005) of the PACE. “Education and religion” will be the theme of a debate on Tuesday 4 October in which Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Islamic Conference, will take part, while a debate on “Women and religion” in Europe will include a statement by Asma Jahangir, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. On the same day, an address by the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, Miguel Angel Moratinos, will concern, among other things, the United Nations plan for an Alliance of Civilisations.
20/09/2005 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Parliamentarians from the Council of Europe and from Kazakhstan said at the end of a three-day meeting in Almaty that closer regional co-operation should be developed to achieve "better conditions for orderly migration management, with respect for human rights and dignity". Adopting a final declaration, participants in the "First Euro-Asian Parliamentary Forum on Migration" pledged to increase co-operation on migration law and submit new initiatives to governments in the Euro-Asian region. They agreed to convene a second forum within two years.
16/09/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is due to approve the report on ‘Surrogacy as an alternative to sterility’, by Michael Hancock (United Kingdom, LDR), during its meeting to be held in Paris on Friday 16 September.
16/09/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, meeting in Paris this morning, adopted the following declaration : “The Committee condemns the systematic and worsening campaign of intimidation and persecution of independent journalists and civil society activists in the Republic of Belarus. The Committee denounces the recent crackdown on the Union of Belarusian Poles and Polish-language media outlets.
16/09/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Meeting today in Paris, the Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs decided, following a lively debate, to continue work on the report "Surrogacy as an alternative to sterility" drawn up by Michael Hancock (United Kingdom, ALDE). So as to allow its members time to propose amendments, the committee intends to adopt the preliminary draft resolution at its next meeting in Paris on 16 December.
14/09/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The three candidates for the post of Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights – Thomas Hammarberg (Sweden), Marek Antoni Nowicki (Poland) and Marc Verwilghen (Belgium) – were interviewed by a panel of European parliamentarians on 15 September 2005 in Paris. The panel – the Human Rights Sub-committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee – will then make confidential recommendations to members of the Assembly, which is due to elect a new Commissioner on 4 and 5 October 2005 during its plenary session.
14/09/2005 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
At a hearing on men's involvement in equality projects that took place in Reykjavik on 13 September, the Icelandic Social Affairs Minister, Arni Magnusson, underlined the importance of "men taking action, hand in hand with the women, to make the necessary effort to create a just society for our daughters as well as our sons". Iceland is the country which first elected a woman as a president in general democratic elections, Vigdis Finnbogadottir, who stayed President for 16 years.
14/09/2005 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), PACE’s rapporteur on cultural diversity in the Northern Caucasus, today met the Mayor of Beslan and the President of the Committee of Beslan Mothers. Speaking after the meeting, which she described as a moving one, Mrs Brasseur said she had told the mothers’ representatives: “Your struggle is in defence of respect for human rights and tolerance. These are the values of the Council of Europe.” Mrs Brasseur is meeting religious and cultural leaders in the Republics of North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan during a week-long visit.
13/09/2005 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
The First Euro-Asian Parliamentary Forum on Migration, jointly organised by the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Migration Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), is to take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 15 to 17 September 2005. The forum will bring together parliamentarians from the Council of Europe, Kazakhstan and other central Asian republics such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with migration experts.