07/07/2005 | President
In reaction to the series of bomb attacks in London, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, René van der Linden, made the following statement: “I am deeply shocked by these acts of cruelty and express my profound compassion for the victims and their families. I condemn in the strongest terms these attacks. The fight against terror must have the highest priority for our governments. More than ever, we need a far-reaching common approach to bring an end to these heinous crimes.”
05/07/2005 | Election observation
The parliamentary elections in Albania on 3 July complied only partially with international commitments and standards for democratic elections. The elections were competitive and voters were provided with a diversity of information. While the Central Election Commission has so far administered the elections professionally, state and local authorities and major political parties have yet to demonstrate political will that corresponds with their responsibilities for the electoral process. These are the preliminary conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) for the parliamentary elections in Albania on 3 July. Senator Jerzy Smoravinski, Head of Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, added: “The delay in launching the electoral reforms to address the shortcomings from previous elections affected negatively the preparation and conduct of these elections. The authorites and political parties should continue the reforms without delay, in order to redress the remaining shortcomings noted by the IEOM.”
04/07/2005 | President
A high-level PACE delegation – made up of the Assembly’s President René van der Linden and the leaders of its five political groups – is to make a visit to Ukraine from 5 to 8 July 2005. Explaining the purpose of the visit, Mr van der Linden said: "The Orange Revolution inspired many, but now comes the hard work of making Ukraine a truly democratic country, where European standards fully apply. A day after his inauguration, President Yushchenko came to Strasbourg and asked for the Council of Europe’s help. We have already responded, but the purpose of this visit is to find out what more we can do together. The success of democratic reforms in Ukraine is important for the whole region."
30/06/2005 | News
A seminar for senior advisers from the parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – the third in a series – ended in Strasbourg yesterday. The seminar, organised by PACE’s Directorate of Interparliamentary Relations at the initiative of its Secretary General Bruno Haller, was devoted to “exchanging experience of co-operation in education and culture”. Topics covered included higher education policies and research, language policy, history teaching and cultural and natural heritage and youth and sport.
30/06/2005 | Election observation
A 15-member PACE delegation, headed by Jerzy Smorawinski (Poland/EPP), will observe the parliamentary elections to be held in Albania on 3 July 2005. The parliamentarians will arrive in Tirana on 30 June to meet with party leaders, the Chair of the Central Electoral Commission, journalists and NGOs. On election day, they will be deployed in the capital and in towns around the country. A pre-election delegation from PACE which visited the country from 30 May to 1 June 2005 said in a statement that the main conditions are in place for democratic elections in Albania. However the truly democratic conduct of elections – in line with commitments Albania subscribed to when it joined the Council of Europe – depends now on the political will of the authorities and parties participating in these elections.
30/06/2005 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
The Sub-Committee on Refugees of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held a seminar on population displacement in the southern Caucasus in Baku on 4 July. The event was attended by political representatives, specialists and representatives of international organisations. The seminar discussed aid to refugees and their legal protection, hostage-taking and disappearances, and trafficking in human beings. From 1 to 3 July, Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold ( Switzerland , SOC), Chair of the PACE Sub-Committee on Refugees, and Boriss Cilevics (Latvia , SOC), rapporteur on the refugee situation in the region, visited refugee camps at Fizuli, Bilasuvar, Saatly and Sabirabad (Azerbaijan ). The rapporteur has already visited Armenia and Georgia , in March of this year.
29/06/2005 | Prizes
The mayors of around 30 European towns gathered in Santiago de Compostela (Spain) from 1 to 3 July to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Europe Prize and the 20th anniversary of the award of the Prize to Santiago de Compostela. The prize, which is awarded each year by PACE, rewards local and regional authorities for their active promotion of the European ideal (twinnings, European events, exchange visits, etc.). Since its creation in 1955, it has been awarded to 61 European municipalities.
27/06/2005 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE's Legal Affairs Committee this week decided to make public a preliminary memorandum and a working paper on "The implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights" by Erik Jurgens (Netherlands, SOC). In his report Mr Jurgens aims to assess the situation in thirteen member states where Court judgments have still not been fully implemented after five years, or raise important issues.
27/06/2005 | News
A three-member, cross-party delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) visited Bulgaria from 24 to 26 June to make an assessment of the 25 June parliamentary election, without carrying out a full-scale election observation mission. “Bulgaria has made a lot of progress in carrying out democratic elections since it became part of the Council of Europe thirteen years ago,” said Gülsün Bilgehan, a member of the delegation, but regretted that these elections also witnessed the lowest voter turnout in Bulgaria in fifteen years (53.5%). The parliamentarians –Gülsün Bilgehan (Turkey, SOC), Igor Chernyshenko (Russia, EDG) and Alexander Fomenko (Russia, UEL) – met representatives of the different political parties represented in parliament as well as election officials and NGOs before visiting polling stations on the day of the vote.
24/06/2005 | News
PACE today called on Council of Europe member States and observers to grant local electoral rights to all their citizens (nationals), without imposing residency requirements. The adopted text on Abolition of restrictions on the right to vote, the Assembly states that all legal residents are normally obliged to pay local taxes and their lives are directly affected by the decisions of local authorities. Therefore, “the right to vote and to stand as candidates in local elections should be granted to all residents regardless of their nationality or ethnic origin.”
24/06/2005 | News
European governments need to put more money into mental health services to ensure quicker and easier access for most people, and involve patients, their families and practitioners more, according to PACE. In a resolution adopted today, the parliamentarians said care provided in the community – rather than in institutions – can often mean a better quality of life for patients, but only if sufficient resources are transferred to make it work. PACE also encouraged the use of multi-disciplinary care teams and a broad range of treatments.
24/06/2005 | News
A three-member, cross-party delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will visit Bulgaria from 24 to 26 June to make an assessment of the 25 June parliamentary election, but will not carry out a full-scale election observation mission. The parliamentarians – Gülsün Bilgehan (Turkey, SOC), Igor Chernyshenko (Russia, EDG) and Alexander Fomenko (Russia, UEL) – will meet representatives of the different political parties represented in parliament as well as election officials and NGOs before visiting polling stations on the day of the vote. They will report back to PACE with their conclusions. The visit takes place in the framework of “post-monitoring dialogue” with Bulgaria, which began in 2000.