23/06/2005 | News
PACE's Political Affairs Committee today adopted the following statement: "At its meeting on 21 June 2005, PACE's Political Affairs Committee had the honour of receiving a visit and having an exchange of views with members of the Senior Advisory Council of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP). On this occasion, the Committee was informed of the decision to transform the AAPP into the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, modelled on the PACE. The Committee warmly welcomes this important step and is hopeful that the setting-up of a new Parliamentary Assembly will help strengthen parliamentarianism in Asia and promote co-operation between elected representatives of Asian nations in building a united, peaceful and prosperous continent. The Committee encourages PACE's President to continue offering the Assembly's full support to the establishment of this new parliamentary body. It looks forward to co-operating with its future members on the issues of mutual interest, and to sharing with them its experience."
23/06/2005 | Session
Following an urgent debate on the follow-up to the Third Council of Europe Summit, PACE today underlined that “the ultimate success of the Summit depends on the follow-up given to the decisions taken in Warsaw” and, as a consequence, “the implementation of these decisions is now a matter of priority”. Following proposals by rapporteur Luc Van den Brande (Belgium, EPP/DC), the Assembly asked to be fully involved in the implementation process and notably in the “group of wise persons” that will consider the question of ensuring the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights, in the Forum for the Future of Democracy - tasked with advancing democracy - and in the 2007 pan-European campaign to combat violence against women.
23/06/2005 | News
"The Heads of State and Government urged us to relate all our activities to the task of translating Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law into reality throughout Europe" declared the Secretary General today before the Assembly. "We have reviewed all our activities since the Summit," he added, citing new projects such as the Group of Wise Persons on the effectiveness of the Human Rights Court or a Forum for the Future of Democracy. The Council of Europe should also be a campaigning organisation in particular against torture and racism, said Terry Davis, who underlined: "We will not be working alone", since the Summit Action Plan puts great emphasis on relations with the OSCE, the European Union and the United Nations.
23/06/2005 | News
The Assembly is “deeply concerned” by the fact that the delay in the adoption of the constitutional amendments is “holding back Armenia's progress towards European democratic norms and standards in key areas of political life”. According to the Assembly, the revision of the Constitution is a pre-condition for the fulfilment of some of the most important commitments that Armenia undertook upon its accession to the Council of Europe. These include the separation and balance of powers, the reform of the judicial system and local self-government reform. At the end of an urgent debate, PACE followed the proposals by the rapporteurs Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD) and Jerzy Jaskiernia (Poland, SOC) and called on the Armenian authorities and the parliamentary majority to fully implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission, to undertake clear and meaningful steps in order to resume an immediate dialogue with the opposition and to adopt the text at second reading “no later than August 2005”, in view of the referendum that should be held “no later than November 2005”.
23/06/2005 | News
The activities of the security sector – intelligence services, police, border guards and defence forces – must always be based in law and subject to democratic supervision, the essence of which should be carried out by parliaments, the Assembly declared today. Following a debate on a report by Lluís Maria de Puig (Spain, SOC), PACE said the Council of Europe should draw up guidelines for governments to ensure that the principle of democratic oversight of the security sector is adhered to.
23/06/2005 | News
"NATO and the Council of Europe have no elaborate formal relationship, but these two organisations aspire to consolidate Europe as a common space that is both free and secure," declared Jaap de Hoop Scheffer before the Parliamentary Assembly this afternoon. The NATO Secretary General then talked about the situation in the Balkans, and pointed out that force had been necessary to restore peace and lead these countries towards an integrated Europe. Thanks to its presence in the Balkans, he said, NATO had now created the conditions of security that enabled other institutions to work towards reconstruction and reconciliation.
22/06/2005 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly this morning debated Russia’s honouring of its obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe. The voting on some 35 amendments will be broadcast live over the web from 3 p.m., French time, with a final vote expected at around 4.15 p.m. Earlier, at 1 p.m., the co-rapporteurs Rudolf Bindig (Germany, SOC) and David Atkinson (United Kingdom, EDG) will give a press conference in Room 1 of the Palais de l’Europe, also broadcast live.
22/06/2005 | News
Speaking about the strengthening of the partnership between the Council of Europe and the EU and the OSCE, decided on the occasion of the last CoE Summit, the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers, Diogo Freitas do Amaral, today announced to the PACE that "the drafting of the memorandum of understanding to be proposed for signature by the CoE and the EU will be one of our main priorities". According to the Minister, the Assembly will have "a leading role to play in establishing closer ties between Strasbourg and Brussels, in particular through its contacts with the European Parliament, but also through its own discussions such as its work on the implications of the EU’s neighbourhood policy for the Council of Europe".
22/06/2005 | News
"Continue to build bridges between the peoples of Europe. Continue to promote the European idea, because Europe is much more than money and the economy. Continue to build a citizens' Europe", said PACE President René van der Linden at this afternoon's ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Europe Prize. Participants included the mayors of the prize-winning towns of Tübingen (Germany) and Santiago de Compostela (Spain). The Europe Prize, created by the Assembly in 1955, is the highest distinction awarded to local authorities for their European action.
22/06/2005 | Session
PACE today urged Russia to improve its democracy, calling for more power for the Russian parliament, pluralist and impartial broadcasting and normal conditions for civil society. In a reference to the reforms of Autumn 2004, the Assembly declared: “In order for democracy to function properly, power must not only be vertically reinforced but also horizontally shared.” While acknowledging that the authorities had to deal with serious problems which threatened the country – such as terrorism, corruption or irregular privatisations which led to oligarchic control – the parliamentarians said the solutions, even if adapted to Russia’s realities, should be in line with Council of Europe principles.
22/06/2005 | News
The Assembly today called on the Azerbaijani authorities and opposition to recognise the importance of the November 2005 parliamentary elections for the democratic future of the country and publicly and officially commit themselves to non-violence and respect for basic human rights. Following a debate on the functioning of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan, the parliamentarians urged the authorities to pursue in practice some positive recent steps such as the Presidential decree on the guarantees for democratic elections, the creation of public service broadcasting and the first modest attempts at political dialogue between the ruling parties and the opposition. Regarding the follow-up to Assembly Resolution 1359 on political prisoners in Azerbaijan, the parliamentarians called on the authorities to continue a constructive dialogue with the Assembly in order to find a speedy and permanent solution to the issue of political prisoners and presumed political prisoners.
21/06/2005 | News
The Assembly today welcomed the "record number of investment projects" carried out by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in its 27 countries of operation, including Russia, and pointed out that economic growth in the transition countries covered by the Bank is consistently higher than the world average, albeit with important regional differences. The Assembly acts as a parliamentary forum for the Bank, holding annual debates on its activities.