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.
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.