28/02/2005 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
"The draft Convention on action against trafficking in human beings is still far from guaranteeing the effective and adequate protection for victims which was the Committee of Ministers' objective when it instructed a group of experts to draft a convention which would have the added value of protecting the rights of the victims as human beings". Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold (Switzerland, SOC) was speaking in Paris on 28 February during a meeting of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men. The PACE’s opinion on this draft Council of Europe Convention, based on a report by Ms Vermot-Mangold and adopted unanimously in January this year, called for 50 amendments to be made. Only two of these amendments - concerning victim protection and the binding nature of the Convention - have been incorporated into the text, however.
25/02/2005 | President
The next Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government (Warsaw, 16-17 May) was top of the agenda when PACE President René van der Linden visited Paris on 23 and 24 February. Mr van der Linden argued for a clarification of the roles of the Council of Europe and the EU and warned against the danger of duplicating – at a higher cost and over a smaller geographic area – tasks already being efficiently carried out by the Council of Europe, particularly in the field of human rights, the prevention of torture and combating racism, intolerance and xenophobia.
24/02/2005 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The integration of migrant women in Europe will be the theme of a hearing to take place on Tuesday 1st March in Paris. Organised by PACE's Equality and Migration Committees, the hearing will bring together around a hundred participants: parliamentarians from 46 European countries, experts and NGO representatives as well as the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Maud de Boer-Buquicchio and the Council’s Commissioner for Human Rights Alvaro Gil-Robles.
23/02/2005 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Following consultations, a Round Table for the organisation of an exchange of views involving political parties and local politicians from the Chechen Republic and the Russian federal authorities is to take place in Strasbourg on Monday 21 March 2005, organised by PACE's Political Affairs Committee. A spectrum of around 50 invitees will include, among others, Chechen President Alu Alkhanov, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin and President Putin’s Representative in the Southern Federal District Dmitry Kozak.
23/02/2005 | President
"The result of Sunday’s election in the northern part of Cyprus shows the European orientation of Turkish Cypriots, and clearly signals their wish to end the division of the island," said PACE President René van der Linden in a statement today. "I hope these results will contribute to developing the confidence and trust of the Greek Cypriot population in the positive attitude of Turkish Cypriots," he added. Since January of this year, the Assembly has enabled elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community to take part in its work.
22/02/2005 | President
René van der Linden today ended a visit to Paris, his first as PACE President, during which he discussed - among other issues - ways of ensuring the success of the forthcoming Third Summit of the Council of Europe (Warsaw, 16-17 May 2005). Accompanied by PACE Secretary General Bruno Haller, he met Senate President Christian Poncelet, National Assembly President Jean-Louis Debré, European Affairs Minister-Delegate Claudie Haigneré, the Chair of the Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee Edouard Balladur and the founding President of “Our Europe” Jacques Delors, among others.
18/02/2005 | Elections
A PACE delegation visiting Moldova has voiced its concern at the lack of a clearly visible campaign just sixteen days before the parliamentary elections, due on 6 March 2005. "Without a visible campaign, ordinary citizens in Moldova will lack the information necessary to make an informed choice on election day. Vibrant election campaigns are an essential component of truly democratic elections," said the five-member delegation in a statement issued at the end of a visit to the country (16-18 February 2005).
15/02/2005 | President
On the eve of the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, PACE President René van der Linden hailed this event as a crucial first step towards combating climate change. "PACE has made an important contribution towards its entry into force. 45 out of 46 Council of Europe member states are Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and 38 among them, including the Russian Federation, have already ratified the Protocol. Carbon dioxide from Council of Europe members that are also Parties to the Kyoto Protocol amounts to around half of global emissions. This figure illustrates the enormous responsibility that Council of Europe countries have to curb greenhouse gases which cause changes in the climate that are already being felt all over the world," he said.
04/02/2005 | Monitoring
Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) and Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, will make a fact-finding visit to the country from 10-13 February. As well as meeting President Aliyev, they are due to talk to representatives of the media, human rights NGOs, the opposition, election officials and senior judges. They will also meet oil company executives and the representatives of oil workers.
03/02/2005 | President
Following the announcement of the death of the Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, PACE President René van der Linden made the following statement: “I wish to express my deepest condolences to the family of Zurab Zhvania and to the people of Georgia, who have so suddenly and tragically lost one of the key architects of their country’s transition to democratic stability. Georgia has lost its Prime Minister at a time when his energy, political skill and commitment to European values would have been of crucial importance. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has lost a former member, and a very close friend.”
02/02/2005 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Rosmarie Zapfl-Helbling (Switzerland, EPP/CD) meets the Dutch Immigration Minister and members of the Dutch Refugee Council to prepare her report on "The policy of return for failed asylum seekers in the Netherlands". She also visits an asylum centre in Utrecht.
28/01/2005 | News
While noting the lack of progress made in respect of the Lisbon Strategy of 2000, when EU member states pledged to make Europe the most competitive region in the world by 2010, the Assembly today put forward several measures intended to give new impetus to Europe's labour market: more stimulation of research, greater reward for initiative and entrepreneurship and increased labour market flexibility. Taking up the proposals made by rapporteur Anders G Högmark (Sweden, EPP/CD), the Assembly cited as examples a reduction in taxes on labour, a decentralisation of wage bargaining and more opportunities for part-time work. Members of the Assembly, who called for action on the aspects of unemployment specifically affecting women, also adopted a resolution on social cohesion and employment which advocates job quality combined with respect for the right to work within the meaning of the European Social Charter.