14/09/2004 | President
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Peter Schieder today expressed great concern over the Belarusian President’s decision to hold, in parallel with the parliamentary elections on 17 October 2004, a referendum on allowing a president to run without limitations in future presidential elections. “While we cannot deny the right of the Belarusian authorities to hold a referendum in this context, we urge them to ensure that it be held in conformity with Council of Europe standards, as also stressed by the EU Council," he said.
14/09/2004 | Election observation
A ten-member Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) delegation led by Tana de Zulueta (Italy, SOC) is to observe the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan on 19 September. The president of the Central Electoral Commission issued the invitation to the Assembly in the framework of the co-operation agreement concluded by the Kazakh Parliament and PACE in April 2004 to promote parliamentary democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights in the country.
14/09/2004 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today made public a report on the humanitarian situation of the Chechen displaced population, prepared by Tadeusz Iwinski (Poland, SOC), which stresses that the situation of refugees and internally displaced persons remains very precarious. While recognising the efforts undertaken by the Russian authorities in order to advance the reconstruction of the destroyed republic, the committee agreed that the security and humanitarian situation remained unsatisfactory.
13/09/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
European faiths can still do much more to promote women's rights, according to four specialists representing the German Council of Evangelical Churches, the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) and the NGO "Catholics for a free choice". They were taking part in a hearing on women and religion in Europe, held in Paris on Friday by PACE's Equality Committee. Manuela Aguiar (Portugal, EPP/CD) is preparing a report on the subject.
10/09/2004 | Bureau
An urgent debate on the challenge of terrorism in Council of Europe member states, as well as a joint debate on the political, human rights and humanitarian situation in the Chechen Republic, are among items provisionally scheduled for debate at the Assembly’s autumn session (4-8 October 2004). Other items on the draft order of business, adopted on Tuesday by the Assembly’s Bureau, include the honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia and by Azerbaijan, global warming and women’s participation in elections. The accession ceremony for Monaco is also due to take place during the session. The Assembly itself will decide the final order of business only on the first day of the session.
10/09/2004 | Bureau
The Assembly’s Bureau approved a series of proposals for assistance to the Parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia this week – as well as a plan for a possible “Youth of the South Caucasus” conference next year in Tbilisi. Other ideas included organising more seminars and hearings in the region, further study visits and training for staff from the three parliaments, and encouraging contacts between political forces in the three countries. The proposals follow a visit by PACE Secretary General Bruno Haller to the region in July.
10/09/2004 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
“The concept of cultural diversity is more important than individual cultural identities,” said French Culture and Communication Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, speaking yesterday in Paris at a hearing on cultural diversity organised by the Assembly’s Culture Committee. The committee’s Chair Lluís Maria de Puig (Spain, SOC) added that European culture itself was “a further element in the mosaic” of individual European cultures. Stressing the strategic priority of culture in national and international policy, the French Minister said he “took his hat off” to the work of the Council of Europe in the field.
10/09/2004 | President
In a letter to the Presidents of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Senate, Assembly President Peter Schieder expressed his support for the families of Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, who have been taken hostage in Iraq. "It is with a feeling of outrage that I turn to you to express the Parliamentary Assembly members’ full solidarity with the steps taken by the Italian authorities to secure the release of Simona Pari and Simona Torretta. This cowardly act is particularly horrible in view of the dedication of these two young Italian citizens, whose work and presence alleviated the daily sufferings of the Iraqi people. At this difficult time, please convey to the Pari and Torretta families the Parliamentary Assembly’s support, the solidarity of 800 million European citizens and the unanimous demand of all advocates of freedom for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages."
10/09/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The three PACE rapporteurs on the situation in the Chechen Republic will give a press conference on Tuesday 14 September at 1.30 p.m. in the CoE Paris office (55, avenue Kléber, Métro Boissière). The rapporteurs are Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) on the political situation, Rudolf Bindig (Germany, SOC) on the human rights situation and Tadeusz Iwinski (Poland, SOC) on the humanitarian situation. On this occasion, Mr Gross and Mr Iwinski, who made a fact-finding visit to the region from 28 to 31 August, will present their reports (which will be adopted by their respective committees in Paris on 13 and 14 September). Mr Bindig’s report will be adopted on 16 September. The three reports will be debated in Strasbourg during the next PACE plenary session (7 October). Press contact: Micaela Catalano (mobile: 06 08 56 40 65) and Lucas Delattre, Council of Europe Office, Paris, tel. 01 44 05 33 60.
09/09/2004 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Europe should not “play with fire”, parliamentarians were told at a hearing on the question of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) organised by the Assembly’s Environment Committee in Paris yesterday. Several Assembly members considered that the potential risks were much harder to pin down than the benefits. The committee had invited a number of experts to the hearing to share their views on the risks and benefits of “crop engineering” for a report being prepared by Wolfgang Wodarg (Germany, SOC).
08/09/2004 | Standing Committee
During its meeting in Oslo on 7 September at the invitation of the Norwegian Parliament, the Standing Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly held an exchange of views with Jan Petersen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway (which currently holds the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers). “Last week’s terrible and barbaric terrorist action have made it clear to all of us that the fight against terrorism must remain a top priority. The attack in Beslan, only the latest in a spate of terrorist attacks in Russia, is an acute reminder that we still have a long way to go in this fight”, Mr Petersen said.
07/09/2004 | News
The Assembly's Standing Committee, meeting in Oslo today at the invitation of the Norwegian Parliament, endorsed a statement by PACE President Peter Schieder stressing that the Assembly joins the whole of Russia during this day of mourning in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Beslan. "We convey our deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to all those injured or affected and express Europe’s full solidarity with the Russian people and authorities at this tragic time. Terrorism has no justification.(...) It must be fought with all legal means available. First of all, international cooperation against terrorism needs to be strengthened. At present, the legislative framework is fragmented and incomplete and so far the United Nations has not been able to conclude a comprehensive convention on the fight against terrorism. It is therefore more urgent than ever to begin work without delay on the elaboration of a comprehensive Council of Europe Convention on Terrorism."