24/06/2004 | News
The Assembly will announce the result of the second ballot in the election of two judges to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Luxembourg and Portugal today at 10 a.m. No candidate having obtained an absolute majority of the votes cast after the first round that took place on 23 June, a second ballot was held yesterday afternoon.
24/06/2004 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The Assembly today called on the Italian government to repeal the ‘Cirami law’ on legitimate suspicion. In 2002, the Cirami law introduced into the Code of Criminal Procedure the notion of legitimate suspicion as a ground for requesting the transfer of a case from one court to another. The Assembly believes that the law unduly slows down the course of justice in certain cases, undermines trust in judges as a whole and is inimical to the principle of equality before the law. Following the proposals by the rapporteur (Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Germany, LDR), the parliamentarians invited the italian authorities to enact legislation consistent with the principles of independence of the judiciary.
24/06/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Council of Europe should offer to help the United Nations in Iraq, the Assembly said today in a resolution adopted following an urgent debate. The parliamentarians said the 45-nation organisation should respond to the UN’s request for international assistance by offering its expertise in areas such as drafting a constitution, training police and judges and promoting tolerance through culture and education. They proposed offering the expertise of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission – a group of experts in constitutional law – and the Anti-Torture Committee, which investigates conditions of detention in its 45 member states and potentially beyond.
24/06/2004 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
The Italian parliament should ensure that legislation and other regulatory measures put an end to the long-standing practice of political interference in the media and pass a law resolving the conflict of interest between ownership and control of companies and discharge of public office, the Assembly said in a resolution adopted today. They called on the Italian Parliament to take specific measures to bring an end to the current RAI-Mediaset duopoly. However, they did not approve a recommendation to European governments on the same subject.
24/06/2004 | News
The Joint Committee (representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers), meeting yesterday evening in Strasbourg, took note that the requirements contained in Opinion n°250 are fulfilled and that it is now for the Committee of Ministers to take the official decision to invite Monaco to join the Council of Europe. "The way for Monaco to the Council of Europe is open," said Assembly President Peter Schieder.
23/06/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
There should be “zero tolerance” for domestic slavery – the fate of thousands of women across Europe who are forced to work in private households as domestic workers, exploited as au pairs or abused as so-called “mail-order brides” – the Assembly said yesterday. In a resolution, the parliamentarians called on states to review their immigration and deportation policies, screen agencies and adopt a charter of rights for domestic workers.
23/06/2004 | Monitoring
In its first two years as a member of the Council of Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina has made “slow but steady” progress towards becoming a functioning pluralist democracy governed by the rule of law and a state where human rights are respected, the Assembly said today. However, the country’s leadership needed to demonstrate a higher degree of political maturity, the parliamentarians said. In a separate vote, they called for a debate among Bosnians on post-Dayton constitutional reform.
23/06/2004 | News
"To fight terrorism more efficiently we need to know about its root causes," said Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, addressing the Assembly today. "Hate is often the result of fear, which comes from ignorance, frustration and an insecure identity. Extremists are trying to spread the message of hate in the name of God. Yet nothing is further from true faith than hatred. On the contrary, those who have a strong faith are often better able understand and respect the beliefs of others," he said. "This is tolerance."
23/06/2004 | News
Armenia sees its future in full scale integration into the European family, said Armenian President Robert Kocharian, addressing the Assembly today. "A few days ago the European Union decided to include Armenia in its 'new neighborhood' initiative. This will further advance our resolve to satisfy European criteria, to contribute and fully benefit from the co-operation between our states and nations. We walk on this road with deep belief and confidence and we appreciate your efforts to help us in that uneasy but crucial effort", he said.
23/06/2004 | News
The Assembly today called on governments to ensure that women are involved in preventive diplomacy, conflict-resolution, peace-making and post-conflict reconstruction at all levels. Adopting the rapporteur's (Minodora Cliveti, Romania, SOC) proposals, the Assembly said women and men have different access to resources, power and decision-making before, during and after conflict. "Women are therefore caught in a vicious paradox: on the one hand, they are the main civilian victims of conflicts, yet on the other hand they are powerless to prevent them, since they are often excluded from the negotiating tables and marginalised in post-conflict reconstruction," the parliamentarians said.
23/06/2004 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The Parliamentary Assembly today called on European governments to institute a total, Europe-wide ban on the corporal punishment of children, enforced in national legislation. "It is a shame that the smallest and most fragile of Europe's citizens should have to wait until last to have their protection guaranteed," said Helena Bargholtz (Sweden, LDR), presenting her report. While all 45 member states of the Council of Europe have banned corporal punishment in schools, only a minority have formally prohibited it in the family and in all other settings – as they are required to do under international agreements, she pointed out. In its recommendation, the Assembly called for Europe to be made a “corporal-punishment-free zone” for children.
22/06/2004 | Monitoring
The Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly today made the following statement: “The October 31 elections are an opportunity for Ukraine to ensure full respect for the principles of pluralist democracy, human rights and the rule of law. A credible democratic election could reverse the current political trend in the country and give it a chance to anchor itself more firmly in the family of European democracies. However, the information on the current pre-election environment by the Committee’s rapporteurs who recently returned from Ukraine is a cause for great concern.