06/10/2004 | News
PACE today called for a “common legal area” for action against terrorism in Europe, including a single definition of terrorism in the laws of the Council of Europe’s 46 member states and greater protection for witnesses or pentiti testifying against terrorists. In a resolution and recommendation adopted at the end of an urgent debate, based on a report by Konstantin Kosachev (Russia, EDG), the Assembly said that every act of terror – regardless of the reasons given for it – must be considered “a crime against humanity” and should be utterly rejected as a means of achieving political ends. It called for the issue of co-operation against terrorism to be on the agenda of the Council of Europe's coming Third Summit.
05/10/2004 | News
Monaco today joined the Council of Europe. Ever since it submitted its membership application, PACE has been helping the authorities with a vast programme of reform. On 27 April, the Parliamentary Assembly, having been consulted by the Committee of Ministers, gave the conditional go-ahead for its accession, in the light of the reforms carried out and its commitment to introducing new laws. Ever since they filed a membership application, the Monegasque authorities have co-operated constantly with Assembly representatives. They have, in permanent contact with the Rapporteurs, carried out a vast programme of constitutional and legislative reforms within a relatively short space of time in order to bring the country's institutions and laws into line with Council of Europe standards.
05/10/2004 | News
Serbia and Montenegro is on track with its formal commitments to the Council of Europe, and ambitious legislative reform is under way despite the difficult background of the legacy left by the Milošević regime, the Assembly said today. However – in their first assessment of Serbia and Montenegro since it joined the Council of Europe – the parliamentarians said the state union was “a nearly powerless shell”, and called on both republics to relaunch constitutional reform. “Much has been done, but much remains to be done,” said Miloš Budin (Italy, SOC), presenting the report together with Jonas Čekuolis (Lithuania, LDR).
05/10/2004 | Session
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey, will address PACE, which is in plenary session in Strasbourg, on 6 October 2004 at midday. Mr Erdogan will deliver his speech on the same day as the European Commission delivers its report on Turkey’s application to join the EU.
05/10/2004 | News
"The Summit will provide an opportunity to guide the Council of Europe on the way ahead. Our task will be to ensure that the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law continue to be upheld for all citizens of Europe, even in new and changing circumstances. The Summit must enhance our ability to reach these goals. To achieve this, the Summit must attract the interest of Heads of State and Government of all member states", the Foreign Minister of Norway, Jan Petersen, today underlined addressing the Assembly in his capacity as Chairman in office of the Committee of Ministers.
05/10/2004 | News
“We unreservedly condemn the conduct of the Transdnestrian administration in the dispute on the status of Moldovan schools teaching in latin script that operate in the territory under their de facto control," the Monitoring Committee said today. "We demand from Tiraspol that harassment of children, teachers and parents ceases immediately and unconditionally. The international community will not tolerate an inadmissible behaviour which is depriving school children of food, electricity, running water and education in order to settle political scores with the legitimate government of the Republic of Moldova", the Committee concluded.
05/10/2004 | News
PACE's Sub-Committee on the Middle East, meeting in Strasbourg, today adopted the following statement: “The members of the Sub-Committee on the Middle East have expressed their deep concern about the recent dramatic events in Gaza which have already cost the lives of Palestinians and Israelis including children on both sides. The Sub-committee condemns strongly the Palestinian rocket attacks on the Israeli towns and calls upon the Palestinians to stop these attacks immediately.
05/10/2004 | News
The Assembly today called on member states to provide Europeans with more information and better education on sexual and reproductive health. Problems include a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies, rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/Aids, and an increase in sexual violence, the parliamentarians said. PACE also wants member states to share information about their more successful experiences, and to provide adequate funds for the development of STI screening, as well as counselling, services, and contraception, including for young people.
05/10/2004 | News
While recognising that Azerbaijan has made some progress in honouring its obligations and commitments since January 2004, the Assembly considers that this progress is inadequate. According to the parliamentarians, the Assembly cannot consider closing the current monitoring procedure until such time as Azerbaijan has proven that its commitments have been irreversibly implemented. The adopted resolution points out that, nearly a year after Ilham Aliyev was elected President of the Republic, there are a number of positive signs, for example in the form of four presidential pardon decrees. However, it notes with concern that some political prisoners and presumed political prisoners are still in jail and there is still a risk of being arrested and imprisoned for political reasons.
05/10/2004 | News
European governments should set themselves the objective of increasing women’s representation in parliament to 40 per cent by the year 2020, the Assembly said today. Among the Council of Europe’s member states, only Sweden has already achieved this threshold, the parliamentarians pointed out. They also called for a series of measures to outlaw and eliminate “family voting”.
04/10/2004 | News
"Democracy needs transparency. Transparency means informing you. This is why PACE Secretariat is delighted to be able to present you the first-ever issue of pace news, its new bi-monthly electronic newsletter. Speaking in the name of 800 million Europeans, PACE represents the 'democratic conscience' of Greater Europe. Here, in succinct form – with selected news – is the essence of its work. We hope you enjoy pace news, and we look forward to hearing what you think of it." - Bruno Haller, Secretary General of PACE
04/10/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE Political Affairs Committee today adopted a preliminary draft resolution on the situation in Western Sahara. The text urges the authorities of Morocco “to show a compromising attitude towards acceptance of the United Nations Peace Plan for Self-Determination of the People of Western Sahara”, a plan already officially accepted by the Frente Polisario. According to the preliminary draft resolution, prepared by Gabino Puche (Spain, EPP/CD), the acceptance of the Peace Plan would allow “to put an end to the dispute over Western Sahara”.