11/12/2014 President
“Given the challenges facing human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe today, the Council of Europe’s work is more important than ever”, said Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), at the end of her three-day visit to France.
The PACE President called for broad mobilisation of all democratic political forces and all players in society, in particular in response to the rise in populism and intolerance. “All European countries are affected by this unprecedented rise in hate speech and intolerance. France is no exception. I welcome the response of the French government and the country’s political players; combating racism and anti-Semitism must be a national cause that unites society. Let us mobilise and take action against all manifestations of hatred so as to stop the spread of intolerance!”
The PACE President also welcomed the efforts by the Ministry of Justice and the initiatives by the Ombudsman in this area. “The Council of Europe’s instruments and tools – in particular, the future No Hate Parliamentary Alliance – are fully at your disposal and I am sure that we can considerably boost the impact of our action by stepping up our co-operation and direct contacts between the relevant bodies”, said Anne Brasseur.
With regard to the issue of the management of migration, the PACE President and her discussion partners underlined the need to develop a real European policy in this area so as to promote solidarity between states and meet international commitments, in particular the standards of the ECHR, while taking account of the specific situations facing member states and the constraints affecting local communities. “I am pleased that the National Assembly and the Senate place particular emphasis on this issue in their work and I welcome the initiative by the members of the French delegation who recently visited a holding centre for migrants in Calais in order to examine the situation and help find solutions together. Other national delegations should follow this example, also drawing on the expertise of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons.”
The discussions also focused on the questions of the implementation of the judgments of the Strasbourg Court and, in particular, the role which national parliaments should play in the process. “All Council of Europe member states are bound by an international undertaking to execute the Court’s judgments and must take steps to comply with the standards of the Convention when shortcomings are identified. I urge the National Assembly and the Senate to continue their discussions of the matter with a view to establishing a mechanism to enable parliamentarians to play an active part in monitoring the execution of the Court’s judgments, in close co-operation with the executive and other national bodies, for instance, the Ombudsman”, said Anne Brasseur.
With regard to the crisis in Ukraine and relations with Russia, the PACE President and her discussion partners stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy. “As elected representatives, we have a political responsibility to look for and identify solutions together. Dialogue must continue”, said Ms Brasseur.
Lastly, the PACE President called on France and all member states to continue providing the Council of Europe with the political and financial support which the organisation needs so that it can perform its tasks effectively and ensure compliance with Council of Europe standards in all member states.
During her visit, Anne Brasseur met Claude Bartolone, Speaker of the National Assembly, Gérard Larcher, Speaker of the Senate, Christine Taubira, Minister of Justice, Jacques Toubon, Ombudsman, Elisabeth Guigou, Chair of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and the French delegation to the PACE. She also held exchanges of views with the European Affairs Committees of the National Assembly and the Senate.