pace news

The week ahead

21-24 May 2013 – Rabat and Laayoune (Morocco / Western Sahara)

Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy

The parliamentary contribution to solving the Western Sahara conflict

Liliane Maury Pasquier (Switzerland, SOC), who is preparing a report on this topic, will make a fact-finding visit to Rabat and Laayoune. She is due to meet the Presidents of the Chambers of the Parliament of Morocco, elected representatives and local officials, the MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), as well as representatives of civil society and human rights defenders both in Rabat and Laayoune.

23-24 May 2013 – Tallinn (Estonia)

Monitoring Committee

Hearing on frozen conflicts

On Friday 24 May the committee will hold a hearing bringing together parliamentarians and experts to discuss three frozen conflicts – Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria. A day earlier, on 23 May, the committee will hold a regular meeting when it is due to approve a report on post-monitoring dialogue with “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. Also on the agenda: the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia, and updates on the monitoring procedures for Georgia, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro and the Republic of Moldova, as well as post-monitoring dialogue with Monaco and Bulgaria.

24 May 2013 – Paris (France)

Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination

Tackling discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity

The committee is due to approve a report by Håkon Haugli (Norway, SOC) on “Tackling discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity”. Other issues on the agenda: the situation of transgender persons in Europe, empowering women in politics and so-called “honour” crimes in the North Caucasus.

Draft agenda

26-28 May 2013 – Baku (Azerbaijan)

PACE President

Official visit to Azerbaijan

PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon will make an official visit to Azerbaijan, during which he should meet the President of the Republic, the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the leaders of the political parties in Parliament, and members of the Parliamentary Committee on international and inter-parliamentary relations. Talks are also scheduled with NGO representatives.

27-28 May 2013 – Izmir (Turkey)

Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Judicial reforms in Turkey: recent developments

The committee will hold an exchange of views on the latest developments in the judicial reforms in Turkey, with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors. It will also hold a hearing on “The accountability of international institutions for human rights violation”, and an exchange of views on “The effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights: the Brighton Declaration and beyond”. Two reports are scheduled for adoption: that by Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE) on “Corruption as a threat to the rule of law”, and that by Jordi Xuclà, (Spain, ALDE) on “Strengthening the institution of Ombudsman in Europe”.

Draft agenda (PDF)

27-28 May 2013 – Paris (France)

Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

Activities of the Council of Europe Development Bank

Tuur Elzinga (Netherlands, UEL) will be conducting a fact-finding visit to the offices of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) in Paris, with a view to preparing his report on the activities of the CEB.

28-29 May 2013 – Tbilisi (Georgia)

PACE President

Official visit to Georgia

PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon will be paying an official visit to Georgia, during which he is due to meet the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science, as well as the State Minister for Reintegration.

30-31 May 2013 – Strasbourg (France)

Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Protecting whistle-blowers

Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD) will make a statement at a meeting organised by the Council of Europe with a view to preparing a legal instrument on the protection of “whistle-blowers”, people who “blow the whistle” on actions or omissions at the workplace which seriously threaten or damage the public interest, or who disclose information on such facts. Various actors from the public and private sectors concerned by this issue will be presenting their views on the main elements to be covered by the draft text. Mr Omtzigt has drawn up a report on this subject.

Meeting website

Programme

30 May 2013 – Yerevan (Armenia)

Meeting of the PACE Bureau

The agenda includes the decision on proposing that the Assembly open a monitoring procedure for Hungary – in the light of the opinion adopted on 25 April by the Monitoring Committee. The Bureau should also approve the report by its Ad hoc Committee to observe the presidential elections in Montenegro (7 April), which report will be discussed the next day by the PACE Standing Committee. It will discuss the recent early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria and the forthcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan and Georgia. Furthermore, it will appoint the third member of the panel for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize – the panel is made up of the President of the Assembly and six independent experts, three appointed by the Bureau of the PACE and three by the Václav Havel Library and the Fondation Charte 77. The Bureau will also update the agenda for the next PACE session (24-28 June).

Draft agenda (PDF)

31 May 2013 – Yerevan (Armenia)

Meeting of the PACE Standing Committee

PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon will hold high-level meetings in Armenia with the President of the Republic, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, alongside the meeting of the PACE Standing Committee. The latter has scheduled debates on promoting alternatives to imprisonment, parental leave as a way to foster gender equality, and the budgets and priorities of the Council of Europe for 2014-2015. The PACE UEL Group has requested a current affairs debate on “The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, 25 years later: the Council of Europe’s possibilities to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.

Draft agenda (PDF)

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