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Later in the week, on Thursday, parliamentarians will debate a memorandum of understanding between the two European organisations as well as the specific issue of the EU’s new Fundamental Rights Agency. (More) | |||||||||||
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A commitment to the democratic process The 26 March parliamentary elections in Ukraine further consolidated the breakthrough in the conduct of a democratic election process that began less than a year and a half ago, concluded the International Election Observation Mission. 'Despite serious technical failings, in a clear break with the past, all Ukrainians have demonstrated their commitment to the democratic process', said Renate Wohlwend, Head of the PACE delegation. (More) His Holiness has been invited to address the Assembly
Migration Committee calls for 'constant vigilance' against discrimination PACE's Migration Committee has called for 'a constant vigil against discrimination, hate speech and stereotyping in the media'. In a statement adopted on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the committee said it was particularly worried by the 'stereotyping' of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the media. (More) Assembly strongly condemns human rights abuses committed by Franco regime The Assembly strongly condemned the extensive and wide-ranging human rights abuses committed by the Franco regime in Spain from 1939 to 1975. In a recommendation adopted unanimously, the Standing Committee called on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to adopt a similar declaration at international level and to designate the 18 July 2006 as an official day of condemnation of the Franco regime. (More) Presidential election in Belarus: bitter disappointment PACE President expressed his bitter disappointment that the Assembly’s repeated calls for the Belarusian authorities to ensure free and fair presidential elections had gone unheeded. “The Belarusian people were not permitted to choose their president through free expression of their political will”, said Mr van der Linden. (More) PACE committee condemns denial of academic freedom in Belarus
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Relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union will be a major theme of the Spring session of the PACE, which takes place in Strasbourg from 10 to 13 April 2006. The Assembly will be addressed on Tuesday by Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who will present his report on this subject, Romanian Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, representing the chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, the Federal Chancellor of Austria Wolfgang Schüssel, President of the Council of the European Union, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. 
At a private audience in Rome on 3 April, Pope Benedict XVI and Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President René van der Linden discussed questions of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue as well as relations between the Holy See and the Council of Europe. The President also presented a letter inviting His Holiness to address the Parliamentary Assembly. 