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Themes
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Readiness to engage in dialogue 'in response to positive developments'
Ukraine will fully comply with its Council of Europe commitments before it begins its Chairmanship of the organisation in May 2011, President Viktor Yanukovych pledged, speaking before PACE in his first address to an international body since being elected. Developing Ukraine’s democracy was an “undisputed priority”, said Mr Yanukovich, who also promised to guarantee a free media, work to eradicate corruption and carry out judicial reform. (More)
''Equal, indivisible and assured security of all states should turn from a catchy slogan to reality,'' Sergey Lavrov, told Parliamentary Assembly on 29 April. The Russian Federation’s Foreign Affairs Minister warned against the ''recurrence of nationalist attitudes,'' as he put forward the ''principle of indivisible security'' and outlined his vision for the common future of the ''US-Europe-Russia triangle.'' (More) | ||||||||||||
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Call on the authorities to open up all archives
Whistle-blowing requires courage and determination Parliamentarians call for laws to protect ‘whistle-blowers’ PACE has called on Council of Europe member states to introduce laws to protect “whistle-blowers”, people working in governments, organisations or companies who speak up to stop wrongdoing. (More)
Commitment to the Council of Europe's values Moroccan Parliament first candidate for ‘partner for democracy’ status with PACE The Parliament of Morocco is the first one to apply officially for the status of 'partner for democracy'. This status, recently established by the PACE, allows parliamentary delegations from the countries of the Mediterranean’s southern shore, the Middle East and central Asia to take part in the Assembly's activities. (More)
At the end of a joint debate on sea piracy encompassing both political and legal aspects of the subject, PACE called on member states to 'modernise and develop a common domestic legal framework in order to criminalise the act of piracy wherever it takes place, […] or introduce appropriate legislation where it does not exist'. (More)
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The Parliamentary Assembly decided to suspend its activities involving high-level contact with the Belarusian Parliament and/or the governmental authorities, having noted a “lack of progress” towards Council of Europe standards and a “lack of political will” on the part of the authorities to adhere to the Organisation’s values. The Assembly recalled that it was still prepared to engage in a progressive dialogue with the authorities “in response to positive developments”, while reiterating its conviction that “dialogue can be sustained only through Belarus’ continuous progress towards Council of Europe standards”. 
