TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly
Synopsis No 2001/040
10 April 2001
The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, meeting in Paris on 6 April 2001 with Mr Jansson in the Chair, as regards:
- Draft Convention on Cyber-crime (Rapporteur: Mr Tallo, Estonia, SOC): considered, amended and unanimously adopted a draft opinion presented by the Rapporteur, and instructed him to present his report at the Assembly’s April 2001 part-session;
- Draft protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, concerning transplantation of organs and tissues of human origin (Rapporteur for opinion: Mr Asciak, Malta, EPP/CD): considered, amended and approved a draft opinion presented by the Rapporteur for opinion; and instructed him to present it at the Assembly's April 2001 part-session;
- European Committee for the Prevention of torture (CPT): Working methods of the Committee (Rapporteur: Mr Jaskiernia, Poland, SOC): considered, amended and unanimously adopted a draft recommendation presented by the Rapporteur and instructed him to present his report to the Standing Committee in May 2001;
- Coexistence of the Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the European Convention on Human Rights (Rapporteur: Mr Holovaty, Ukraine, LDR): considered and adopted paragraphs 1-4 of the draft resolution presented by the Rapporteur; postponed the discussion and adoption of paragraphs 5-7 to a forthcoming meeting and invited its members to transmit their observations on those paragraphs in writing to the secretariat;
- European Commission for Democracy through Law (“Venice Commission”) (Representation of the Committee: Mr Jurgens, Netherlands, SOC): took note of a report by its representative on the Venice Commission’s meeting on 9-10 March 2001;
- Petition concerning the protection of minorities in Belgium: considered that the problems raised were sufficiently important to declare the petition admissible and asked its Chairperson to write to the President of the Assembly requesting that the petition be referred to the Committee for report; and appointed Mrs Nabholz-Haidegger (Switzerland, LDR) as its Rapporteur;
- Appointment of rapporteurs:
. Request by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for membership of the Council of Europe: Mr Lippelt, Germany, LDR;
. Draft additional Protocol to the European Agreement on the transmission of applications for legal aid: Mr Hunault, France, EDG;
. Relations with the European Commission for Democracy through Law (“Venice Commission”): Mr Jurgens, Netherlands, SOC;
. Rights of majorities: Mr Stoica, Romania, LDR;
. "Lawless areas" within the territory of the Council of Europe member States: Mr Magnusson, Sweden, SOC;
. The case of Mr Ilie Ilascu: Mrs Err, Luxembourg, SOC
. Intensifying the right against torture: Mr Jaskiernia, Poland, SOC;
. Trafficking in organs in Eastern Europe (for opinion): Mr Olteanu, Romania, SOC;
. Rights of women and ethical, socio-cultural risks and consequences of new technologies based on women’s eggs and embryos (for opinion): Mr Asciak, Malta, EPP/CD;
. Crimes connected with paedophilia (for opinion): Mr Rodeghiero, Italy, LDR;
- Former embassies of the Baltic States on the territory of some Council of Europe member States (Rapporteur: Mr Magnusson, Sweden, SOC): took note of a letter of 1 March 2001 from the Lithuanian parliamentary delegation and advised that in order for the Assembly to take up the matter a motion had to be tabled;
- Sub-Committee on Penal Law and Criminology: constituted its Sub-Committee as follows:
Titular members Alternate members Mr Dreyfus-Schmidt France Mr Hunault Mr Enright Ireland Mr Jaskiernia Poland Mrs Lopez-Gonzales Spain Mr Guardans Mr Marty Switzerland Mrs Nabholz-Haidegger Mr Monteiro Portugal Mr Vera Jardim Mr Olteanu Romania Mr Schütz Germany Mr Shaklein Russia Mr Kovalev N. Mrs Wurm Austria - Appointment of representatives:
. European Law Conference, Stockholm, 10-12 June 2001: Mr Magnusson, Sweden, SOC
- Evaluation Group to examine possible means of guaranteeing the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights: appointed Mrs Nabholz-Haidegger (Switzerland, LDR) as its representative on the Evaluation Group of the Minsters’ Deputies;
- Situation in the Middle East: asked its Chairperson to write to the President of the Assembly reiterating its request to be seized for opinion on the report to be presented on this issue by the Political Affairs Committee during the Assembly's April 2001 part-session;
- Request by Bosnia and Herzegovina for membership of the Council of Europe (Rapporteur: Mrs Jäätteenmäki, Finland, LDR): authorised the Rapporteur to go to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 6-9 May 2001 (subject to the agreement of the Bureau);
- Elections of judges to the European Court of Human Rights: authorised the Sub-Committee on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights to transmit its report on the interviews of the candidates for the new Human Rights Court directly to the Assembly’s Bureau and authorised the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee – if so invited – to attend the meeting of the Bureau at which the report would be discussed;
- Next meetings:
. Strasbourg, during the Assembly’s April 2001 part-session;
. Saratov (Russian Federation), 5-6 June 2001 (subject to the authorisation of the Bureau)
. Strasbourg, during the Assembly’s June 2001 part-session
. The Hague (Netherlands), 10-11 September 2001 (subject to the authorisation of the Bureau)
Allard A. Plate, Danielle Coin