FOR THE ATTENTION OF MEMBERS OF THE POLITICAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Secretariat of the Assembly
Synopsis No. 2001/007
23 January 2001
The Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Strasbourg on 20 January 2001, under the Chairmanship of Mr Terry Davis (UK, SOC):
- In relation to the Assembly’s January part-session:
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – request for special guest status with the Parliamentary Assembly (Rapporteur: Mr Frey, Switzerland, LDR): heard a statement by the Rapporteur on his visit to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) from 8 to 10 January 2001, and proposed to the Bureau to grant the Federal Parliament of the FRY special guest status with the Parliamentary Assembly and that the delegation be composed of 7 members;
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – recent developments (Rapporteur: Mr Frey, Switzerland, LDR): considered a draft report and adopted a draft Resolution and a draft Recommendation;
Conflict in the Chechen Republic – recent developments (Rapporteur: Lord Judd, United Kingdom, SOC): heard a statement by the Rapporteur on his visit to Moscow and to the Chechen Republic from 13 to 18 January 2001 together with Mr Bindig, Rapporteur to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, considered a draft report and adopted a draft Resolution and a draft Recommendation;
Rights of National Minorities (Rapporteur for Opinion: Mr Gjellerod, Denmark, SOC): considered a draft opinion and adopted amendments to be tabled on behalf of the Committee to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights;
Participation of immigrants and foreign residents in political life in Council of Europe member States (Rapporteur for Opinion: Ms Hoffmann, Germany, SOC): considered a draft opinion and adopted amendments to be tabled on behalf of the Committee to the report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography;
Implementing the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe: economic and technological aspects: appointed Mr Barsony (Hungary, SOC) Committee’s Spokesperson for that debate;
As regards:
Committee structures: had an exchange of views on Resolution 1220 (2000) and decided that the possible setting up of a third Sub-Committee, as a result of the transfer of some of the activities of the Committee on Parliamentary and Public Relations which has been abolished, would need careful consideration and consultations with the outgoing chairs and rapporteurs;
Parliamentary control of international institutions (Rapporteur: Mr Toshev, Bulgaria, EPP/CD): heard a statement by the Rapporteur and invited him to present a preliminary draft Resolution/Recommendation at one of the forthcoming meetings;
Request for Council of Europe membership: Principality of Monaco (Rapporteur: Mrs Ojuland, Estonia, LDR): heard a statement by its Rapporteur on contacts with the Monegasque authorities, declassified the Memorandum on Monaco’s application for membership of the Council of Europe and authorised the Rapporteur to visit the country again;
The United Nations at the turn of the new century (Rapporteur: Mrs Severinsen, Denmark, LDR): held an exchange of views based on Opinion on the question of “formal recognition” of the Council of Europe as regional agency prepared by the Directorate of Legal Affairs, in which Ambassador Kourula (Finland) and Mr Lamponi, Head of the Legal Advice Department and Treaty Office of the Council of Europe, participated and decided to invite its Sub-Committee on Relations with Non-Member Countries to continue the consideration of this question;
decided to hold its forthcoming meetings as follows:
Plenary Committee:
Strasbourg during the 1st part-session of the Assembly (22/23 and 25 January 2001)
Sub-Committee on the Middle East of the Political Affairs Committee:
Strasbourg : during the 1st part-session of the Assembly (23 January 2001)
Sub-Committee on Relations with Non-Member Countries:
Strasbourg : during the 1st part-session of the Assembly (24 January 2001)
Japan : 5-10 February 2001
Bariş Perin, Marja Ruotanen, Petr Sich, Catherine Hügel-Maffucci