PACE Standing Committee meets in Tirana to discuss Albania’s priorities for the Council of Europe
[16/05/2012]The priorities of Albania during its forthcoming Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers will be discussed at a meeting of PACE's Standing Committee in Tirana on Friday 25 May 2012. Albanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto will hold an exchange of views with the committee, which brings together around 60 parliamentarians from the Council of Europe’s 47 member states.(more..)
[16/05/2012]“In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in Europe in the fight against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. But while progress is being made in some countries, in others the foundations for a setback are being laid down," said PACE General Rapporteur on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBTs), Håkon Haugli (Norway, SOC), on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia.(more..)
Monitoring
Moldovan authorities urged to adopt a comprehensive law to combat discrimination, including on the ground of sexual orientation
[16/05/2012]On the eve of the International Day against Homophobia, Lise Christoffersen (Norway, SOC) and Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD), PACE co-rapporteurs on the honouring of obligations and commitments by the Republic of Moldova, have expressed their concern relating to the preparation of an Anti-Discrimination Law: "A draft Anti-Discrimination Law aimed at complying with international standards has been in preparation since 2008, though giving rise to heated debate and misunderstanding within Moldovan society. We are therefore concerned by the recent and unexpected decision of the Minister of Justice to table a compromise draft ‘Law on equal opportunities’ rather than a fully-fledged anti-discrimination law.
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Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Ukraine to visit Yulia Tymoshenko
[11/05/2012]Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE) and Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin (Sweden, EPP/CD), PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Ukraine, will visit former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in Kharkiv on 16 May, as well as meeting her lawyers. They will also talk to the lawyers of the imprisoned former government ministers, Yuriy Lutsenko and Valeriy Ivashchenko. These meetings will be held during a monitoring visit by the co-rapporteurs (15-17 May), the purpose of which is to assess the implementation of PACE Resolution 1862 (2012) on the functioning of democratic institutions in Ukraine.(more..)
[15/05/2012]“European Museums Night is a unique opportunity for encouraging new groups, especially young people, to visit museums and discover our great common heritage,” said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon today. “This mass event involving European museums and citizens is bound to help build a Europe of culture,” he added.(more..)
Political Affairs
PACE rapporteur denounces illegitimate ‘elections’ in Syria
[09/05/2012]“The so-called ‘elections’ in Syria, organised by the Assad regime against the backdrop of continuing violence and numerous violations of Kofi Annan’s peace plan, merely add yet another obstacle to the search for a peaceful political outcome to a conflict that has already led to more than 11,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and tens of thousands of refugees,” said today Pietro Marcenaro (Italy, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on the situation in Syria. (more..)
[07/05/2012]"Beyond the economic crisis, Europe is facing a more serious crisis of values, as shown by the rise in populism and extremism in several European countries," said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon. "On this Europe Day, I want to reaffirm the importance of the basic values of our Organisation, which have guided us through earlier crises, the values of the European Convention on Human Rights."
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Election observation
Serbia’s elections open and highly competitive, additional transparency needed
[07/05/2012]Serbia’s parliamentary and early presidential elections on 6 May 2012 took place in an open and competitive environment but additional efforts are needed to improve the transparency of the election process and the functioning of the media, international observers said in a statement issued today.
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Armenian elections competitive and largely peaceful, but shortcomings undermined confidence in the process, observers say
[07/05/2012]Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Armenia featured a vibrant and largely peaceful campaign, with overall balanced media coverage, but pressure on voters and a deficient complaints process created an unequal playing field, the international election observers said today. (more..)
PACE monitoring rapporteurs express concern at Moscow violence
[07/05/2012]The PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Russia, Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) and György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD), have expressed their concern at the violence which followed the mass demonstration in Moscow on the eve of the presidential inauguration, and the detention of more than 250 participants.(more..)
Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE rapporteur visits Iceland to look into trial of former Prime Minister
[04/05/2012]Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD), who is preparing a PACE report on “Keeping political and criminal responsibility separate”, will make a fact-finding visit to Iceland from 7 to 9 May 2012 to examine the case of former Prime Minister Geir Haarde, who was put on trial for failing to take appropriate ministerial action to avert the 2008 banking crisis.(more..)
