The News (Site updated Friday, November 27, 2009 | 9:00)
Council of Europe adopts its 2010 budget
[25/11/2009 17:30:00] The Committee of Ministers has just adopted the organisation’s budget for the year 2010. The Ordinary Budget amounts to € 218 million, while member states contributions amount to € 211 million. The discussions on the budget underlined the need to have an in depth strategic reflection on the future of the Organisation, and the Committee of Ministers expressed its determination to implement a comprehensive reform process in the Council of Europe. ''We must be able to reform and to be more flexible and relevant. We are living in a changing world, and we must adapt to the new realities'', said Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General, who will submit his initial ideas at the end of January 2010.
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Secretary General welcomes EU president and foreign representative
[20/11/2009 11:00:00] In a statement made on 19 November Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland congratulates the new President of the European Union Herman Van Rompuy and the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton.
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Human Rights Commissioner
Hungary: Thomas Hammarberg continues dialogue to eradicate intolerance and discrimination
[26/11/2009 10:00:00] Following his visit to Hungary last October, the Commissioner for Human Rights published on 26 November a letter sent to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Gordon Bajnai, on the fight against intolerance, discrimination and racism affecting members of minority groups, in particular Roma.
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North Caucasus: ''Persistent pattern of impunity,'' reports Thomas Hammarberg
[24/11/2009 09:30:00] ''Stability in the North Caucasus region has not been achieved. Increased activity by illegal armed groups, the lack of effective investigations into disappearances and killings, and murders of human rights activists are of particular concern'' said the Commissioner for Human Rights, on 23 November in his report based on the visit to Chechnya and Ingushetia carried out last September.
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Lluís Maria de Puig: ''Minorities laws should be in line with European best practice''
[25/11/2009 17:30:00] ''Member states should aim to adopt laws on the basis of the best European practice,'' declared Assembly President on 25 November, at the end of his visit to Hungary. He stressed that Council of Europe standards and instruments, including the expertise of the Venice Commission, its group of independent legal experts, should be used to settle possible conflicts.
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John Prescott welcomes Obama decision to go to Copenhagen
[26/11/2009 11:00:00] Assembly rapporteur on climate change has welcomed US President’s decision to attend the UN Climate Change conference in Copenhagen. ''Hopefully China and India will now follow Obama’s lead,'' he said.
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Assembly rapporteur in Rome: Italy needs to speed up its court system
[25/11/2009 16:30:00] Christos Pourgourides, Assembly rapporteur on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, has ended his visit to Rome on 24 November by calling for a solution to the structural problem of excessive length of judicial proceedings in Italy.
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Assembly makes pre-electoral visit to Ukraine(more ...)
Anti-torture Committee publishes report on Azerbaijan
[26/11/2009] The Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published on 26 November the report on its ad hoc visit to Azerbaijan in December 2008, together with the response of the Azerbaijani Government.
Photo: Gamma(more ...)
25 November - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Maud de Boer-Buquicchio calls for a culture of equality and respect to combat violence against women
[24/11/2009 18:00:00] On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the Deputy Secretary General declared: ''It is the responsibility of our 47 member states to have a policy of zero tolerance in this respect. The finalisation in 2010 of a Council of Europe Convention preventing violence against women, protecting victims and punishing perpetrators will be a major step forward towards a culture of equality and respect''.
Statement
Lluís Maria de Puig : ''Impunity for domestic violence must end''(more ...) Statement
Congress rapporteur urges local and regional authorities to commit themselves to fighting domestic violence Statement
Switzerland takes over from Slovenia as Chair of the Committee of Ministers
[10/11/2009 10:00:00] Under the joint chairmanship of Samuel Žbogar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, and Micheline Calmy-Rey, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, the Ministers’ Deputies met on 18 November in Strasbourg.
(more ...) File Photo Gallery Video of the press conference Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies
Secretary General appoints Gérard Stoudmann of Switzerland Special Representative for organisational development and reform
[20/11/2009 15:00:00] Responding to repeated calls by the Committe of Ministers for internal reform of the organisation, Thorbjørn Jagland has named the former OSCE Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions (ODIHR) to be his Special Representative for Organisational Development and Reform.
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20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Manual on the wearing of religious symbols in public areas (2009)
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Secretary General welcomes EU president and foreign representative
Hungary: Thomas Hammarberg continues dialogue to eradicate intolerance and discrimination
Lluís Maria de Puig: ''Minorities laws should be in line with European best practice''
Anti-torture Committee publishes report on Azerbaijan
Maud de Boer-Buquicchio calls for a culture of equality and respect to combat violence against women
Switzerland takes over from Slovenia as Chair of the Committee of Ministers
Secretary General appoints Gérard Stoudmann of Switzerland Special Representative for organisational development and reform
