Archives for 10 - 2005

Council of Europe condemns Iranian President�s remarks
	31.10.05 - Strasbourg, The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ren� van der Linden, said he was ''deeply shocked and preoccupied by this statement and the attitude of the Iranian President who is openly defying the values of the international community''. Secretary General...(>>>)

European films and education for democratic citizenship
	31.10.05 - Strasbourg, Europe, cinema and education for democratic citizenship will all come together at the �Odyss�e� cinema in Strasbourg, from 2 to 8 November. A film festival based on the theme of "Citizenship education through European eyes" will be opened on 2 November at 8.30 pm by Mr Jacques...(>>>)

Giovanni Di Stasi receives the gold medal ''for works of value to society'' from the Institute for European Integration
	31.10.05 - Strasbourg, ''The Institute for European Integration intended this choice as a token of recognition of the increased importance which our Congress has acquired in European construction,'' stated Giovanni Di Stasi, President of the Council of Europe Congress.(>>>)

Terry Davis: ''Abolish the death penalty because of Beslan''
	28.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Secretary General of the Council of Europe today published an article in the Russian newspaper ''Izvestia''. He called on Russia to abolish the death penalty, in compliance with the commitments it undertook when it joined the Council of Europe nine years ago. (>>>)

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio: ''We must improve the precarious situation of unaccompanied migrant children''
	28.10.05 - Strasbourg, Addressing the conference on migration of unaccompanied minors in Malaga (27-28 October), the Deputy Secretary General called for more resources and efforts at national level and more international co-operation to manage child (>>>)

Signatures and ratifications at the Council of Europe
	26.10.05 - Strasbourg, Georgia has signed on 19 October 2005 the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings(>>>)

Council of Europe conference in Vilnius: training civil servants to achieve a good administration
	26.10.05 - Strasbourg, Improving the training of civil servants in Council of Europe member states will be at the heart of a European conference co-organised by the Council of Europe and the Lithuanian Institute of Public Administration in Vilnius on 27 and 28 October. The conference will examine the...(>>>)

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio: ''The Crystal Scales of Justice is an award which encourages a fresh, innovative, even creative look at our justice systems''
	26.10.05 - Strasbourg, As she presented the Crystal Scales of Justice Award at the ceremony to mark the European Day of Civil Justice (25 October), the Deputy Secretary General stressed that ''the fact that co-operation between the Council of Europe and the European Union has been so successful, particularly...(>>>)

European Day of Civil Justice: Council of Europe announces winners of Crystal Scales of Justice Award
	25.10.05 - Strasbourg, To mark the third European Day of Civil Justice on 25 October, the Council of Europe, together with the European Commission, will announce the winners of a new competition to encourage more efficient practices in the justice system. Prizes for the Crystal Scales of Justice Award...(>>>)

Council of Europe Conference in Malaga: unaccompanied minors' migration � acting in the best interests of the child
	25.10.05 - Strasbourg, Government representatives, parliamentarians, independent experts, representatives of various international institutions and NGOs will meet in Malaga (Spain), on 27-28 October, to identify ways of reinforcing the protection of migrant minors. (>>>)

"Intercultural dialogue - the way ahead" - Conference of European Ministers of Culture in Portugal
	25.10.05 - Strasbourg, European Ministers of Culture will gather at a conference to mark the end of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention (*), being held in Faro, Portugal, on 27 and 28 October. Hosted by the Council of Europe and Portugal's Ministry of Culture,...(>>>)

Terry Davis speaks at the Prix Europa Award Ceremony in Berlin
	24.10.05 - Strasbourg, Council of Europe Secretary General awarded the 2005 Prix Europa Iris Award for the best European television programme dealing with the multicultural character of European societies, to the Norwegian TV-producer Fridtjof Kjaereng for his film ''King Hussain of Pakistan-Queen...(>>>)

Council of Europe Director General of Political Affairs visits Georgia
	21.10.05 - Tbilisi, Jean-Louis Laurens, Director General of Political Affairs of the Council of Europe is paying an official visit to Georgia from 21 to 22 October. The Director General of Political Affairs will meet President Mikhail Saakashvili, Foreign Minister Gela Bejuashvili, Deputy Chairperson...(>>>)

Council of Europe releases report on freedom of association in its member countries
	21.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Council of Europe Ministers� Deputies have just released a report on freedom of association in the Council of Europe member countries. The report is part of the Committee of Ministers� monitoring to make sure that the Council�s 46 member states honour their commitments....(>>>)

There can only be one standard in the field of human rights protection, says PACE President
	21.10.05 - Strasbourg, Speaking following today�s meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly�s Presidential Committee and the European Parliament�s Conference of Presidents in Brussels, Assembly President Ren� van der Linden said: �I am confident that the European Parliament will address...(>>>)

Venice Commission meets in plenary to discuss legal reforms in various countries
	21.10.05 - Strasbourg, The 64th plenary session of the Council of Europe's Commission for Democracy through Law (the "Venice Commission"), will take place on 21-22 October in Venice (Scuola Grande de San Giovanni Evangelista). The following issues are, inter alia, on the agenda of the plenary: ...(>>>)

Giovanni Di Stasi: ''Decentralization is today a political objective in a large number of European countries''
	21.10.05 - Strasbourg, ''A large number of European countries are committed to adapting political and administrative structures to the requirements of local and regional democracy'', stated Council of Europe Congress President Giovanni Di Stasi, addressing the international conference on the reform...(>>>)

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio: ''Access to water should be considered as a fundamental human right''
	20.10.05 - Strasbourg, ''In a way, water is like human rights � something that is taken for granted until it is in short supply'', said the Deputy Secretary General, opening the Conference on Water Management (Strasbourg, 20-21 Oct). She underlined the importance of a common approach to water management,...(>>>)

�Violence to children must stop�: Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General attends Berlin conference on children�s rights
	20.10.05 - Strasbourg, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio will call for an end to corporal punishment to children during a speech at a conference in Berlin on 21 October. Speaking at the closing session of the conference �Raising children without violence", she will...(>>>)

National Workshop on the Decentralization Strategy of Georgia with Specific Focus on Status and Training of Local Government Officials, Administrative Territorial Reform and Revision of Tbilisi Law and Election Code
	19.10.05 - Tbilisi, The national workshop on the decentralisation strategy of Georgia is being held in Tbilisi on 19-20 October 2005. The workshop is organised by the Council of Europe�s Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy, DGI - Legal Affairs in cooperation with the Parliament...(>>>)

Information Seminar on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
	19.10.05 - Tbilisi, The information seminar on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is held in Tbilisi on 19 October, 2005. The seminar is organised by the Council of Europe�s Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy, DGI - Legal Affairs in cooperation with...(>>>)

Committee of Ministers to exchange views with the Chair of the Committee against Torture
	19.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Ministers� Deputies will today hear a presentation of the activities of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment over the last 12 months, and will examine a pilot project to facilitate the implementation of the Committee...(>>>)

Council of Europe Secretary General backs increased UN co-operation
	18.10.05 - Strasbourg, Council of Europe Secretary General, Terry Davis, has pledged support for the 2005 World Summit call for �a stronger relationship between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations� and for the proposed new Peacebuilding Commission. (>>>)

Group of Wise Persons to hold its first meeting at the Council of Europe on 18 October
	17.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Group of Wise Persons set up by the Council of Europe Summit in Warsaw in May this year has the aim of guaranteeing the long-term effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights and its control mechanism. It will present an interim report on its proceedings to the...(>>>)

Council of Europe to commemorate International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October)
	17.10.05 - Strasbourg, Each year, the Council of Europe takes part in the celebration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and organises a ceremony in front of a replica of the Commemorative Stone, symbolising refusal of poverty, on the Palais de l'Europe forecourt in Strasbourg....(>>>)

Secretary General opens Conference on free speech and right to information in times of crisis (Strasbourg, 13-14 October)
	13.10.05 - Strasbourg, ''The fight against terrorism is posing new challenges to the agreed Council of Europe legal standards on freedom of expression and information'', stated Terry Davis, opening the Conference on free speech and right to information in times of crisis. The participants should focus...(>>>)

Framework Convention on the value of cultural heritage for society and 115th Ministerial Session on the Committee of Ministers' agenda
	13.10.05 - Strasbourg, At their meeting on 13 October the Ministers' Deputies should be adopting the Framework Convention on the value of cultural heritage for society. If adopted, the treaty will be opened for signature at the Conference of Ministers responsible for Culture in Faro (Portugal) on 27-28...(>>>)

Fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation: hearing on the role of local and regional authorities
	13.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Social Cohesion Committee of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is organising, on Friday 14 October, a public hearing on the role of local and regional authorities in the fight against trafficking in human beings and their sexual exploitation....(>>>)

PACE organises public hearing on gender equality in the South Caucasus
	12.10.05 - Strasbourg, Parliamentarians from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia will join with women�s groups in the three countries, as well as experts from the UN, to discuss gender equality in the South Caucasus at a public hearing in Tbilisi (Georgia) on Friday 14 October 2005. (>>>)

Secretary General of the Council of Europe: - �There are no excuses for torture�
	11.10.05 - Strasbourg, �Torture is a very efficient way to obtain false confessions�, said Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe in a statement today. �Torture is a full-frontal attack on truth, justice and human rights. It is also a dangerous concession to terrorists, providing...(>>>)

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio: ''With Protocol No. 12, non-discrimination has become a right in itself''
	11.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Deputy Secretary General opened the seminar marking the entry into force of Protocol No 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights: ''Non-discrimination: a human right'' (Strasbourg, 11 October). She called on all member States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify...(>>>)

11-12 October 2005: Committee of Ministers to supervise the execution of the European Court of Human Rights� judgments
	11.10.05 - Strasbourg, On 11 and 12 October 2005, the Committee of Ministers holds its fifth meeting in 2005 to supervise the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (Article 46 of the ECHR). The Committee will supervise the payment by respondent States of just satisfaction to...(>>>)

Statement of the Council of Europe on the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October)
	10.10.05 - Strasbourg, ''The Council of Europe is rightly proud of its achievement in making a de facto death-penalty-free zone of its 46 members, but the fight is far from being over,'' Parliamentary Assembly President Ren� van der Linden said today. Secretary General Terry Davis declared: ''The death...(>>>)

Council of Europe Seminar focuses on �Non-discrimination: a human right�
	10.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Council of Europe is organising a Seminar to mark the entry into force of Protocol No 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) �Non-discrimination: a human right�, in Strasbourg on 11 October.(>>>)

Conference focuses on free speech and right to information in times of crisis
	07.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Council of Europe is organising a conference on freedom of expression, with a special emphasis on times of crisis. (Strasbourg, 13-14 October 2005).(>>>)

The exhibition: �A Little Bit About Georgia�
	07.10.05 - Tbilisi, Tbilisi Museum of History will host from 6 to 9 October 2005, the exhibition of photo and fine art works presented by the young Georgian artists. The exhibition under the title �A Little Bit About Georgia� is organised by the Council of Europe Information Office in Tbilisi and...(>>>)

The Committee of Ministers calls for greater dialogue with the European Union
	07.10.05 - Strasbourg, Fernando d�Oliveira Neves, State Secretary for European Affairs of Portugal, today urged the Parliamentary Assembly to play its role in this collective effort to raise awareness of the value of Council of Europe activities for the member states. To finalise the memorandum of...(>>>)

Thomas Hammarberg elected new Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
	06.10.05 - Strasbourg, Thomas Hammarberg, currently Secretary General of the Olof Palme International Centre in Sweden and a former Secretary General of Amnesty International, was today elected as Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights by the Organisation�s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).(>>>)

Ukraine�s leaders urged to maintain �steadfast resolve� in carrying out reform
	06.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today welcomed the �positive evolution� in Ukraine under President Yushchenko and the first achievements of the new authorities, but recognised that they have encountered numerous difficulties in the first nine post-revolution...(>>>)

PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights alarmed about alleged ill-treatment in prison of Platon Lebedev, Khodorkovsky�s Yukos associate
	06.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe�s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today adopted the following statement: (>>>)

�Amat-G� Ltd and Mebaghishvili v. Georgia / �Iza� Ltd and Makrakhidze v. Georgia
	05.10.05 - Strasbourg, �Amat-G� Ltd and Mebaghishvili v. Georgia (no. 2507/03) �Iza� Ltd and Makrakhidze v. Georgia (no. 28537/02) Violation of Article 6 � 1 Violation of Article 13 Violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1(>>>)

Islam and the West described by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu as two civilisations with a common heritage
	05.10.05 - Strasbourg, It is vital to encourage inter-faith dialogue in the context of the resurgence of Islamophobia in our Western societies, according to the Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, addressing the PACE today before the debate on education and religion. He...(>>>)

INGOs and the Forum on the future of Democracy
	05.10.05 - Strasbourg, On Wednesday, 5 October, the Conference of International NGOs of the Council of Europe will hold a meeting to discuss their involvement in the Forum on the future of Democracy in Europe, set up at the Warsaw Summit to strengthen citizens� participation and the exchange of ideas...(>>>)

Inauguration of monument to human rights - gift from Murcia to the Council of Europe
	05.10.05 - Strasbourg, ''This statue represents a call for universal brotherhood, and for freedom for both individuals and nations'', said Inmaculada Garc�a, the representative of the region of Murcia (Spain), as she opened the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday 4 October. ''The circle of this monument...(>>>)

PACE to organise fact-finding mission on the occasion of elections in Chechnya
	05.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Bureau of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) yesterday decided to send a fact-finding mission to the Chechen Republic on the occasion of the elections on 27 November 2005. (>>>)

Mateo Sorinas unanimously elected Secretary General of PACE
	04.10.05 - Strasbourg, The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting in plenary in Strasbourg, today unanimously elected Mateo Sorinas Balfeg� as Secretary General of the Assembly for a five-year term, beginning on 1 February 2006. (>>>)

Miguel �ngel Moratinos calls for alliance of civilisations to fight terrorism
	04.10.05 - Strasbourg, Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly today, Spanish foreign minister Miguel �ngel Moratinos put forward proposals for an alliance of civilisations, supported by the Spanish government and the United Nations. The aim is to fight terrorism by emphasising the importance of dialogue...(>>>)

Secretary General of the Council of Europe reacts on EU decision to start negotiations with Turkey
	04.10.05 - Strasbourg, �Turkey is a part of Europe� said Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, reacting to the news of a last-minute compromise between the EU twenty-five members on the opening of membership negotiations with Turkey.(>>>)

PACE autumn session: intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, monitoring of Ukraine, forced marriages
	03.10.05 - Strasbourg, Intercultural and inter-religious dialogue will be one of the main issues discussed at the autumn session (3-7 October 2005) of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).(>>>)

Second meeting of the Coordination Group between the Council of Europe and the OSCE
	03.10.05 - Strasbourg, On 30 September the members of the Coordination Group between the Council of Europe and the OSCE met for the second time in Strasbourg, under the chairmanship of the Portuguese Chair of the Ministers� Deputies. (>>>)