Parliamentary Assembly 05/06/2013 Integration tests for migrants: helping or hindering integration? . Strasbourg, 05.06.2013 - “The fundamental dilemma for Europe is the extent to which integration tests for migrants promote integration and the point at which they become a barrier and actually begin to inhibit it. Whilst countries have every right to seek to reduce or manage migration, using means that are described as integration measures in order to do so will surely devalue genuine and well-intentioned integration programmes, » Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC) concluded the presentation of her report on “Integration tests for migrants: helping or hindering...

Secretary General 03/06/2013 Secretary General urges Turkish media to provide full and accurate coverage of protests Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland In an interview with the Turkish daily newspaper Hürriyet the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, commented on the situation in Turkey and the role of government and media. Following the interview he made this statement:   "I take note of the fact that the Turkish government has acknowledged that excessive force may have been used against the protesters in recent demonstrations. Any such allegations should be properly investigated and everything should be done to prevent excessive use of...

Parliamentary Assembly 03/06/2013 Parliamentary Assembly fully supports the priorities of the Armenian Chairmanship PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon “The Parliamentary Assembly shares and supports the priorities of the Armenian Chairmanship, which are fully in keeping with our main lines of action,” said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, speaking on 31 May at the opening of the meeting of the Standing Committee in Yerevan, citing in particular action to prevent racism, xenophobia and extremism in general, and the promotion of intercultural dialogue.   “The Armenian Chairmanship and the subsequent Azerbaijani Chairmanship in 12 months’ time present a...

Council of Europe Anti-Corruption Group (GRECO) 30/05/2013 Slovenia needs to develop corruption prevention concerning members of Parliament, judges and prosecutors . Strasbourg, 30.05.2013 – In a report published today, the Council of Europe Anti-Corruption Group (GRECO) acknowledges that Slovenia has improved the integrity rules for Members of Parliament, judges and prosecutors. However it also finds that much remains to be done to educate them about integrity and conflicts of interest, and to ensure a better implementation of the corruption prevention legal framework. GRECO concludes that in Slovenia there are clear rules in place for issues such as the acceptance of...

Council of Europe 28/05/2013 "Blue is the warmest colour" wins top prize at Cannes Palme d'Or STRASBOURG, 27.05.2013 – The jury of the 66th Festival of Cannes, presided over by the American director and producer Steven Spielberg, awarded the Palme d’Or to the Franco-Tunisian filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche for "Blue is the warmest colour" ("La vie d'Adèle") and his two actresses, Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos.   This Eurimages supported co-production between France, Belgium and Spain, based on the comic strip “Blue is the Warmest Colour” by Julie Maroh, conquered the hearts of the critics from...

Parliamentary Assembly 28/05/2013 Assembly President calls for reinforced co-operation between Azerbaijan and Council of Europe Jean-Claude Mignon and Ilham Aliyev Strasbourg, 27.05.2013 - During a visit to Baku, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today called for reinforced co-operation between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, with a view to preparing for the forthcoming Azerbaijani chairmanship of the Council's Committee of Ministers, beginning in May 2014.   "Since its independence and accession to the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan has undergone significant changes that pave the way for building a prosperous society based on...

Parliamentary Assembly 23/05/2013 Parliamentary Assembly Standing Committee to meet in Yerevan Strasbourg, 23.05.2013 – The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will be held in Yerevan on Friday 31 May 2013 under the Armenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers . On this occasion, PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon will hold high-level meetings with the President of the Republic Serzh Sargsyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian.   After the opening of the Smeeting by PACE President, the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly...

European Court of Human Rights 23/05/2013 European Court of Human Rights launches new Internet site European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights has launched on 22 May its newly-designed Internet site ( www.echr.coe.int ). The website of the Court has been revamped in order to give users better access to a wider range of information relating to the organisation of the Court, its activities and case-law. New features include an enhanced search option, dynamic news feeds and more comprehensive information on the Court and the Registry. The website will be regularly updated and items will be added or developed over the next few months.   European Court...

Secretary General 21/05/2013 Secretary General Jagland meets Russian President Putin Thorbjørn Jagland and Vladimir Putin On 20 May 2013, Secretary General Jagland met Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov in the Russian city of Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics.   An immediate outcome of the talks was an agreement to transform the existing Council of Europe presence to a programme office to support the administration of Council of Europe programmes in Russia. In addition, a more broad-based cooperation, covering several Council of Europe areas, and its financing were discussed.   Discussions also covered recent legislative initiatives in...

Committee of Ministers 16/05/2013 Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers: Armenia succeeds Andorra Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Andorran counterpart Gilbert Saboya Sunyé Strasbourg, 16 May 2013 - The 123rd session of the Committee of Ministers was held today in Strasbourg with Gilbert Saboya Sunyé, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Andorra, in the Chair. At the end of the meeting, the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers was passed by Andorra to Armenia. The Ministers’ discussions chiefly revolved around a report by the Secretary General on strengthening the impact of the actions undertaken by the Council of Europe concerning democracy, human...

Committee of Ministers 15/05/2013 Ministerial Session: democracy, human rights, and rule of law in Europe - strengthening Council of Europe's impact Committee of Ministers Strasbourg, 16.05.2013 - The 123rd session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will take place in Strasbourg on Thursday, 16 May. The theme of the ministerial session is “Democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Europe: strengthening the impact of the Council of Europe’s activities.” Emma Bonino, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy, Frans Timmermans, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and Espen Barth Eide, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway...

Secretary General 14/05/2013 Secretary General meets new Chief Ombudsman of Turkey Strasbourg, 14.05.2013 – Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today met in the Strasbourg headquarters of the Council of Europe, the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey, Mehmet Nihat Ömeroğlu, who was appointed to this post in November 2012. The Ombudsman institution in Turkey has been established to monitor the actions and activities of the executive Organ of the country on behalf of its parliament. This came as a result of a recommendation by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly in 2004, while Turkey was still under the monitoring procedure of PACE. In doing so, PACE based...

Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking (GRETA) 14/05/2013 Council of Europe urges Bosnia and Herzegovina to combat trafficking in human beings Strasbourg, 14.05.2013 – The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina have taken steps to combat trafficking in human beings, such as appointing a national coordinator and adopting state action plans, but a number of important challenges remain, according to a report published today by the Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking, GRETA .   In its first report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, GRETA calls upon the authorities to ensure that human trafficking is criminalised by all criminal codes...