Parliamentary Assembly 25/06/2012 Jean-Claude Mignon opens PACE summer session PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon “We must remain on our guard to make sure that all member states of our organisation respect our values and honour their undertakings in this time of crisis,” said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon at the opening of the summer part-session.   “I am thinking here, for instance, of the developments in Hungary, where some laws passed recently raise doubts about compliance with our standards, in particular regarding the independence of justice. I am also concerned about the possible consequences of the new Russian legislation on demonstrations, as...

Council of Europe Youth Peace Camp 22/06/2012 2012 Council of Europe Youth Peace Camp Strasbourg, 22.06.2012 - The 2012 Youth Peace Camp, starting today, is a symbol of the work done with and for young people by the Council of Europe over the last four decades and more.   The camp, which runs until 30 June, is being held at the Strasbourg European Youth Centre, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.    There are 51 participants from conflict-stricken regions: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Kosovo (various communities), Georgia, the Russian Federation, and the Palestinian National Authority.    The objective is to engage young people and...

Secretary General 21/06/2012 Thorbjørn Jagland and members of the delegation of the International Commission against the Death Penalty Strasbourg, 21/06/2012 – Secretary General Jagland today met with Norwegian, Spanish and Swiss members of the Support Group to the International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP), who presented their proposals for involving the Council of Europe more actively in its work and in the preparation of the next World Congress on the Abolition of the Death Penalty, to be held in 2013 in Madrid.   The first World Congress was held in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe in 2001.   One of the objectives of the next Congress will...

Commissioner for Human Rights 21/06/2012 Silencing voices against homophobia violates human rights Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg, 21/6/2012 - Recent months have seen renewed efforts in some Council of Europe member states to silence voices against homophobia and transphobia. Laws banning information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex (LGBTI) issues mark a worrying step back towards a bygone era when homosexuals were treated like criminals. These efforts to curtail freedom of expression and assembly run starkly against international and European human rights standards, says Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in his latest Human Rights ...

Bioethics 18/06/2012 An ethical framework for future research Strasbourg, 8 June 2012 - The Committee on Bioethics of the Council of Europe organises a symposium on biobanks on 19 and 20 June in Strasbourg. Biobanks are collections of biological materials of human origin and are an important tool for research into the causes, treatment and prevention of diseases. In order to safeguard the fundamental rights of biobank research participants, the Committee of Ministers adopted a Recommendation on Research on Biological Materials of Human Origin in 2006. The symposium will provide a basis for the re-examination of this Recommendation in the light of the experience acquired and in the...

Committee of Ministers 15/06/2012 Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers addressed the Permanent Council of the OSCE Mr Haxhinasto Strasbourg, 15 June 2012 - Mr Haxhinasto, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, addressed the Permanent Council of the OSCE in Vienna on 14 June 2012. In his intervention, Mr Haxhinasto presented the main priorities of the Albanian chairmanship. He also gave his vision of the co-operation between the two organisations, in particular in the context of the Council of Europe policy towards neighbouring regions.   Link to the address Albania and the Council of...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) 14/06/2012 Anti-torture Committee publishes report on Serbia, holds high-level talks in Russia shutterstock Strasbourg, 14.06.2012 – The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published today the report on its visit to Serbia in February 2011 together with the response of the Serbian authorities. In the course of the visit, the CPT’s delegation received several allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials, including in respect of juveniles. The alleged ill-treatment consisted of slaps,...

Secretary General 13/06/2012 Secretary General addresses European Dialogue on Internet Governance Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 14 June 2012 - Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the European Dialogue on Internet Governance conference today in Stockholm. On the second day of the conference, on 15 June, he is participating in a panel on changes in European democracy together with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Carl Bildt, among other speakers. The EuroDIG brings together some 500 representatives from civil society, business, governments, parliaments and international organisations to discuss the...

Secretary General 13/06/2012 Council of Europe and European Union to increase efforts to fight corruption Thorbjørn Jagland and José Manuel Barroso Strasbourg, 13 june 2012 - Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland met with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, for a working dinner Tuesday evening in Strasbourg.   Discussions focused on increasing co-operation between the Council of Europe and the European Union, including in the field of both organisations' neighbourhood policies. The Secretary General and the Commission President also agreed to intensify joint efforts to combat corruption in Europe. President Barroso welcomed the...

Parliamentary Assembly 12/06/2012 Summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Addresses by Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović, as well as a joint debate on “Democracy at risk: the role of citizens and of the State today” will be among highlights of the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg from 25 to 29 June 2012.   The parliamentarians will also hold a joint debate on the impact of the financial and economic crisis, including a report on the danger of austerity measures for democracy and human rights. Icelandic Finance...

Secretary General 11/06/2012 Secretary General appeals to all parties in Russia to uphold right to peaceful demonstration Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg 11.6.2012. Responding to reports of police searches at the homes of several activists ahead of a major demonstration in Moscow, the Secretary General said in a statement on Monday: "The Council of Europe is following closely how the right to freedom of assembly is currently being exercised in the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation is a member of the Council of Europe and has signed the European Convention of Human Rights. Last week I wrote to Foreign Minister Lavrov requesting the authorities to provide the Council of...

Committee of Ministers - European Court of Human Rights 08/06/2012 Albania will focus on implementation of ECHR at national level Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Mr. Haxhinasto and President of the Court Sir Nicolas Bratza Strasbourg, 08/06/2012 – Meeting in Tirana today, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Mr. Haxhinasto, welcomed the unanimous adoption of the Brighton Declaration on the future of the Court. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Haxhinasto assured the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Sir Nicolas Bratza, of the Albanian Chairmanship’s firm commitment to implement that declaration in line with the decisions...

Gender equality 08/06/2012 New Gender Equality Commission: Kick-off meeting Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland “Women continue to earn less, decide less, and count less than men. There is one area where women count more than men: in the records of victims of violence”. Speaking at the launch of the Council of Europe new Gender Equality Commission on 6 June, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said that all conditions were reunited for the Council of Europe to deliver important results in the field of gender equality by the end of 2013.   The Secretary General also referred to gender equality as a means to guaranteeing respect of human rights for all....

Commissioner for Human Rights 08/06/2012 Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks ends visit to Austria Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg, 07/06/2012 – “Living conditions of asylum-seekers in Austria are good in general. However, improvements should be considered to ensure that quality legal counseling is available at all stages of the asylum procedure and to broaden asylum seeker’s access to work” said Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, after concluding his three-day visit to Austria.   The Commissioner met with asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children, families and single mothers, in the...

Commissioner for Human Rights 05/06/2012 Journalists need protection from violence Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg, 5/6/2012 - Journalism is a dangerous profession, including in Europe. Since the beginning of this year, journalists have suffered physical attacks in Azerbaijan on a number of occasions, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania and Russia. Governments should treat violence against journalists with the utmost seriousness, as such attacks aim at the core of our democracies, says Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in his latest Human Rights Comment published today.   Often, the...

Secretary General 04/06/2012 Secretary General makes official visit to Latvia Thorbjørn Jagland and Andris Bērziņš Strasbourg, 5 June 2012 - In Riga yesterday the Secretary General Jagland met with President Andris Bērziņš, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly. Discussions covered Council of Europe reform, reform of the European Court of Human Rights, the follow-up to the Brighton conference, the rights of minorities and regional issues including Georgia. Secretary General Jagland praised the active and constructive role of Latvia in the Council of Europe, underlined also by the work of...

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities 04/06/2012 Congress visit to monitor local and regional democracy in Spain Strasbourg, 04.06.2012 - A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe visited Spain from 5 to 8 June 2012 to monitor the country’s commitments under the European Charter of Local Self-Government that Spain ratified in 1988.   The Rapporteurs (Marc COOLS, Chamber of Local Authorities, Belgium, ILDG and Leen VERBEEK, Chamber of Regions, The Netherlands, SOC) met with Spanish authorities at national, regional and local level to discuss the evolution of local and regional democracy in Spain since the last Congress...

Secretary General 01/06/2012 Secretary General to pay official visit to Latvia Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 01.06.2012 - Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland will pay an official visit to Latvia from 3 to 5 June. In Riga, he will meet the President of the Republic of Latvia Andris Bērziņš, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, President of the Saeima (Latvian Parliament) Mrs Solvita Āboltiņa, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs, as well as members of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly.   Topics on the agenda include reform of the Council of Europe, minority rights and the situation in the region.   Mr Jagland will hold a...

Committee of Ministers 31/05/2012 Declaration of the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Edmond Haxhinasto Strasbourg, 31 May 2012 With great sadness we learnt about the series of earthquakes that struck the Region of Emilia Romagna in Italy and caused immense destruction and the loss of human lives.   The Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Mr. Edmond Haxhinasto, expresses his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and his solidarity to the displaced persons and to all the Italian people.   Read also:  Council of Europe condemns executions in Houla in Syria

Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings 31/05/2012 GRETA publishes report on Romania   Strasbourg, 31 May 2012 - The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) publishes today its first evaluation report on Romania.   The GRETA report welcomes the steps taken by the Romanian authorities to combat trafficking in human beings, including the adoption of anti-trafficking legislation, the setting up of the National Agency against Trafficking in Persons, and the introduction of a national identification and referral mechanism for victims of trafficking.   However, the Romanian...