Commissioner for Human Rights 10/07/2012 Portugal: Austerity measures threaten the most vulnerable, says Commissioner for Human Rights Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg, 10/7/2012 - “The most vulnerable social groups have been hit hardest by the fiscal austerity measures implemented in Portugal. The government should strengthen its efforts to mitigate the negative impact of the financial crisis, in particular on children, elderly and the Roma” said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, publishing a report based on the findings of his visit to Portugal last 7-9 May.   The Commissioner also invites the Portuguese...

Commissioner for Human Rights 09/07/2012 For human rights protection, Italy needs a clear break with past practices Nils Muižnieks Strasbourg, 9/7/2012 - “The Italian government has been giving signs of a shift in policy, which suggests that there may be an opportunity to finally stop and reverse the erosion of human rights standards in the country. What Italy needs now is for these signs to be transformed into concrete, unambiguous policies and actions” said Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, after a four-day visit to Rome between 3 and 6 July. During his visit, the Commissioner focused on the human rights of Roma and Sinti and on the human...

Secretary General 07/07/2012 Secretary General alarmed by proposed NGO legislation in Russia Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland made the following statement on proposed NGO legislation in Russia: “I am concerned about proposals to label non-governmental organisations which receive funding from abroad as ‘foreign agents’ and create new administrative hurdles to their activities. Without a thriving civil society there can be no functioning democracy. Any restriction which would go against the standards set by the European Convention on Human Rights would be against the interest of Russia, its citizens...

Secretary General 07/07/2012 Secretary General calls on Council of Europe expert body to assess compliance with rule of law in Romania Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland Reacting to the vote in the Romanian parliament on Friday to suspend president Basescu, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland issued the following statement: "I am very concerned about the recent developments in Romania, especially about actions taken by the Government and the Parliament in respect of key democratic institutions. I have requested an opinion from the Council of Europe's Commission for Democracy through Law - of which Romania is a member - on whether these actions are...

Parliamentary Assembly 06/07/2012 Parliamentary Assembly President voices concern at developments in Romania PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon Strasbourg, 06.07.2012 – The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Jean-Claude Mignon today expressed his concern at developments in Romania.   “As a member state of the Council of Europe, Romania must respect the commitments it has undertaken and European standards. The independence of the judiciary, in particular of the Constitutional Court, is an essential condition for the existence for the rule of law in any state,” he said.   He also called on all parties to resolve the...

Committee of Ministers 05/07/2012 “Libel tourism” is a serious threat to freedom of expression Committee of Ministers Strasbourg, 05.07.2012 – The Council of Europe today alerted its 47 member states to the serious threat to freedom of expression and information created by “libel tourism”, a practice of filing complaints in jurisdictions where it is easy to sue and with courts thought to be the most likely to deliver favourable judgments.   In a Declaration just adopted, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers points out that the prevention of libel tourism should be part of the reform of defamation laws in member states. It also calls for the creation of...

Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) 05/07/2012 Council of Europe anti-money laundering Committee adopts report on the Holy See Strasbourg, 4 July 2012 - The Council of Europe MONEYVAL Committee adopted, during its 39th plenary meeting, the first evaluation report on the Holy See (including the Vatican City State).   All States evaluated by MONEYVAL have the opportunity to check the accuracy of the amended version of the report after it has been adopted, and to provide any comments for publication. The state should provide its response within one month of receipt of the amended report.   The...

Secretary General 04/07/2012 Secretary General meets Irish Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 4 July 2012 - Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland met with Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland.   Discussions between Mr Jagland and Mr Gilmore focused on reform of the Council of Europe, and the Tánaiste’s Chairmanship in Office of the OSCE, including Mr Gilmore's recent visit to the South Caucasus region. Internet freedom and governance, cooperation between the Council of Europe and the EU, and Ireland’s forthcoming presidency of the EU Council in the first half of...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) 03/07/2012 Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits Turkey Strasbourg, 02.07.2012 - A delegation of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out an ad hoc visit to Turkey from 21 to 28 June 2012.   The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of juveniles held in prisons, taking into account the recent allegations of ill-treatment of juvenile prisoners at Pozantı Prison. The delegation visited Ankara-Sincan Juvenile Prison, to which all the...

Secretary General 02/07/2012 Secretary General receives Bernard Cazeneuve, French Minister for European Affairs Thorbjørn Jagland and Bernard Cazeneuve Strasbourg, 2 July 2012 - Thorbjørn Jagland today welcomed Bernard Cazeneuve on his first visit to the Council of Europe. Topics covered included the reform of the Organisation, accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Strasbourg World Forum for Democracy. Minister Cazeneuve conveyed the strong support of the French government to the reforms introduced by the Secretary General and to the concentration of activities on key issues of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. ...

Parliamentary Assembly 28/06/2012 “Tunisia is not Kandahar” Mustapha Ben Jaafar  Strasbourg, 28 June 2012 - In his passionate, nearly 40-minute speech, he told the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly that the Tunisian transformation to democracy is on the right path because “when some extremists become aware that we are sticking to a timeline [drafting a constitution, holding elections], it is then that they react. “The media in Tunisia focus on isolated events, which the Western media follow, and then we have the impression that Tunisia is Kandahar, which is not reality,” he said. He praised the PACE report Political transition in Tunisia (Doc....

Parliamentary Assembly session 28/06/2012 Assembly welcomes the transition in Egypt, but points to ‘real obstacles for democracy’ Strasbourg, 28.06.2012 – Whilst welcoming the election of the first civilian President in Egypt as a “historical step in the country’s transition to democracy”, the PACE today expressed its deep concern about recent developments which constitute “real obstacles to a slowly emerging democracy” in Egypt.   These obstacles include the dissolution of parliament, the constitutional changes enacted by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (granting legislative power to the army and stripping the President of powers in...

Secretary General 28/06/2012 Secretary General welcomes Mustapha Ben Jaafar, speaker of Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly Thorbjørn Jagland Strasbourg, 28 June 2012 - The visit of Mustapha Ben Jaafar, speaker of Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly to the Council of Europe, who is to speak today at 3:30 p.m. in front of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was welcomed by the Secretary General of the Organisation, Thorbjørn Jagland:   "Today, I am delighted to welcome Mustapha Ben Jaafar, speaker of Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly, who will visit the Council of Europe. His choice to visit us sends an important signal to all Arab...

Parliamentary Assembly 27/06/2012 A strong democracy needs a sound State to respond to citizens’ expectations PACE Strasbourg, 27.06.2012 – While a sound State is not usually possible without a lively and strong democracy, a strong democracy also needs a sound State in order to be able to meet the expectations of the citizens, especially by providing social justice, says PACE in a resolution adopted today, during its biennial debate on the state of democracy in Europe. Drawing on the conclusions of the rapporteur Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), the adopted text provides pointers for developing democracy at the transnational level, for making States more accountable and for...

Parliamentary Assembly Session 27/06/2012 Council of Europe can “build on strength and shared vision” in South East Europe and Southern Mediterranean Zoran Milanović Strasbourg, 27.06.2012 - Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović today backed action by the Council of Europe in South East Europe and pledged to work to build cohesion and reduce regional differences in South East Europe and beyond. Croatia’s entry to the EU in 2013 would not mean that its borders became a dividing line between west and east, said Mr Milanović, adding that the country’s experience of economic revival and reconciliation was available in the Council of Europe’s work with the...

Council of Europe 26/06/2012 New Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe elected Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni Strasbourg, 26/06/2012 – Voting today by secret ballot, delegates to the Parliamentary Assembly elected Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni to the post of Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, exceptionally for a three-year term of office.   An absolute majority of the votes cast was required at the first ballot.   The two candidates put forward by the Committee of Ministers to the Assembly for election, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni and Gérard Stoudmann, attracted 133 and 117 votes respectively.   This exceptional three-year...

26/06/2012 Video of the speech

Parliamentary Assembly Session 26/06/2012 In an economic crisis? Own the economic aid programme, cut spending and raise taxes Steingrímur Sigfússon Strasbourg, 26.06.2012 - Iceland’s Economic Affairs Minister Steingrímur Sigfússon told members of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly that there is “an end to the tunnel” in the current economic crisis, because Iceland lived through it – and not with austerity alone. After outlining events that led to a complete financial collapse in Iceland in 2008, with massive devaluation of the Krona and unemployment rising from virtually zero to 9% in two years, he said that the deficit and debt...

Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) 26/06/2012 Anti-torture Committee publishes report on visit to Tilburg Prison Strasbourg, 26 June 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 recent visit to Tilburg Prison . In application of an Interstate Convention concluded in October 2009, the Dutch authorities make available to Belgium the premises of Tilburg Prison and its staff, for the purpose of detaining persons serving final sentences imposed by Belgian courts. By this means, the Belgium authorities are...

Parliamentary Assembly 25/06/2012 Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha addresses the Parliamentary Assembly Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha  In his address to the PACE, Prime Minister Sali Berisha recalled the considerable distance covered by Albania over the two decades following the fall of its prevailing dictatorship; he expressed his gratitude to the Council of Europe which had always been at his country’s side in its efforts to establish and strengthen democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law.   The Prime Minister said in particular that the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers currently held by his country formed the “brightest jewel...