Last updated on Thursday, November 20, 2008 | 16:16
Monitoring
Moldova ‘moving in a positive direction’ but must apply laws more effectively
[20/11/2008]Moldova is “moving in a positive direction” in fulfilling the requirements to close the monitoring procedure, according to PACE’s two monitoring co-rapporteurs for the country, but they pointed out that new laws must be applied more effectively. In an information note on a recent visit, declassified yesterday, Josette Durrieu (France, SOC) and Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/CD) said that the 2009 parliamentary elections will be “the ultimate test” of Moldova’s democracy.
“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, hampered by political climate of distrust, still faces old and new challenges
[20/11/2008]“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” still faces systemic challenges, eight years after the closing of PACE’s monitoring procedure, and new challenges to democratic insitutions have emerged, according to the Chair of PACE’s Monitoring Committee. In an information note on his recent visit, declassified yesterday, Serhiy Holovaty (Ukraine, ALDE) called for “constructive dialogue” between the majority and opposition, currently hampered by a climate of distrust and mutual accusations. (more..)
PACE Political Affairs Committee: G20 meeting signals a new approach
[18/11/2008]Global safety and security depend on co-operation between world leaders, according to PACE Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris today. The G20 meeting is a start for co-operation the committee declared. It welcomed the positive attitude adopted by the leaders who participated in the meeting in Washington DC last weekend.(more..)
Migration, Refugees and Population
Humanitarian consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia: visit to Georgia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia
[14/11/2008]In the framework of the follow-up to Resolution 1633 (2008) on the consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia, Corien Jonker (Netherlands, EPP/CD), Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will visit Georgia from 16 to 21 November, where she will have meetings in Tbilisi with representatives of the authorities, humanitarian agencies, NGOs and the international community. (more..)
Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE rapporteur: ‘whistle-blowers make democracies stronger’
[14/11/2008]Urging Council of Europe member states to adopt laws which protect “whistle-blowers”, PACE's rapporteur on the subject has said that encouraging insiders to report wrong-doing or go public with their concerns can “make democracies stronger”. Speaking at a hearing in Moscow organised by the Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee, Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD) said: “It is the essence of democracy and the rule of law that warnings by those who are uneasy about something are reported, investigated and resolved. This makes democracies stronger, because they can avoid mistakes.”(more..)
President
One lesson of Kristallnacht: the danger of intolerance in hard times
[10/11/2008]PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig has warned of the "danger" that tolerence in society is most severely tested when times are hard economically. Addressing an event at the European Parliament in Brussels to mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night in 1938 when Jewish-owned buildings were smashed and burned across Nazi Germany, Mr de Puig pointed out that the Depression of the 1930s had been a contributory factor. Europe still faces challenges of intolerance, he said. "Old demons have often been replaced by new."(more..)
Environment, Agriculture, Local and Regional Affairs
Can nuclear power meet the demands of sustainable development?
[07/11/2008]To what extent can nuclear power help meet energy needs and reconcile them with the demands of sustainable development? Can it be combined with the development of renewable energy sources and CO2-free technologies? These were all questions which representatives of the nuclear industry, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and civil society tried to find answers to at a hearing held in Strasbourg today. This debate between supporters and opponents of nuclear power gave the members of PACE Committee on the Environment statistically-based insights into the subject, on which views diverge widely, and provided Bill Etherington (United Kingdom, SOC) with material for the preparation of his report on “nuclear energy and sustainable development”.(more..)
