Review Of Conduct of Moldovan Parliamentary Elections

Parliamentary elections in Moldova on 28 November met most Council of Europe and OSCE commitments, international observers have concluded.

Aleksei Lotman: Human Rights Part Of Discussions On Europe’s Energy Future

“The right to a healthy environment is a human right,” said Aleksei Lotman earlier today, at the start of a Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly conference on nuclear energy.


At the start of two days of discussions, the Environment Committee chairman underlined the need to strike a balance between human rights and Europe’s future energy needs.

Lord Tomlinson: Fighting Terrorism Could Undermine Human Rights

Governments fighting terrorism may be tempted into “a strong-armed approach that gives public security precedence over the respect for human rights,” Lord John Tomlinson has warned.

Assembly Committee Demands Swifter ECHR Commitment From Nine European Nations

Nine Council of Europe member states have been urged to respond more quickly to European Court of Human Rights judgments to prevent repeat violations.

The Parliamentary Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee has identified Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine as countries with “major structural problems.”

Lord Prescott Rallies Against ‘Crisis’ In Democracy

Image via Wikipedia

New forms of democracy – in which citizens can participate directly in decisions, for example – are needed to supplement traditional representative democracy if the current crisis in democracy is to be overcome, Lord Prescott declared at the Forum for the Future of Democracy. 

Delivering a speech in Yerevan, Armenia, on behalf of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Mevlüt Çavusoglu, Lord Prescott, the United Kingdom's former Deputy Prime Minister, said there was a need for “sustained forms of interaction between people and the authorities.”

Speech

Georgia-Russia conflict: "Confrontation must give way to dialogue" says Dick Marty

Deadlock in the conflict between Georgia and Russia may be broken if plans by Dick Marty for a full day of high-level hearings are successful.

The Chair of the Parliamentary Assembly's Monitoring Committee  has proposed the talks to break what he called the “deadlock” on dealing with the consequences of the war between the two Council of Europe nations.

“Confrontation must give way to dialogue,” said Mr Marty in a note made public outlining the plan.


The hearings, to be held by January 2011 at the latest, could involve representatives of the Georgian and Russian governments, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini – who wrote a report on the origins of the war which was recognised by both sides as impartial – and the EU and UN co-chairs of the Geneva talks, as well as the head of the EU monitoring mission in the region, Council of Europe leaders, representatives of the European Parliament and the ICRC.

The hearings could help to reduce the “emotional impact” of the war, which continues to be an obstacle to discussion, Mr Marty pointed out, and clarify the current situation, including the situation on the ground. Armed conflict between two member states is “an exceptionally serious development” and its consequences were a priority for PACE and the Council of Europe as a whole, he said.

Mr Marty was authorised to make contact with the authorities of both states to draw up a catalogue of practical questions for discussion and rapid settlement, as well as a roadmap to address the humanitarian situation, and the assessment of the situation with regard to the Assembly’s three resolutions on the consequences of the war.

Proposal

Assembly co-rapporteurs call on Georgian Parliament not to hurry the adoption of constitutional amendments



Related articles

• Russia can learn from America - Medvedev (rt.com)

Parliamentary Assembly Upholds Doctors' Right To Conscientious Objection

Image via Wikipedia

Delegartes to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly have underlined the need to affirm the right of conscientious objection in lawful medical care following a debate on 7 October.


Such were the differences on both sides that the text presented by the Committee on Social Affairs had to be amended substantially.

The adopted resolution states that "no person and no hospital or institution shall be coerced, held liable or discriminated against in any manner because of a refusal to perform, accommodate, assist or submit to an abortion."

More information

ECHR Case

Related articles

• Doctors rights to 'refuse abortion on conscientious grounds' under threat (telegraph.co.uk)

Wojciech Sawicki elected Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General

Wojciech Sawicki is the new Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly, elected for a five-year term starting on 1 February 2011.

Mr Sawicki was born in Warsaw (Poland) on 20 March 1955. He obtained an MSc. in Computer Science from the University of Warsaw in 1978 and started his career as a programmer, then Head of Department in the Power Industry Computer Centre (1977-1990). From 1979 to 1986, he combined this with teaching work at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

From 1990 to 1996, he held the post of Secretary General of the Polish Senate, providing political, legal and procedural advice to all statutory organs of the Senate.

He joined the Council of Europe in 1996 as Director (Deputy Clerk) in charge of the General Services Department of the Parliamentary Assembly. In that capacity, he was responsible for the interparliamentary co-operation programme and for co-ordination of committees’ activities. Since 2006 he has held the post of Director General, deputising for the Secretary General of the Assembly.

He has also been co-director of the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Development (ECPRD) since 1996.

As Chairman of the “Solidarność” Trade Union Section at the Power Industry Computer Centre in 1980-81, Mr Sawicki was closely involved in the “Solidarność” movement, which played a key role in the opposition to the regime of the People’s Republic of Poland in the 1980s.

The PACE Secretary General ensures the functioning of the Assembly, monitors its decisions and co-ordinates the work of the committees.

Curriculum vitae

Result of the vote