AA13CR02
AS (2013) CR 02
2014 ORDINARY SESSION
________________________
(First part)
REPORT
Second sitting
Monday 27 January 2014 at 3 p.m.
In this report:
1. Speeches in English are reported in full.
2. Speeches in other languages are reported using the interpretation and are marked with an asterisk.
3. Speeches in German and Italian are reproduced in full in a separate document.
4. Corrections should be handed in at Room 1059A not later than 24 hours after the report has been circulated.
The contents page for this sitting is given at the end of the report.
(Ms Brasseur, President of the Assembly, took the Chair at 3.05 p.m.)
1. Communication from the Committee of Ministers
THE PRESIDENT* – The next item on the agenda, as established this morning, is a communication from the President of the Committee of Ministers – the Foreign Minister of Austria, Mr Sebastian Kurz, whom I welcome.
(The speaker continued in English.)
Thank you for being here. It is your first contribution at the Council of Europe. We were able to meet in my new office and I was glad to have an exchange of views with you on the Austrian presidency. I thank you and the Austrian authorities for the preparations you have made and the good work you have already done in taking over the presidency.
(The speaker continued in German.)
Minister, I am very pleased to be able to welcome you here today. I will not refer to the talks we had beforehand but rather give you the floor straight away.
MR KURZ (Minister for Integration Issues, European and International Affairs of Austria, Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers) – As a new Foreign Minister of Austria, I am pleased to be here before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the first time. If members are surprised at my age, I should say that not all Ministers in my country are as young as I am. I have served for two and a half years as State Secretary for Integration. Our deputy Chancellor, Michael Spindelegger, decided a few weeks ago that he would take on the role of Minister of Finance in the new government. He asked me to convey his warmest greetings and best wishes for further successful co-operation. He has asked me to become Foreign Minister. That is not just a great honour, but a great challenge.
I am also pleased that this year my country is chairing the Committee of Ministers. That increases the challenge, but I am glad that we can make a contribution. I thank you, Madam President, for the constructive talks. I congratulate you on your election and assure you of our full support. We intend to work closely with you, and I am glad to be able to get to know someone who has been in post for an even shorter time than I have.
As a representative of the younger generation, I cannot count on as much experience as many members here have, but I can contribute the perspective of a young pro-European generation who have grown up in an increasingly expanding Europe in peace, freedom and democracy. I can also convey the gratitude of my generation, who have benefited from the work of bodies such as the Council of Europe.
For my generation in Austria, and many other countries in Europe, it has always been self-evident that we could express our opinions freely and that we would not be exposed to the exercise of arbitrary power by the police. Our rights have been protected through an independent judiciary. However, what is self-evident in my country and others is still, sadly, not the reality for all the people of Europe. Today, International Holocaust Memorial Day, I ask us to remember that Europe is still not free of racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism. We still need to do our best to pull together to defend the achievements of the Council of Europe and protect the rights of every individual. As State Secretary for Integration, I have seen that people who have emigrated from one country to another are affected by prejudice. In a globalised world where more and more people leave their home countries, we should make a particular effort to judge people not on the basis of their origin, colour of skin or religion, but on their willingness to contribute.
In a society that is more and more mixed, we need greater participation. In a united Europe, we all need to make the greatest contribution. When it comes to the recognition of qualifications gained abroad, we should do more to ensure that each individual can contribute in his or her new country. Religion will be an increasingly important issue. There are more and more people with differing religious backgrounds and faiths in our member States. Religion should never be seen as part of the problem but part of a potential solution. The Council of Europe has fought for those goals in the past and we will advocate them in the future.
Since its accession to the Council of Europe in 1956, Austria has always been concerned to make a constructive and active contribution. Twice we have sent a President to the Parliamentary Assembly. There have been three Austrian Secretaries General and two Austrian Presidents of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. Six times an Austrian has chaired the Committee of Ministers and this year, too, we take on that task with great seriousness. It is a particular honour that, as part of the Austrian chairmanship, the Council of Europe will be celebrating its 65th anniversary. We are pleased that you, Madam President, will be with us in Vienna as part of the 124th meeting of the Committee of Ministers.
Austria has consciously set itself certain thematic priorities for its chairmanship. First, there is freedom of expression, without which there can be no democracy. It means being able to express one’s opinion without intervention from any authorities and it is a basic condition for a civil society. Journalists have a key role in informing the general public. The European Court of Human Rights rightly states that journalists are the watchdogs of society. Those watchdogs also need support and protection. One of the priorities of our chairmanship will be freedom of expression and the protection of journalists.
Our second priority will be the protection of Internet rights. We can no longer imagine life without the Internet, which links people and facilitates participation. It is an open forum, but that does not mean that it should not be subject to laws; “open” does not mean that we look away if human rights and democratic freedoms are disregarded. There is a right to protection of privacy. That is crucial. Recent events show that there is a need to take action to protect those rights. I invite members to an expert conference in Graz on 13 and 14 March, on shaping the digital environment.
The third priority of our chairmanship will be combating the trafficking of human beings, which is a mark of shame for our societies. We want to use our chairmanship to encourage more States to accede to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. We will also hold a conference in Vienna, together with the Swiss chairmanship of the OSCE. That will be held on 17 and 18 February, to take stock of previous work and to plan the next steps. We need to protect victims of trafficking better and to act in a preventive way.
We have used our chairmanship so far to look carefully at many other issues, and after sometimes difficult negotiations I think we have managed to achieve a biennial budget for years 2014 and 2015. Having the chairmanship, we are called upon, following the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers, to think about the post of Secretary General, now here in Strasbourg, as clearly a role to act in a neutral, non-partisan way and to achieve the necessary transparency.
We have also decided how to act in terms of content as well as structural efforts. We are thinking about greater efforts to fight the death penalty. Many of us think these efforts are growing throughout the world, but they self-evidently are not. We need to do more to ensure this cruel and degrading punishment is abolished in more countries. On 18 December the Committee of Ministers reflected on the most recent executions in Japan and the United States of America, and we call on those States to put an end to this inhumane practice or to take a first step towards that and at the very least announce a moratorium on the implementation and respect the values of the Council of Europe.
A declaration was also adopted about the situation in Ukraine. There have been fatalities there and it is clear that the crisis can be solved only in democratic and peaceful ways, respecting freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and by establishing free and fair negotiations. We have also called upon the Ukraine Parliament to withdraw the unfair and unacceptable laws regarding freedom of expression passed just last week. We need greater freedom and democracy and the rule of law so that the historical achievements of the Council of Europe are fully respected in Ukraine.
Another role of the chairmanship will be participation in the reform process. The Council of Europe has numerous tools at its disposal that at best can achieve great things in the everyday life of men and women in Europe. Our goal should be not just to use these tools but to optimise them and focus them on core tasks. Our utmost goal must be to inform our citizens and to enable them to participate. You know better than I do that our best intentions can be successful only if they are consistently transposed in our respective countries. So it is important that we explain and ensure they are implemented at home. I think the expertise of the Council of Europe is hugely important in terms of human rights. We have great ideas and relevant mechanisms that can enhance these rights.
In Austria we know how fast this expertise can achieve change for good, as in 2012 the relevant commissioner, as part of a regular visit to Austria, suggested a national action plan for Austria. Just one year later we took this suggestion on board and the plan of action for human rights was adopted in the Government’s new programme. We have now seen many encouraging signs of progress following a Council of Europe model, and the European Court of Human Rights has a unique position on this, which is symbolic of a Europe that takes the rights of the individual seriously.
The right of the individual to bring petitions is crucial in all of this, and there is some cause for concern. In some countries the rulings of the Court are questioned and there is movement in the wrong direction. The European Convention and the rulings of the Court are essential pillars of the protection of the rights of the individual and the rule of law. We must do our level best to ensure there is no undermining or weakening of the system. During our chairmanship we hope we will witness more effective implementation of the rulings of the Court at national level. Just today I spoke with the president of the Court on this very issue.
On European Union accession to the European Convention, I can tell you that everything so far has been prepared. Various decision-making procedures within the European Union have begun and we look forward to further steps in that direction. We wish to pay considerable attention to co-operation between the European Union and the Council of Europe. In recent years practical co-operation has produced practical, tangible results for more than 500 million inhabitants of our continent. We need to work together to continue our valuable work and, I hope, go into greater depth, while maintaining the independence of both institutions.
Members of the Parliamentary Assembly, I look forward to further co-operation with you as part of our presidency, but I am sure I can also benefit from your experience here and I hope that together we can build constructively on the potential of this body. Let us fight constructively for the ideals of this Organisation: for human rights, for democracy and for the rule of law. Let us protect and promote it so that many other people can benefit from the strengths of the Council of Europe, just as I have always done throughout my life so far in Austria.
Thank you very much. I look forward to greater co-operation with you, and I look forward very much to the discussion. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT – Thank you very much for your strong commitment to our values and for your interesting address. We as an Assembly look forward to working with you.
(The speaker continued in French.)
Members of the Assembly wish to put questions to you. I remind them that questions must be limited to 30 seconds. Colleagues should ask questions and not make speeches.
I call Ms Strik to put a question on behalf of the Socialist Group.
Ms STRIK (Netherlands) – A year ago, we were shocked to hear that 360 migrants had died near Lampedusa after their boat had capsized. A few weeks later another few hundred Syrian refuges drowned despite urgently calling for help for hours. It is estimated that only last year about 1 300 migrants died this way in the Mediterranean sea. What action will the Committee of Ministers take to prevent so many migrants from risking, or even losing, their lives on their legitimate way to protection?
Mr KURZ* – I thank you for your question about refugees and Lampedusa. You can imagine that we are all very concerned about the situation there: the images we see on the television are terrible. Considering the human tragedies that are taking place, we have a great responsibility to ensure that the basic rights of refugees are properly respected. It should be a matter of great priority that refugees on their journey to Europe are protected and that deaths do not occur on the journey. It is important for Europe to work closely with organisations such as the United Nations Refugee Agency and others to provide the best possible support and protection of basic rights to refugees.
THE PRESIDENT* – Thank you. The next question is from Mr Beneyto, on behalf of the European People’s Party.
Mr BENEYTO (Spain)* – Minister, thank you for your address. I want to ask you about the measures that the Austrian presidency intends to take in two areas: the fight against intolerance and racism throughout Europe, which is on the rise ahead of forthcoming elections; and extending relations from the Parliamentary Assembly to countries on the south coast of the Mediterranean. What does the Austrian presidency intend to do in relation to countries in the Arab world?
Mr KURZ* – I shall start with your question on intolerance and racism, two issues with which we are all very much concerned. We are, after all, involved in a peace project in Europe.
Unfortunately, racism and intolerance, such as anti-Semitism, are not unknown in Europe; we face such issues every day. We know that many people dislike foreigners, and such tendencies seem to be popular.
We are currently in a rather difficult situation, with a recession in Europe, which can often be a breeding ground for intolerance. Europe is becoming much more diverse religiously, and sometimes the fear of other religious groups grows and breeds. We are far from living peacefully with one another.
We are combating racism. In this, the 65th anniversary of the Council of Europe, we are talking about combating racism not just on a small scale, but on a bigger and bigger scale. We want the fight to spread. In addition to traditional anti-racism campaigns, we can find positive examples of alternatives from the Austrian perspective.
Some 20% of Austria’s population have an immigrant background. Sometimes immigrants are involved in antagonism towards other immigrant groups. We have found more than 300 examples of successful immigrants in Austria, who we have begun to act as models in schools. We have asked them to tell the stories of their lives. Such stories of individual successes in immigration can, in addition to traditional anti-racism campaigns, make a great impression on schoolchildren. Impressions are important not only in schools but in the media. That campaign has been successful in combating intolerance against immigrants and people from different backgrounds or with different religious beliefs. Inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue is an answer.
We are living in an increasingly diverse Europe. Dealing with other religions and with shared characteristics and values is the way forward. The earlier we start, beginning with young people in school, the easier it will be for future generations to take tolerance much more for granted than in the past.
Your second question was about the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Dialogue is the way forward, and the Council of Europe should play a bridge-building role and be much more heavily involved. That is important for the future.
THE PRESIDENT – Thank you. The next question is from Sir Roger Gale, on behalf of the European Democrat Group.
Sir Roger GALE (United Kingdom) – The Minister will be aware that a significant number of member States in the European Union and the Council of Europe – Malta is one; France is another – are holding prisoners for long periods without trial, in clear breach of Article 5 of the Convention. Will the Austrian presidency seek to do something about that, and to recognise that it is not only states under monitoring that need to be held to account, but some of the old European States as well?
Mr KURZ* – Detention without court proceedings is clearly not acceptable. The Committee of Ministers expects Malta and all member States to comply completely with rulings of the Court. If there is an allegation that Article 5 has been breached, individuals can seek redress directly from the Court. Compliance must be closely monitored, and that is a task for all of us here.
THE PRESIDENT – The next question is from Ms Lundgren, on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
Ms LUNDGREN (Sweden) – Thank you, Minister, for your address. Given all that we have seen and heard from Ukraine today and in recent weeks, it is good that the Committee of Ministers has asked the Ukrainian authorities to respect the freedoms of expression and of assembly, and parliament to repeal the laws that have been approved. However, more tools are needed. What tools are you preparing to use to ensure that the Ukrainian cry for help is answered by the Committee of Ministers in upcoming weeks?
Mr KURZ* – I think you can well imagine that we are alarmed at the escalation in Ukraine. The violence in the past few days has shown that the situation is far from improving. The Secretary General visited Ukraine in December and recommended setting up an advisory panel to investigate the violent events that have taken place. The government and the opposition have said that they support that, but no representatives have been nominated. Ukraine is on the agenda at the weekly meetings of the Committee of Ministers and at its 18 December meeting it called for dialogue.
Legislation has been enacted that places clear restrictions on non-governmental organisations. We agree with the Secretary General that those laws should be monitored and examined. The situation in Ukraine is getting worse and we hope that the Council of Europe will undertake a proper analysis of it. It would be welcome if the Council brought its expertise to bear on Ukraine.
The Secretary General met the prime minister in Davos last Friday and he has told me that, unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine has not improved. It has been announced during parliamentary sittings that there might be some improvement. There might, for example, be a part-session and part of the new legislation might be lifted. We remain very concerned, however, and hope that the Council of Europe will be able to use its know-how to help improve the situation, through analysing and critiquing it.
THE PRESIDENT – I call Mr Petrenco, who will speak on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left.
Mr PETRENCO (Moldova) – The new year in the Republic of Moldova began with a tough and cynical attack on freedom of media, when the broadcasting of three independent TV channels – Jurnal TV, Accent TV and RTR – was cut off. The international community reacted promptly but, unfortunately, the problem has still not been completely solved. What do you think about those attacks on the media? What will the Committee of Ministers do to protect freedom of speech and freedom of media in Moldova, and to help avoid such attacks in future?
Mr KURZ* – What I said in my statement applies here as well. Freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, and the right of journalists to exercise their profession freely, are basic pillars of any democracy, irrespective of where it might be. Those rights must be respected everywhere and we must not be complacent. For me and my generation, these things are self-evident, but, sadly, that is not the case in all European countries and others across the world. We will do our level best to ensure that those rights are respected in all countries in the Council of Europe, and that the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of journalists to work are respected. These things must be taken seriously. There have been various events on these issues and I hope our choice of priorities will help us make progress on them over the next few months.
Mr DÍAZ TEJERA* (Spain) – I congratulate you, Madam President, on being elected. Today, Europe cannot offer what the peoples of Council of Europe and European Union countries want. Millions of people feel alienated from politics. We need a different Europe. If you, Minister, as a member of your generation, could change something – apart from the way we dress or speak – what would it be so that we can meet the wishes of those we are supposed to represent as this Organisation moves towards its anniversary? I wish you all the best in your endeavours.
Mr KURZ* –It is important that we be more transparent about what actually happens. Unfortunately, more and more people do not understand what is happening in their national parliaments, let alone in the European Parliament – and not to mention the Council of Europe. Transparency would be a very important step in making it possible for the population to feel involved and understand what is being discussed and what is at stake. We should enable people to participate more. They should be more involved and feel that they have greater ownership of what is going on. They should feel that they have influence and that what they do is effective. If they felt that they could change something, either with their vote or with what they have to say, they would feel that they had a say in what is being done.
As Chair of the Committee of Ministers, I think that any form of stronger involvement – of more direct democracy – helps those of us who are involved in politics and anyone who is interested in politics and Europe to understand what is going on. It might be more difficult, however, to access and get through to those who are not interested at all. I think that anyone with an interest in politics would be very interested in the reform process we have started.
We need to focus on clear points and not get too distracted by other things. It would be much better to focus on one or two strong focal points. If parliaments concentrate on certain specific issues, I think the population will feel connected to them. The protection of the rule of law and of democracy is as topical now as it ever was. There is plenty of work to be done. The stronger our focus, the more young people will identify with the issue. The more successful we are in achieving examples of success and making them known to the outside world, the more people will become involved. Nothing makes as strong an impression as an individual who feels that their life has been changed by Europe. The institution has a great deal to offer in the future.
The PRESIDENT* – Minister, I propose that you now take three questions together, because it is still a long list and we want to get through it.
Mr FRÉCON (France)* - Minister, you mentioned one of the priorities of the Austrian chairmanship: respect for and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms on the Internet. How can we combine this freedom throughout the world with security, safety and the protection of individual data, because we have seen several examples of democracies behaving poorly in this regard? We were talking about our 2012 strategy on governance of the Internet. What have been the first results of your examination of the situation? What do your foresee the future results being?
Ms de POURBAIX-LUNDIN (Sweden) – First, I congratulate you, Madam President, on being elected. Minister, you will be aware that many international organisations are involved in trying to help solve the alarming situation in Ukraine. Do you have an idea of, or a plan for, how to co-operate with those international organisations to help Ukraine out of the current situation?
Mr HUSEYNOV (Azerbaijan) – I have addressed all the chairpersons of the Committee of Ministers with a familiar question during the past 13 years, and I have always received a standard reply composed of general words. However, the situation is not standard: occupying the territory of another State contradicts the principles of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe has accepted the occupation of 20% of Azerbaijani territories and stipulated that the conflict should be settled. The problem is still awaiting its solution. The Council of Europe is not taking effective steps, and 1 million refugees and internally displaced persons have been constantly asking us and you, “How long shall we wait?”
Mr KURZ* – Let me begin by dealing with the third question, where I fear I can provide only a rather general answer, as this is a matter for the OSCE Minsk Group, not the Council of Europe. It would make sense if both sides of the conflict tried to enter into meaningful dialogue with each other. That is not to say that I am not aware of just how dramatic the situation is, but it is clear where the responsibility – the competence on this issue – lies.
The second question was about the situation in Ukraine, what contribution the individual institutions can make and how they can be more closely linked together. The European Union and the Council of Europe can complement each other very well in this. The European Union and Catherine Ashton are trying very hard to make a contribution, but the new laws curtailing freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the activities of the non-governmental organisations mean that the Council of Europe cannot simply look away. It is very positive that both institutions are working together and that the exchange between the Secretary General and leading European Union figures is working very well. In our joint lunch today, my impression was that this is a very intense form of co-operation. That is a guarantee that we will do our best to avoid the potential overlap between the Council of Europe and the European Union.
As for how the Internet and data protection tally, we need a balance between freedom and data protection. The Internet is an area of freedom, where it is easy to access things, but that does not mean it should be an area devoid of rules. We need to think about this issue. Sometimes the technology behind these new things advances so fast that the legislator is simply left behind and cannot keep up. Putting the issue on our agenda is an important step, as it shows our clear will not simply to look the other way. It says that we are not prepared to leave the Internet as an area devoid of law. We do not wish to have any misuse of data; user data must be handled with the greatest respect. Secondly, I hope that the conference to be held in Graz on 13 and 14 March will produce some initial tangible results from our experts as to how we should take this action in the digital world. I also hope that this interaction between politics and the legislator and IT specialists will prove the right avenue to help us to come up with the right legislative answer.
Mr MENDES BOTA (Portugal)* – I am right behind you, but I go straight to the question: how do you foresee the future of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe? Are we letting down 24 years of experience in youth matters, global education and intercultural dialogue? Some relevant member States have abandoned the North-South Centre. How do you expect to contradict that tendency? Are we leaving the voice of the south not to be heard in Europe? Will Europe not be heard in the south?
Mr IVANOVSKI (“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”) – Prior to your chairmanship, the Committee of Ministers asked the Secretariat for proposals on enhanced co-operation in priority areas between Macedonia and the Council of Europe to contribute to the country’s integration process. Those priority areas are dealing with problems and challenges in respect of the rule of law, the judiciary, media freedom and the protection of human rights. Have you come up with any proposals so far? Are you planning any activities during your chairmanship, such as perhaps re-opening a Council of Europe office in Skopje, as agreed? Are you optimistic about, and can you briefly comment on, support for Bosnia and Herzegovina and progress in tackling the challenges it faces?
Ms PASHAYEVA (Azerbaijan) – Three days ago, Rugiya Huseynova, an Azerbaijani woman was shot by a sniper from the Armenian armed forces. That violated the ceasefire in the region where I was elected to Parliament. A few days prior to that, other civilians and houses were targeted. What is your attitude to this, Minister?
Mr KURZ* – On the North-South Centre, a working group has been set up and a report accepted by the Committee of Ministers. The action plan is to be implemented by 2015. The Committee of Ministers will keep an eye on the implementation of the plan and will be able to see what the situation is. Austria is not solely responsible for this, so I hope you will understand that I cannot give any more specific information.
On the third question, we take the situation very seriously and we are studying it. I can give only a general answer, because the dialogue must be the objective. Of course, violence must be avoided.
In response to the second question, we will provide a written answer within two or three weeks.
Mr ZOURABIAN (Armenia) – Given the disturbing developments in Ukraine, it is important that the Council of Europe focuses on the prevention of lethal force being used against protestors. Despite four Parliamentary Assembly resolutions calling for a proper investigation into the events of 1 March 2008, when the Armenian Government used lethal force against protesters resulting in the deaths of 10 people, nobody has been brought to justice. Does the Committee of Ministers continue to urge the Armenian authorities to identify and punish those responsible?
Mr NIKOLOSKI (“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”) – Congratulations, Minister. I am happy that you are the youngest minister in Europe. I was the youngest member of Parliament when I was elected. It is a positive sign for the young people of Europe and will encourage them to be more engaged in politics. How do you see the new generation of Europe getting involved in politics in the 21st century, and what challenges will there be?
Mr de VRIES (Netherlands) – My question concerns human rights in the armed forces. The Assembly adopted an important recommendation in 2006, but it is now almost eight years later and we have not yet heard the conclusions of the Committee of Ministers. The Committee has made a positive recommendation and an inquiry, to which all countries could respond, was held, but the issue is being passed like a hot potato from meeting to meeting. When will the matter be resolved?
Mr KURZ* – I will perhaps start with the third question. The Committee of Ministers is currently evaluating the recommendations. I have just been informed that the process is unfortunately not yet complete, but we hope that it will be concluded as quickly as possible.
The first question was on Ukraine. Our overriding objective must be to avoid violence, and the Secretary General has rightly been spearheading efforts in that field. The Council of Europe is tasked with protecting freedom of opinion and of assembly, and when we see violence being used against demonstrators, particularly peaceful demonstrators, something is wrong. I welcome the Secretary General’s efforts and the Committee of Ministers fully supports his endeavours.
The second question was about the upcoming generation and what hopes they will have for the Council of Europe. One of our primary objectives must be to ensure that young people really can get their voice across and feel that their voice matters. The closer that European institutions, such as the Council of Europe, can get to young people, the more we will represent their views. Transparency is also essential. At a time of great economic hardship, when practically all public bodies and businesses are obliged to make savings, young people are particularly hard hit and find it difficult to get a job. Against that backdrop, transparency about how and where money is used is of direct relevance to everybody.
It is also important that we educate young people from school onwards so that they better understand European institutions. We have to try to get the message across as early as possible. The more we succeed in that, the better young people will understand such institutions. Exchange projects and opportunities for young people to visit European institutions provide the best guarantee that such institutions do not come across as alien but become familiar to the young people of our continent.
I want to add something to my answer to the question from the Armenian member. The Committee of Ministers organised a visit in March 2013 and the report that followed states that the Committee of Ministers calls on the Armenian authorities to continue the process of reform. The Committee and the Council of Europe support the Armenian authorities in the implementation of the action plan, as adopted in 2012. For the time being, the budget for the action plan amounts to €9 million. We hope that further progress will be secured quickly.
THE PRESIDENT – We must now conclude the questions to Mr Kurz. Three more colleagues are on the list, but if Mr Kurz agrees to it, they can put their questions to him in writing.
(The speaker continued in German.)
Thank you, Minister, not only for coming to see us this afternoon but for your unstinting commitment to the work of the Council of Europe. On the behalf of the Assembly, I wish you all the best in the rest of your work.
2. Progress report
THE PRESIDENT* – We now come to the consideration of the progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee (Document 13374 and addenda 1 and 2 and Document 13393). I remind the Assembly that each speaker is limited to three minutes. The discussion must be wound up at 5 p.m., so we will interrupt the speakers list at 4.50 p.m.
It is my pleasure to welcome you here this afternoon, Mr Mignon, in your capacity as rapporteur for the Standing Committee’s activity report. Once again, I express my gratitude to you for the work you have done as President of this Assembly. Traditionally, we always give the outgoing President the opportunity of presenting an activity report on the work of the Bureau and the Standing Committee. In line with that tradition, I have the honour of giving you the floor.
Mr MIGNON* (France) – This is a moving moment for me, speaking to the Assembly to present the activity report on the work of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee. I will not just talk about our work over the past few weeks; I will use this opportunity to take stock of what we have achieved during my presidency. First, I repeat what I said this morning: I am happy and pleased about your election, Ms Brasseur, in the first round of voting. No one can doubt the legitimacy of that election. The overwhelming result should enable you to start your presidency with full legitimacy.
It is true to say that this period of the presidency has been overshadowed by one word: “reform”. When I took over from my predecessor, I was responsible for taking forward the reforms that I presented to the Parliamentary Assembly two years ago. It was a whole process of reform: not just of the Assembly, but of the Council of Europe, too. I presented a report six years ago on the future of the Council of Europe, marking its 60th anniversary, and all members of the Parliamentary Assembly working together to contribute to the main outline of the reform process. Obviously, any reform is an ongoing process and a work in progress, and that means that changes have to be made. We have to take stock of what has been achieved so that the reform process can be pushed forward.
For me, the leitmotif of the past two years has been dialogue with the Parliamentary Assembly, as well as dialogue with the other bodies of the Council of Europe. Within the Parliamentary Assembly, my sincere objective has been to ensure that everyone in the Chamber can play an active role in our work and feel a sense of involvement and ownership of our work. That is why I set up the conference of committee chairs, which was systematically involved in accompanying the President in his work. During every Parliamentary Assembly, the body met on Sunday afternoon to ensure that committee chairs were actively involved in all our work. Another aspect of my work that I am very proud of is the conference of national delegation chairs. To ensure that members felt a sense of ownership for the work of the council, I wanted to ensure that national delegation heads were actively involved. I want to thank all Assembly members for the commitment they have shown and for their contributions to often very frank exchanges, though we never had enough time to discuss everything in enough depth.
On the other bodies of the Council of Europe, I start with the Committee of Ministers and the ambassadors. I pay tribute to the former chairman of the Committee of Ministers, the standing representative of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom permanent representative was unstinting in his efforts, and that was instrumental in ensuring that we were able to pave the way to a constructive dialogue between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Committee of Ministers, the two driving forces behind the Council of Europe.
I have also been in close contact with the Venice Commission. I have been in contact almost every day with Gianni Buquicchio. We made a habit of speaking to each other before either of us went on visits to individual countries, to ensure that we were singing from the same hymn sheet—all the other bodies of the Council of Europe, including the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, GRECO, the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, the Court and the European Commissioner for Human Rights. I was also delighted to be involved in a trip with the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, who was then a foreign affairs minister, and the Chairman of the Venice Commission. All three of us went to Tunis to try to help Tunisia. I am delighted to note that just a few days ago Tunisia was finally in a position to vote on its new constitution.
We also engaged in dialogue with a series of other regional organisations. I went to the United Nations – to Geneva and twice to New York. The relations I enjoyed with the United Nations and Ban Ki-moon, who paid us the great honour of opening the first world forum for democracy, underline our closeness. The President of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Ms Matvienko, invited me to go to Moscow to speak on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly and address the bureau of the CIS. I went to the Nordic Council during a trip to Oslo. The President of the Nordic Council came to Vienna to address the Standing Committee.
Unfortunately, I did not have time to do everything I would have liked to, but I am sure that our new President will continue where I left off, ensuring, for example, that the Parliamentary Assembly can forge closer links with the Black Sea Council, which I spoke to just a few months ago. One of the major priorities that I set out when I took office was to promote a genuine open dialogue with the European Union. I was convinced of the need to work with the European Union. I believed that the time had come for us to stop viewing each other as rivals, because we complement with each other. I commend the excellent relations that I and we enjoy with Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, and Štefan Füle, the Commissioner responsible for enlargement. I am delighted to see that the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights is proceeding apace.
I was able to enter into a fruitful dialogue with all member States. I thank all those countries that hosted visits from me as President of the Parliamentary Assembly. That enabled us to engage in fruitful dialogue on many specific issues. Moreover, I always worked in close co-operation with my colleagues and with Assembly members to ensure that we used the power of parliamentary diplomacy to move towards achieving our objectives. I am sure that we will continue to do that in upcoming years to secure more gains for the Council of Europe.
Looking back, what am I particularly proud of? First, I am very proud to have been able to work with you. I am also proud to have been involved in the setting up of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. I am convinced that it will continue to be relevant for many years. I also thank the authorities of the Czech Republic, without whom that prize would not have been possible. I have reached the end of my term as President of the Parliamentary Assembly. It falls to me to thank you, to thank the Secretariat, to thank everyone in the Council of Europe and, finally, last but not least, to thank the new President of the Parliamentary Assembly. Anne, you can count on me at any time to do anything I can help you in your new capacity. If you need any information on my work over the past two years, I would be delighted to help you. Many thanks to all of you for the wonderful two years.
THE PRESIDENT* – Thank you, Mr Mignon. I repeat what I said before, not just about this report, which is an important one, but your concluding report after your two-year term of office: thank you, from us all, from the bottom of our hearts, for all your hard work.
The rapporteur now has five minutes to answer questions. I give the floor to the speakers on behalf of the political groups. I call Ms Maury Pasquier, from Switzerland, who will speak on behalf of the Socialist Group.
Ms MAURY PASQUIER (Switzerland)* – Thank you, Madam President. I start by congratulating you on your election today and emphasising how happy we are to be able to use the expression “Madam President” when addressing you. I add my gratitude to that expressed to the outgoing President, our rapporteur this afternoon, Mr Jean-Claude Mignon. As has been said, he worked hard and was committed, using not only wisdom but charm and humour in his role leading our work in this Assembly.
I have two things to say about the report we are discussing. The first concerns something that, understandably, is not mentioned in it, given that it is not about a decision. On 1 October last year, the Assembly adopted a resolution on the right of children to physical integrity. We wanted to make this issue democratic and transparent, and we had a rich debate in which all sorts of stakeholders were involved. There were vehement reactions in some religious communities to what we said, and on behalf of the Council of Europe, Mr Jagland, who was with us a few minutes ago, publicly distanced himself from the report that was adopted. That meant that one part of the Council of Europe seemed to be against another, which of course led to a lot of discussion in Vienna. I do not want to reopen the discussion on the substance of the resolution – we will have an opportunity to do that later, and I invite everybody to come to that meeting. However, it is important for each and every one of us in this Organisation, whatever our function, to speak with the same voice. If we have a difference of views, which is always possible, we should at least discuss them together in-house, because at stake is the credibility of the Council of Europe and its effectiveness in defending its values.
Regarding point 5 of the report, on gender equality and the functioning of the Assembly, I welcome the publication of the statistics on how many posts are held by women and how many by men, but of course that is not enough to allow us to achieve our goals. We need awareness, and to be willing to apply our own rules at every level. I am sure you will say that this morning’s election is a step in the right direction, but we must be very careful to avoid a situation in which we are unable to see the wood for the trees. If we have 19 vice-chairs but only four of them are women, there is certainly still work to be done.
THE PRESIDENT* – Thank you. I call Mr Mendes Bota to speak on behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party.
Mr MENDES BOTA (Portugal)* – May I welcome your election, Madam President, and assure you that we have every confidence that you will acquit yourself nobly in this task? May we also take this opportunity to thank Mr Jean-Claude Mignon, first, because you are an EPP man, but also because, as President, you were President not just for your own group but for all members of the Assembly? You made it clear that you were completely independent, and we thank you for that. One thing you did not mention today that you perhaps should have is that, over the past two years, you always strongly defended equality and opposed violence perpetrated on women. You dealt with this subject on several continents, yet you made not a single reference to this important aspect of your activities.
I agree with my colleague Ms Maury Pasquier that it is not enough just to put statistics in the report. However, I am very pleased with this development, given that I chaired the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women and made sure, from the moment I took office and the reform was decided upon, that every Bureau report declared the number of men and women in every single position. I agree that we have a long way to go but we have made modest progress. Women used to account for 32% of the total Assembly membership; now the figure is 34%. They used to account for 25% of Assembly Vice-Presidents; now the figure is 29%. Female representation in the Bureau has also improved, from 22% to 30%. They accounted for 25% of committee chairpersons in 2012; now they account for 50%. So there has been some progress, although not enough.
We are also very pleased with the activities and priorities that you established. You brought in all members of the Assembly, all national delegations, all chairs of committees, not just to tell them what had been decided in the Presidential Committee. You got everybody participating through the Presidential Committee before decisions were taken in the debates.
We have also really appreciated your commitment to dialogue with the other side of the Mediterranean. You always defended the North-South Centre, and you always sought out the most reluctant member States to explain its importance to them. As our new President stressed this morning, as President you showed flexibility, charm and many other qualities, including great passion for the role.
THE PRESIDENT* – Thank you. I call Mr Pushkov, who will speak on behalf of the European Democrat Group.
Mr PUSHKOV (Russian Federation) – I thank Mr Mignon for his report and for his presidency of this Assembly. He has built his work on a key principle of the Assembly: dialogue with all its national delegations and political groups, which represent the whole of Europe – 47 States, both members and non-members of the European Union. We hope that the new President of the Parliamentary Assembly will follow and strengthen this tradition.
On behalf of the European Democrat Group, I congratulate the new President on her election. We hope that under her presidency the Parliamentary Assembly will gain even more authority and will successfully represent the hopes of all the nations represented here. During his presidency, Mr Mignon paid great attention to the key issue of monitoring. We greatly valued the meetings he had with the heads of the national delegations to examine the successes of and problems with the monitoring procedures. We also welcome the creation of a sub-committee on monitoring reform, which will work within the framework of the Monitoring Committee.
As we discussed today, the EDG thinks that the monitoring procedure has somewhat erred in the past years. We maintain that the nations represented here, 24 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, should not be divided into good nations and bad nations – nations that are always under monitoring procedures and always have to explain themselves and nations that are above any suspicion. We do not think that is the right approach. We want the new President of the Assembly to go forward with the reform of the monitoring system so that our Assembly becomes an institution that will be a factor in further unification of Europe, not negative trends that prevailed in the past.
The PRESIDENT – Thank you Mr Pushkov. I congratulate you on your nomination as the new leader of the EDG. I call Mr Jordi Xuclà, whom I congratulate as the new leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
Mr XUCLÀ (Spain)* – Thank you, Madam President. I extend to you my most sincere congratulations. I am sure that everybody will understand that ALDE wishes to celebrate the fact that for the second time we have a Liberal President of this Parliamentary Assembly. We are quite overwhelmed by that.
I must say, however, that our joy has been slightly overshadowed by a concern. I am sure you will remember, Madam President, that this morning we had a great deal of debate as to whether we should maintain the democratic agreements binding on political groups. This was an existing agreement and pact. Fortunately, wisdom won the day. Professor Ramon Trias Fargas, the former president of the Liberal International, said in his final speech to young Liberals that those who believe in democracy believe in a victory. He has been a great example of patience and clearly showed us that being patient we deserve victory.
I congratulate Mr Mignon on his work over the past two years. You, sir, have been a force for good in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and we wish you all the best for the future. We take note of what you said in your activity report on recent events in Georgia and Azerbaijan. We particularly welcome the comments in your written report regarding the rapid action taken by the Parliamentary Assembly in relation to recent events in Ukraine. In the next few days, we will have the opportunity during debates of topical urgency to make our feelings and position clear regarding events in Ukraine. Those events send out a clear message to us: the fight for democracy is an ongoing and daily one. Democracy is always under threat and endangered: it is a fight that we have never won for good.
It is important to stress the work done by the Parliamentary Assembly as regards its relations with the European Union. The agreement reached with the European Union represents a milestone in our efforts to bring it closer to accession to the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. The fact that the European Union intends to accede to the Convention is excellent news that holds great promise for the future of our Organisation in the light of what we said this morning.
The PRESIDENT – I call Tiny Kox, who will speak on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left.
Mr KOX (Netherlands) – Thank you, Madam President. Sometimes things go quickly. You woke up this morning as president of a respectable group in this Assembly but now, only a few hours later, you have developed into the President of us all. I am very glad that this has happened, and I wish you all the best in the coming years, because it will be hard work. Our former President, Jean-Claude Mignon, is now looking a bit relaxed, but we all saw how hard he has had to work in the past two years. I must therefore give him my compliments. He worked terribly hard, and I hope that his wife will now enjoy seeing a bit more of him than she could in the past two years. Jean-Claude proved that he could be President of the whole Assembly while also coming from a political group. That is much needed for this Assembly. We unite parliamentarians of 47 member States with all kinds of ideas and all kinds of histories. Uniting them on our core business is not an easy job, and the way Jean-Claude did it presents a good example to our new President.
One of the main issues that our former President had on his agenda was to improve relations with international organisations, especially the European Union. Together with us, the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General, he was successful in improving these relations. At this moment we could say that the European Union is not one of the official grand payeurs in the work of the Council of Europe. That is good. What is not so good is that the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights is taking too long. We have been talking about it for years and years. About 10 years ago, together with my Dutch colleague Ed van Thijn, I proposed a motion on the accession of the European Union to the Convention, yet it is now 2014 and it still has not happened. Perhaps the rapporteur, the former President, will elaborate on that.
In the next two years, we should invest in improving our relations with the European Parliament. It is already there and functioning but it needs to be improved a lot before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament will not compete with each other but work in synergy. It would be a good idea for the President to do that in the next two years.
The PRESIDENT* – That concludes the list of speakers on behalf of the groups. Would the rapporteur like to respond to questions now or later? He does not wish to reply at this stage, so we will continue with the list of speakers.
Ms BLONDIN (France)* – I congratulate you most sincerely on your election, Madam President. I also thank President Mignon for the initiatives that he undertook during his two years as President. By centring his activity on the fundamental things – democracy, the rule of law and human rights – he put new life into our Assembly, as Mr Mendes Bota rightly pointed out.
The report mentions the observation of the presidential elections in Azerbaijan on 9 October last year. It says: “Overall around election day we have observed a free, fair and transparent electoral process.” However, at the same time 142 political prisoners and nine journalists were sitting in prison, including a candidate in the presidential elections. The outgoing president, Mr Heydar Aliyev, was re-elected with almost 85% of the vote after two terms in office, even though there were 10 candidates on the slate. In April 2012, a report from the Monitoring Committee stated that representatives of the opposition had complained about the climate of constant restrictions. It particularly raised issues to do with financing political parties, serious problems of logistics, restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, cases of intimidation and harassment, and even persecution of opposition members and sympathisers. In January 2013 our Assembly adopted Resolution 1917, which offered several recommendations on the obligations and commitments of Azerbaijan. These included the need, because of growing concern, to implement the rule of law and respect for human rights. The resolution also called for full implementation of fundamental freedoms. The head of one NGO was arrested after criticising the way in which the recent elections had been held. Anar Mammadli, head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre, was held for three months in preventive detention and was tried in Baku on the pretext of tax evasion.
All this shows how important it is that we follow up our work in the Assembly, especially as Azerbaijan is soon going to take up the presidency of the Committee of Ministers. I therefore call upon you, dear colleagues, for vigilance. We must remember the conclusions of our co-rapporteurs from the Monitoring Committee, who visited Baku on 21 and 23 January last.
Ms de POURBAIX-LUNDIN (Sweden) – Madam President, I congratulated you before but I will do it again. I also thank Jean-Claude Mignon for the excellent job he did as President of our Assembly.
I will talk about something that was only mentioned and not really dealt with in this progress report, which is the presidential election in Azerbaijan. I was there both for the pre-election mission and, of course, on election day. Not only what took place on election day but what happened before matters very much. If you have journalists and political prisoners in prison, and a lack of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of media, of course it affects election day. All this is mentioned in the report that this Assembly produced in January 2013.
On election day you could add a voter to the voters’ list. To ensure that a voter could not vote twice, they were going to ink the right thumb. But the inking did not work. From what I saw, they did not ink the thumb, they inked the wrong thumb or they did not check if a voter had already been inked. Of course, that meant that the voter could vote twice. I even saw a child vote. They gave a ballot to a child. They admitted that was wrong. You think: how could that happen? But it happened. The counting was such a disaster. Everything went wrong during the counting that I saw. They had 100 votes and they did not know what to do with them. Of course, they gave them away to – I will not tell you who but you can imagine who got these 100 votes that they did not know what to do with.
After the election we were supposed to have a statement. We worked together – the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and ODIHR – but in the end the statement came from only us and the European Union. I am not behind that statement. I tried to send in amendments so the statement would better reflect what really happened in Azerbaijan, but none of my amendments was accepted. In the Bureau meeting on 21 November, and in the Standing Committee on 22 November, I said that I was not behind it. President Mignon asked to take it to a vote and we voted – it is very rare that we would vote about a report on an election. The chair of our mission was Bob Walter and of course he won by 10 to nine and four abstentions, so it was very close. It was the first time a report on an election was voted down. That says quite a lot – namely, that this report did not reflect what happened in Azerbaijan during the election.
Mr FRÉCON (France)* – Madam President, I will use the fact that now I have slightly longer than the 30 seconds I had for a question to congratulate you on the enormous task that you have assumed. I thank my compatriot Jean-Claude Mignon for everything he has done over his two years as President.
I would like to use this opportunity, as previous colleagues have, to raise the issue of the presidential elections in Georgia on 27 October last. The report on the observation mission showed the very tangible progress achieved by Georgia to build a sound democracy that is in tune with the standards of this Organisation. The report also stresses the transparent and effective administration of the election, the reconciliatory and constructive climate in which the election took place and the fact that fundamental freedoms – freedom of expression, freedom of movement and freedom of assembly – were all respected and that the candidates were able to campaign without restrictions. Welcoming the political maturity of the Georgian people, the report concluded that the presidential election was a significant success for the country and for the South Caucasus region as a whole.
Obviously, problems remain. No one is perfect. There is still room for improvement. However, the consolidation of democracy in Georgia is certainly a result of the Rose Revolution of 2003, which is to the credit of President Mikheil Saakashvili. Overall, his success is mixed, particularly economically speaking. I know that he was a disappointment to many of his compatriots. After all, this is a multi-ethnic country that has been independent only since 1991 and it lost 20% of its area after the war of 2008, which saw Abkhazia and South Ossetia passing under the military and financial control of their neighbour.
However, there are two successes that President Saakashvili notched up. First, he was able to complete his two terms of five years, which is a first in Georgia since it came into existence in 1991. He was also able to prevent his country from coming under the exclusive domination of any single family or clan, which is likely to happen in that part of the world, where strong-arm tactics and fixed elections, with stuffing of ballot boxes, are so common. Since then, the Georgian people have been the masters of their own destiny, and the fact that Mr Saakashvili was voted out is also a victory for him.
Another thing that Mr Saakashvili achieved was to bring his country closer to Brussels. It was decided that Georgia would sign an association agreement with Brussels at the Vilnius Summit at the end of November, and we have to hope that things will get even better.
Mr HERKEL (Estonia)* – I congratulate you, Madam President. It will be a difficult task to lead our Assembly: you stick to our values in all our member States.
I also thank Jean-Claude Mignon for his work. Probably most impressive for me was how he made very visible the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. It was very important. It will be a good tradition. As rapporteur on Belarus, I must also say that the first nomination, the outstanding human rights defender and political prisoner Ales Bialiatski, was a brilliant choice.
Of course, we also have had a lot of disappointments. One of them is what is happening now on the streets of Kiev in Ukraine, which we will discuss during this part-session. It all started in Mr Mignon’s presidency. He would express with some words his opinion about what was happening and what were the responsibilities of the authorities in Ukraine.
For me, the big disappointment was the outcome of the Vilnius Summit, which led to this situation. There was an Ukrainian monitoring committee and a good exchange of views with European Union Commissioner Füle about what was going on in different countries. Our monitoring work and the partnership with the European Union are complementary. We must maintain the monitoring tool as the basis of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to follow what is happening on the issues of rule of law and democracy in different countries.
I agree with Ms Blondin and Ms de Pourbaix-Lundin that one of the biggest disappointments was the election observation mission in Azerbaijan. The divorce between the OSCE and ODIHR is dangerous and we should learn the lesson. It is better not to send an election observation mission if it is so weak.
Mr SEYIDOV (Azerbaijan) – I congratulate you on your election, Madam President, and I wish you every success in the difficult job you have for the next two years. I should like to express my gratitude to Jean-Claude Mignon, who has done a great job for the past two years. He brought together the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations and for a long time Azerbaijan and Armenia discussed, with the participation of the former President, issues to do with the peaceful resolution of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
I am wondering why today some friends from the Parliamentary Assembly have started again to criticise Azerbaijan. They know that the elections have already been discussed and approved by the Parliamentary Assembly. The question had been accepted by the majority of the Parliamentary Assembly. We should respect our decisions if we are to go further. The Azerbaijani elections were very democratic and today we are a stable country with a growing economy that is a great friend of European countries and a reliable partner of the Council of Europe.
This is a democracy, and members of the Parliamentary Assembly can disagree. However, we should all respect decisions that have already been made. I ask those who criticise Azerbaijan today, please, to read newspapers today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow saying that women, children and elderly people have been killed in my country because of the conflict. Even in that situation, we are building democracy. Even with 1 million refugees we are doing our best for European values. People should stop seeing only problems with Azerbaijan; they should open their eyes and see what is going on in the rest of Europe.
Mr HUSEYNOV (Azerbaijan) – The interval between the autumn and winter part-sessions is short, but none the less we have witnessed significant events and important changes relating to the future. Presidential elections in my country were held and aspects of them should draw our attention. They were the sixth such elections since the restoration of Azerbaijani independence following 70 years of Soviet rule. I guess that its greatest achievement and outcome is that the nation has formed a firm belief in elections and their role as a major element of self-determination. Ms de Pourbaix-Lundin, I should say that in the absence of such a feeling, no power could have forced nearly 4 million people to go to the polling stations so eagerly. Those 4 million have directly witnessed progress and development as well as a rise in their living standards in the past 10 years.
However, both on the eve of and after the elections, there have also been efforts to interfere with and influence from the sidelines the will of the nation. My purpose now is to draw attention to the threats preventing certain independent Council of Europe member States from pursuing independent policy. Among us are States whose sovereignty is of a purely nominal character and their every step is taken according to the dictation of big powers. Due to the inability of some States to pursue independent policies, certain conflicts become frozen without solution. New conflicts emerge and uncertainties appear in inter-State relations.
Parliamentarians should be active in regularly raising their voices against the undesirable trends in their countries. Given the obstacles set up by external political interference in the development of member States, it would also be expedient for separate analytical reports to be prepared.
THE PRESIDENT* - We will soon have to interrupt the list of speakers. Mr Rouquet will be our last speaker.
Mr ROUQUET (France)* – I, too, congratulate you, Madam President. As your Vice-President, I will be very happy to work with you and offer you my full support. Dear Jean-Claude, I thank you for your presidency, which was a reflection of the two decades and more of commitment that you have shown towards this institution and its values.
This year, the Council of Europe celebrates 65 years of its existence. We welcome how the Assembly is playing a more and more important part in the work of the Organisation. We also welcome the successful implementation of reform in the Assembly, which is based on our capacity for dialogue, as our President has so rightly pointed out. The dialogue that you, Jean-Claude, succeeded in starting between the delegations of Armenia and Azerbaijan has allowed the two countries to establish a more peaceful relationship, which I welcome.
In spite of our cultural differences and the sometimes tragic history between us, we discuss all possible subjects in this Chamber. There is consensus on some of those, but others are very sensitive; we have only to look at the order of business in any session to see that. However, when I listen to you, Jean-Claude, one phrase comes to mind: parliamentary diplomacy. Ten years ago, Raymond Fourni, president of the French National Assembly, said that parliamentary diplomacy conveys the voice of the people in a world that is becoming more and more unified and that it was the natural vehicle to be at the service of peace, freedom and rights. That definition has proved to be apt for this Assembly. For instance, it works in the service of peace when trying to help resolve frozen conflicts and in debates on Syria. It works in the service of freedom in awarding the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize for the first time to Ales Bialiatski, the human rights defender from Belarus. It is serving human rights when, through its networks, it works to ensure that the rights of children and women are respected.
Finally, may I remind you of the work of the ad hoc Committee on partial legislative elections in Ukraine last December, which I had the honour to preside over? We saw the real efforts made by Ukraine to organise these elections as well as possible in a very tense situation and we cannot help but be saddened by the way things have unfolded since. I hope parliamentary diplomacy will be able to play its part in making the voice of the people of Ukraine heard, whatever they wish to say.
THE PRESIDENT* – I must now interrupt the list of speakers. The speeches of Members on the speakers list who have been present during the debate but have not been able to speak, may be given, in typescript only, to the Table Office, in Room 1083, for publication in the official report.
May I thank all those who spoke such kind words to me? May I assure you that it is only by working together for the development of our values in all our countries that we will succeed? I assure you we will do everything possible to work together. Thank you, colleagues.
Mr Mignon, do you wish to reply?
Mr MIGNON (France.)* – I should start by answering the question from my friend Liliane Maury Pasquier. Obviously I agree with what she said. On the debate she referred to, I would take the liberty of reminding you that we are a Parliamentary Assembly, not an advisory or consultative assembly. That means we as members of the Assembly have to be in a position to co-ordinate action. You also talked about gender equality within our Assembly. Every head of national delegation should do his or her utmost to respect our wishes. I myself was head of a national delegation and I commend the efforts made by my successor for France, René Rouquet. It is up to us to make it clear to national Parliaments that we must have a sufficient number of representatives from both sexes in our delegations. I would also like to say to my friend, José Mendes Bota and everyone who has spoken, who all made relevant comments, that I was not sure whether I deserved your words of praise, as all I was doing was my duty.
Next year we will celebrate the third anniversary of the Istanbul Convention. During my trip to Ankara, I suggested to the Minister responsible for monitoring the Istanbul Convention that the ceremony commemorating that third anniversary should be held in Istanbul. I also asked our deputy Secretary General to ensure the Organisation is involved in that.
The North-South Centre is very important to me. I am profoundly convinced that it would be an enormous error on our part not to give the North-South Centre a full role, provided that it respects the instructions given to it by the Committee of Ministers so as to ensure that its work becomes more rational. We now need more than ever an ongoing dialogue between the north and the south. The North-South Centre represents an essential instrument in our work, and I was delighted to go along to Lisbon to participate in the work of the Lisbon forum of the North-South Centre.
Turning to my good friend Mr Pushkov, I am convinced not that we should reduce PACE’s monitoring activities – of course not – but that we should take stock of what we have achieved. Since there is so much talk about reform here, we have to try to identify what things have worked and what has worked less well in the monitoring procedures set up in 1997. You, Madam President, will of course now be chairing our debates, and I am sure you will quickly see there is something of a split between those who are in favour of monitoring and post-monitoring, and those who are against.
We should also take note of what is happening elsewhere in other organisations. I have already referred at some length to what has been happening in the United Nations. We, too, must have the courage to move towards a reform in tandem of course with the Committee of Ministers, which has also been following this debate.
Jordi Xuclà, my dear friend, congratulations on your election as head of your group, replacing Anne Brasseur. I wish you all the best. You as well as other speakers referred to Ukraine. This is obviously a highly sensitive topic at the present time. I went to Ukraine on three occasions: to Kiev twice and once to Odessa. I am absolutely convinced that our parliamentary diplomacy can be of great support to Ukraine. However, I appeal to you not to try to keep giving people lessons. Ukraine has problems and the Ukrainians understand the nature of their problems. I would like to refer back to a meeting with Pat Cox, something of an expert on Ukraine. We should avoid any clumsy action such as has often been taken in the past. We should avoid fanning the flames of the problems in Ukraine. We should remain objective and try to talk to everybody. We should also bear in mind that there is a President of the republic, with a majority, and there is also an opposition. We should respect that, while at the same time calling on Ukraine, without flinching, to respect its commitments to the Council of Europe.
What was said was true: you wake up in the morning, you are president of a group, and later in the day you are President of the Parliamentary Assembly. All sorts of things happen when we wake up. I woke up this morning as President of the Assembly, whereas I will be going back to bed tonight as a normal member. It is strange. All day people have been taking photographs of me. I feel like a bit of an ancient Roman ruin – some kind of monument people are taking snapshots of – but I am not a ruin just yet; I am brimming with energy and I am still determined to do everything I can for this organisation.
On relations with the European Union, obviously I would have loved the whole procedure of the accession of the European Union to the Convention of Human Rights to have been speeded up. However, I commend the excellent relations I have had with Martin Shulz as well as with the president of the Court of Human Rights, who has done a wonderful job, and the president of the European Court of Justice, and the work of Maryvonne and Marietta on Azerbaijan.
Here once again I would like to strike a note of caution. Madam President, neither you nor I has the responsibility of circumventing the work of observation missions. These missions are given a mandate by the Bureau, and their job is to see what is happening in their countries in the field. If the Bureau is asked to take note of what has happened following an observation mission, it has no choice but to do so. However, I think we should relativise things. All of us are aware that there are some shortcomings – some glitches in the functioning of these missions – and I think the time has come to address them.
On Azerbaijan and Armenia, I say to My Seyidov and Huseynov, and René Rouquet, who also talked about this, that the two delegations in the Council of Europe had not met for some 17 years, yet I can confirm that their first meeting for 17 years was a remarkable success. I appeal to the two countries now to carry on talking. Do not just suspend things where they were when you left the meeting room. It is up to you now to try to build on this thaw in relations. You have to talk to each other. Why did I do this? I am French, and we were marking the 50th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty and reconciliation between two ancestral enemies. Make the most of this opportunity; grab it with both hands. Your country, sirs, will soon be presiding over the Committee of the Ministers. Make the most of this opportunity. Do whatever you can to ensure the Madrid principles can be put into practice. As you know, you will always be able to count on our support provided you and our Armenian friends work together to move forward.
Andres Herkel, you talked about the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. I am delighted and proud to have been able to reinitiate dialogue with the Belarusian authorities. Perhaps I was not authorised to do that, but I felt that it was the right thing to do. I am also glad that I insisted that you, as rapporteur, were able to go to Minsk to do your job.
I would also like to welcome the efforts of Thierry Mariani, who represented me in the seminar that we organised together with the Belarusian authorities dealing with questions about religion, the death penalty, and an enhanced role for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
I agree that the issue is important. However, in the presence of the ambassadors and permanent representatives of the countries, I would like to make it clear that we are not competitors. We must work together and be complementary – we need the Committee of Ministers. For me, it was a wonderful opportunity every time I went along to the committee to debrief them and to answer their questions. We must continue to do everything we can to enhance co-operation and co-ordination with the Committee.
René, you quoted Raymond Forni, for which I would like to thank you. He was president of the National Assembly of France, but before that he was a normal member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He left many of us with excellent memories. Even after standing down from this Assembly, he continued to follow our work closely.
It is difficult to turn around to look at everyone; you always have your back to someone when you try to speak to someone else. I would like to wind up by expressing my sincere thanks to our interpreters. We do not see them much, but fortunately we can hear them. I think we would find it difficult to get by without hearing their voices. I would therefore like to thank our interpreters for their good and hard work, and for the enormous patience they have shown during many of our lengthy debates.
Many thanks to everyone, and good luck.
THE PRESIDENT* – Thank you. That brings the debate to an end. I would like to say to you, Jean-Claude Mignon, that we are all very much aware that you are alive and kicking. No one thinks that you are some kind of dusty relic or monument. I am sure that we can continue to make the most of your dynamism, experience and in-depth knowledge of our work.
Before we move on, we must vote on the Bureau’s references.
The Bureau has proposed references to committees. Are there any objections to these references?
There are no objections, so they are approved.
I invite the Assembly to agree the remainder of the Progress Report, Document 13374.
The progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee is adopted.
3. Next public business
THE PRESIDENT* – The Assembly will hold its next public sitting tomorrow at 10 a.m. with the agenda as amended today.
I remind members that the first item in tomorrow’s sitting will be a debate on the report entitled, “Refusing impunity for the killers of Sergei Magnitsky”. This will be followed by a free debate at 12 noon.
The sitting is closed.
(The sitting closed at 5.15 p.m.)
CONTENTS
1. Communication from the Committee of Ministers
Speaker:
Mr Kurz
Questions: Ms Strik, Mr Beneyeto, Sir Roger Gale, Ms Lundgren, Mr Petrenco, Mr Diaz Tejera, Mr Frécon, Ms de Pourbaix-Lundin, Mr Huseynov, Mr Mendes Bota, Mr Ivanovski, Ms Pashayeva, Mr Zourabian, Mr Nicoloski, Mr de Vries,
2. Progress Report
Presentation by Mr Mignon of the progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee, Document 13374 and addendum
Speakers: Ms Maury-Pasquier, Mr Mendes Bota, Mr Pushkov, Mr Xuclà, Mr Kox, Ms Blondin, Ms de Pourbaix-Lundin, Mr Frécon, Mr Herkel, Mr Seyidov, Mr Huseynov, Mr Rouquet
Replies: Mr Mignon
Progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee, Document 13374 and addendum, adopted.
3. Next public business
Appendix
Representatives or Substitutes who signed the Attendance Register in accordance with Rule 11.2 of the Rules of Procedure. The names of Substitutes who replaced absent Representatives are printed in small letters. The names of those who were absent or apologised for absence are followed by an asterisk
Pedro AGRAMUNT
Alexey Ivanovich ALEKSANDROV/Anton Belyakov
Miloš ALIGRUDIĆ
Jean-Charles ALLAVENA*
Werner AMON
Luise AMTSBERG/Annette Groth
Lord Donald ANDERSON
Paride ANDREOLI
Khadija ARIB
Volodymyr ARIEV
Francisco ASSIS*
Danielle AUROI/Pascale Crozon
Daniel BACQUELAINE
Egemen BAĞIŞ*
Theodora BAKOYANNIS*
David BAKRADZE*
Taulant BALLA*
Gérard BAPT/Jean-Pierre Michel
Gerard BARCIA DUEDRA/Sílvia Eloïsa Bonet Perot
Doris BARNETT
José Manuel BARREIRO/Ángel Pintado
Deniz BAYKAL
Marieluise BECK
Ondřej BENEŠIK/Pavel Holík
José María BENEYTO
Levan BERDZENISHVILI*
Deborah BERGAMINI
Sali BERISHA*
Anna Maria BERNINI*
Teresa BERTUZZI
Robert BIEDROŃ
Gülsün BİLGEHAN
Brian BINLEY*
Ľuboš BLAHA*
Philippe BLANCHART
Delia BLANCO*
Jean-Marie BOCKEL
Eric BOCQUET/Maryvonne Blondin
Mladen BOJANIĆ*
Olga BORZOVA
Mladen BOSIĆ*
António BRAGA*
Anne BRASSEUR/Marc Spautz
Alessandro BRATTI*
Márton BRAUN*
Gerold BÜCHEL*
André BUGNON
Natalia BURYKINA*
Nunzia CATALFO
Mikael CEDERBRATT*
Elena CENTEMERO/Giuseppe Galati
Lorenzo CESA
Irakli CHIKOVANI
Vannino CHITI/Milena Santerini
Tudor-Alexandru CHIUARIU*
Christopher CHOPE
Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN
Desislav CHUKOLOV*
Lolita ČIGĀNE
Boriss CILEVIČS
Henryk CIOCH
James CLAPPISON
Deirdre CLUNE
Agustín CONDE*
Telmo CORREIA
Paolo CORSINI
Carlos COSTA NEVES*
Celeste COSTANTINO
Jonny CROSIO
Yves CRUCHTEN
Katalin CSÖBÖR*
Milena DAMYANOVA*
Joseph DEBONO GRECH*
Armand De DECKER
Reha DENEMEÇ
Roel DESEYN*
Manlio DI STEFANO
Arcadio DÍAZ TEJERA
Peter van DIJK
Şaban DİŞLİ
Aleksandra DJUROVIĆ
Jim DOBBIN
Ioannis DRAGASAKIS
Damian DRĂGHICI
Elvira DROBINSKI-WEIß*
Daphné DUMERY*
Alexander [The Earl of] DUNDEE*
Josette DURRIEU*
Mikuláš DZURINDA*
Lady Diana ECCLES*
Tülin ERKAL KARA
Franz Leonhard EßL*
Bernd FABRITIUS*
Joseph FENECH ADAMI
Cătălin Daniel FENECHIU
Vyacheslav FETISOV
Doris FIALA*
Daniela FILIPIOVÁ/ Pavel Lebeda
Ute FINCKH-KRÄMER*
Axel E. FISCHER
Gvozden Srećko FLEGO*
Bernard FOURNIER
Hans FRANKEN
Jean-Claude FRÉCON
Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO
Martin FRONC
Sir Roger GALE
Adele GAMBARO*
Karl GARÐARSSON
Tamás GAUDI NAGY*
Nadezda GERASIMOVA
Valeriu GHILETCHI
Francesco Maria GIRO*
Pavol GOGA*
Jarosław GÓRCZYŃSKI
Alina Ştefania GORGHIU
Svetlana GORYACHEVA*
Sandro GOZI
Fred de GRAAF*
Patrick De GROOTE*
Andreas GROSS
Arlette GROSSKOST
Dzhema GROZDANOVA*
Attila GRUBER*
Mehmet Kasim GÜLPINAR/Ahmet Berat Çonkar
Gergely GULYÁS*
Nazmi GÜR*
Antonio GUTIÉRREZ
Ana GUŢU
Maria GUZENINA-RICHARDSON*
Carina HÄGG
Sabir HAJIYEV/Sevinj Fataliyeva
Andrzej HALICKI
Hamid HAMID
Mike HANCOCK
Margus HANSON
Davit HARUTYUNYAN
Alfred HEER
Michael HENNRICH*
Martin HENRIKSEN*
Andres HERKEL
Françoise HETTO-GAASCH
Adam HOFMAN*
Jim HOOD*
Arpine HOVHANNISYAN
Anette HÜBINGER
Johannes HÜBNER*
Andrej HUNKO
Ali HUSEYNLI/Aydin Abbasov
Rafael HUSEYNOV
Vitaly IGNATENKO*
Vladimir ILIĆ*
Florin IORDACHE/Daniel Florea
Igor IVANOVSKI
Tadeusz IWIŃSKI
Denis JACQUAT/Bernadette Bourzai
Gediminas JAKAVONIS
Stella JANTUAN
Tedo JAPARIDZE*
Ramón JÁUREGUI*
Michael Aastrup JENSEN*
Mogens JENSEN*
Frank J. JENSSEN
Jadranka JOKSIMOVIĆ*
Ögmundur JÓNASSON*
Čedomir JOVANOVIĆ/Svetislava Bulajić
Antti KAIKKONEN/Sirkka-Liisa Anttila
Ferenc KALMÁR
Mariusz KAMIŃSKI*
Deniza KARADJOVA*
Marietta KARAMANLI
Ulrika KARLSSON*
Jan KAŹMIERCZAK
Serhii KIVALOV*
Bogdan KLICH*
Serhiy KLYUEV*
Haluk KOÇ
Igor KOLMAN
Kateřina KONEČNÁ
Unnur Brá KONRÁÐSDÓTTIR*
Attila KORODI*
Alev KORUN*
Tiny KOX
Borjana KRIŠTO*
Dmitry KRYVITSKY*
Athina KYRIAKIDOU
Jean-Yves LE DÉAUT*
Igor LEBEDEV/ Sergey Kalashnikov
Christophe LÉONARD/Christian Bataille
Valentina LESKAJ*
Terry LEYDEN
Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE
Lone LOKLINDT*
François LONCLE
George LOUKAIDES
Yuliya L'OVOCHKINA*
Trine Pertou MACH*
Saša MAGAZINOVIĆ*
Philippe MAHOUX*
Thierry MARIANI
Epameinondas MARIAS
Milica MARKOVIĆ*
Meritxell MATEU PI*
Pirkko MATTILA*
Frano MATUŠIĆ*
Liliane MAURY PASQUIER
Michael McNAMARA
Sir Alan MEALE
Ermira MEHMETI DEVAJA
Ivan MELNIKOV*
José MENDES BOTA
Jean-Claude MIGNON*
Djordje MILIĆEVIĆ/Stefana Miladinović
Philipp MIßFELDER*
Rubén MORENO PALANQUES
Igor MOROZOV*
João Bosco MOTA AMARAL
Arkadiusz MULARCZYK
Melita MULIĆ
Lev MYRYMSKYI*
Philippe NACHBAR/Jacques Legendre
Oľga NACHTMANNOVÁ
Marian NEACŞU Ana Birchall
Baroness Emma NICHOLSON*
Michele NICOLETTI*
Elena NIKOLAEVA/Olga Kazakova
Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI
Mirosława NYKIEL/Tomasz Lenz
Judith OEHRI
Carina OHLSSON
Joseph O'REILLY*
Lesia OROBETS/Andriy Shevchenko
Sandra OSBORNE*
José Ignacio PALACIOS
Liliana PALIHOVICI
Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS*
Ganira PASHAYEVA
Foteini PIPILI*
Stanislav POLČÁK
Ivan POPESCU
Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN
Cezar Florin PREDA
John PRESCOTT/David Crausby
Jakob PRESEČNIK
Gabino PUCHE/Carmen Quintanilla
Alexey PUSHKOV
Mailis REPS*
Eva RICHTROVÁ
Andrea RIGONI
François ROCHEBLOINE/André Schneider
Maria de Belém ROSEIRA*
René ROUQUET
Pavlo RYABIKIN*
Rovshan RZAYEV
Vincenzo SANTANGELO/Maria Edera Spadoni
Kimmo SASI
Deborah SCHEMBRI/Michael Falzon
Stefan SCHENNACH
Ingjerd SCHOU
Frank SCHWABE
Urs SCHWALLER/Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter
Ömer SELVİ
Senad ŠEPIĆ
Samad SEYIDOV
Jim SHERIDAN
Oleksandr SHEVCHENKO
Bernd SIEBERT*
Arturas SKARDŽIUS/Algis Kašėta
Leonid SLUTSKY
Serhiy SOBOLEV
Lorella STEFANELLI
Yanaki STOILOV
Christoph STRÄSSER
Karin STRENZ*
Ionuţ-Marian STROE
Valeriy SUDARENKOV*
Björn von SYDOW
Petro SYMONENKO*
Vilmos SZABÓ*
Chiora TAKTAKISHVILI
Vyacheslav TIMCHENKO
Romana TOMC*
Lord John E. TOMLINSON/Joe Benton
Konstantinos TRIANTAFYLLOS
Mihai TUDOSE/Florin Costin Pâslaru
Ahmet Kutalmiş TÜRKEŞ
Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ
Konstantinos TZAVARAS*
Ilyas UMAKHANOV*
Dana VÁHALOVÁ
Snorre Serigstad VALEN*
Petrit VASILI*
Volodymyr VECHERKO
Mark VERHEIJEN*
Birutė VĖSAITĖ
Anne-Mari VIROLAINEN
Vladimir VORONIN/Grigore Petrenco
Klaas de VRIES
Nataša VUČKOVIĆ
Zoran VUKČEVIĆ*
Draginja VUKSANOVIĆ*
Piotr WACH
Robert WALTER*
Dame Angela WATKINSON*
Karl-Georg WELLMANN*
Katrin WERNER
Morten WOLD
Gisela WURM*
Jordi XUCLÀ
Tobias ZECH*
Kristýna ZELIENKOVÁ
Barbara ŽGAJNER TAVŠ*
Emanuelis ZINGERIS*
Guennady ZIUGANOVVassiliy Likhachev
Naira ZOHRABYAN*
Levon ZOURABIAN
Vacant Seat, Croatia / Ivan Račan
Vacant Seat, Cyprus*
ALSO PRESENT
Representatives and Substitutes not authorised to vote
Kerstin LUNDGREN
Jaana PELKONEN
Tineke STRIK
Spyridon TALIADOUROS
Observers
_
Partners for Democracy
Najat AL-ASTAL
Mohammed AMEUR
Abdelkebir BERKIA
Bernard SABELLA
Mohamed YATIM