14.04.08 REVISED

OPENING STATEMENT

OF MR LLUÍS MARIA DE PUIG

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

APRIL 2008 PART-SESSION

(Strasbourg, Monday, 14 April 2008, 11h30 a.m.)

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

Here we are, gathered together in Strasbourg again. As always, we are driven by the same passion: to ensure our work is as useful as possible and help make the world a better place.

Conflicts continue to plague our world: we need only think of the Middle East, Darfur, Iraq or Tibet.

We should also be aware of fresh crises which may seriously affect us: increasingly, hunger riots are breaking out in third world countries, and this represents a threat to peace and stability.

Clearly we do not have the logistic, economic or military power to intervene in these crisis situations. But we do have another essential power, that of human rights.

For human rights are not, as it were, the “icing on the cake” once stability and economic prosperity have been achieved. They are the prior condition without which lasting peace, stability and prosperity are impossible.

The Council of Europe is the temple of human rights on our continent. But, at the same time, we are the custodians and bearers of a universal message which is dear to the heart of all those human beings who want to live in peace, tolerance and social justice.

Ours is a noble yet difficult task. It is impossible without a collective effort and without seamless co-operation. I therefore wish to thank you all for having put in the time and effort to come to Strasbourg this week, and I hope that we will have very lively debates with extensive participation and strong ideas and messages.

Dear colleagues,

If we attempt to review the major events in Europe since our January part-session, we will see that European unity has been sorely tested.

I am thinking in particular of the declaration of independence by the Assembly of Kosovo and the differences that emerged between Council of Europe members at the NATO summit in Bucharest.

It is no doubt impossible at this stage to give complete answers to the many questions that have arisen in connection with these two events, and especially the question of whether we are not in fact in the process of creating new divisions in Europe.

Our continent is extraordinarily complex in terms of its history, culture and geopolitics and we must respect the feelings of our peoples in this regard. After all, European unity does not mean European uniformity.

But the current differences of opinion are regrettable inasmuch as they reflect a certain inability on Europe’s part to manage problems in the early stages, with an awareness that we are all concerned.

Our Assembly is the only forum where we can debate all these issues together, on an equal footing. So let us try to turn the risks of division into challenges from which we can derive strength and benefits.

Let us put forward proposals that respect our national specificities but also hold out the promise of a shared future.

My thoughts also go to Turkey. This country’s European vocation and aspirations are essential to the stability and unity of our continent.

So let us hope that our Turkish friends will be able to deal with the current internal problem, namely the application to the Constitutional Court concerning the ruling party, on the basis of the highest standards that we share here at the Council of Europe.

Since our last part-session, a street, Ledra Street, has been reopened in Cyprus after being closed for many years; this reopening has given rise to great hopes that this unjustly divided island will at last be a place that all its inhabitants can share.

Dear colleagues, today we will have decisions to take on the proposed urgent and current affairs debates. I am certain that you will make a responsible choice.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Human rights are not only the subject of lofty political discussions and legal instruments. Their presence, or absence, can be seen above all in everyday life, and is therefore closely linked to the idea of quality of life.

Quality of life must no longer be measured solely by the yardstick of a fridge full of food or by the number of cars we own, but in terms of the extent to which we can exercise our rights and responsibilities in practice, in day-to-day life.

A phenomenon which affects all of us and which is undoubtedly the greatest challenge of our age is global warming. The right to a healthy environment is a fundamental human right because it is closely bound up with the right to life.

In fact, I have already had occasion to put forward this idea in the presence of the President of the European Commission, Mr Barroso, and the President of the European Parliament, Mr Pöttering, at the 4th plenary session of the Euro-Mediterranean Assembly in Athens on 28 March.

There are other serious problems facing us in which the concept of human rights is of paramount importance. I am thinking of the fight against terrorism, or of migration, fields in which Europe does not always come up to its own moral standards.

We are still frequently tempted to isolate ourselves, shut ourselves off and forbid entry. And, what is much worse, to close our eyes to the tragedies, or to tolerate in our own countries acts that are inconsistent with our values.

In this connection, I would like to mention two recent events which were co-organised by our Assembly and in which I had the honour of participating:

- the conference on anti-terrorist measures and human rights, which discussed secret detentions in Europe and the blacklists of presumed terrorists drawn up by the United Nations and the European Union, held in Athens at the end of March, and

- the interparliamentary conference on the globalisation of migratory processes, organised jointly with the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States, held in St Petersburg at the beginning of April.

Another major conference lies ahead:

- the closing conference of the parliamentary dimension of the Council of Europe campaign “Stop domestic violence against women”, which will be held in Vienna on 30 April 2008 at the invitation of the Austrian Parliament.

National parliaments have been very active since the launch of this Council of Europe campaign in Madrid in November 2006. Let us keep up the good work.

I also welcome the fact that, since our last part-session, a key Council of Europe convention, the Convention against trafficking in human beings, has come into force, on 1 February 2008. 17 countries have already ratified it: that is good, but it is not enough to combat this international scourge. It is for us who are present here to ensure that further ratifications follow shortly.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would also like to say a few words about tolerance and respect. When a person disagrees with another, there is nothing easier, but also nothing more primitive and more disgraceful, than to attack that person’s culture and values. A film made by a Dutch MP, posted recently on the internet, did precisely that – insulting instead of arguing, disinforming instead of informing.

Admittedly, the attempt by another Dutch film-maker to highlight certain practices that are inconsistent with our values cost him his life. But if we replace dignity and the search for truth with hatred, our attitude is no better that those we condemn.

I hope that we will learn a great deal from the presence among us of a great writer, Amin Maalouf, who embodies two cultures, that of Europe and that of the Middle East.

Dear colleagues,

In January I thanked you for the confidence you showed me in electing me to the presidency of this Assembly. In the meantime, parliamentary elections have been held in my own country, Spain. Turning now to a review of my own activities since January 2008, I would like to tell you that my re-election to the Spanish Senate allows me to continue with my duties here in Assembly.

I have already referred briefly to certain events in which I participated in my capacity as President of the Assembly. My priorities during this period were to establish contact with the Council of Europe’s host country, France, and with the European Parliament, with which we must work in perfect synergy. I am extremely pleased with these initial contacts and I shall do my best to ensure that co-operation continues as smoothly as possible.

I also took advantage of my visits to Greece and Russia to hold a number of meetings with the authorities of these two countries.

A major task that lies ahead for all of us is the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments, which will be held in Strasbourg on 22-23 May. I have written to all the presidents of parliaments asking them to play an active part, and the response we have received is very encouraging. I call on all of you to do your utmost to ensure the success of this event.

Dear colleagues,

Our dual mandate as national elected representatives and members of the Assembly gives us a great responsibility. I know how difficult it often is to strike a balance between our national commitments and the major European issues to which we are required to find answers here in this Assembly. But what we are building here is the future of all European elected representatives, because Europe is all of us, and all together we are building Europe.

Thank you for your attention.