OPENING SPEECH OF THE PRESIDENT JANUARY 2006 SESSION REVISED

23.01.06

MR VAN DER LINDEN,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

JANUARY 2006 PART-SESSION

OPENING SPEECH

(Strasbourg, Monday, 23 January 2006, 15:00)

Welcome back to Strasbourg, with my very best wishes to you and your families for 2006. I hope that you meet with every success in your political lives and continue to discharge the trust placed in you by your electorates.

I must also thank all of you for the confidence you have shown by re-electing me. I can assure that I will continue promoting the interests of the Council of Europe, whilst always serving the needs of our citizens.

Before I begin my speech, I would like to pay tribute to President Ibrahim Rugova of Kosovo, who died this weekend. Mr Rugova’s energy, political experience and commitment to European values would have proved invaluable during the coming year, which will be crucial to the future of Kosovo. This Assembly will continue to support all those who share his commitment to non-violence as the only basis for negotiations on the future status of Kosovo.

Yet again, we have a very busy and challenging – but above all, interesting – week ahead of us. Indeed, we are faced with an exceptional opportunity to show the true value of the Parliamentary Assembly.

We represent a bridge between national politics and the process of European integration, whose strength lies in a shared commitment to our common values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

There is intense, world-wide interest in our debate on alleged secret detention centres. We are, without doubt, the right body to be conducting this investigation.

Only this Assembly has a legal basis expressly devoted to promoting respect for human rights and the rule of law, the principles that underlie our enquiry. Only this Assembly brings together political representatives from all across Europe. Only this Assembly is composed of national parliamentarians and thus can support and coordinate national enquiries.

We were the first political body to respond. Our actions have driven the issue up the political agenda across the world and have helped raise public awareness. We have enjoyed the support of the international media and non-governmental organisations, which goes to show the value of our contribution.

Our work has led to the initiation of questions and enquiries in national parliaments. I encourage you all to take further action at home to discover the truth of this affair.

We cannot accept the use of these methods in the fight against terrorism. This fight is intended to protect our values, not to undermine them. Fighting terrorism is of the highest priority. It is a common fight, in our common interest. But all of our partners must respect the international rule of law.

I applaud, therefore, Chancellor Merkel’s principled stand in criticising the unlawful detention practices at Guantánamo.

The aim of our report should be to create safeguards against such practices occurring in future. Democratic scrutiny must be strengthened, to ensure that governments do not break the rules, for example through guidelines on enhancing parliamentary mechanisms and procedures.

I welcome the fact that the European Parliament will also be responding to the allegations. In particular, I appreciate their political support. This underlines the importance and urgency of our investigation.

Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

In 2005, the Council of Europe gave new impetus to the process of reflection and discussion on our relations with the European Union. The Warsaw Summit marked an important first step in the process.

I am proud to say that this was largely thanks to the efforts of the Parliamentary Assembly.

By re-emphasising the Council’s core activities of promotion and protection of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, the Summit was a valuable and timely reminder to everyone of the added value our organisation brings, through its experience and expertise in these crucial areas.

Since then, the Assembly has been very active on issues such as the proposed EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. The Commission’s draft is unacceptable. If there must be an agency, its role should be to gather and analyse information, in cooperation with the Council of Europe. It should not deal with third countries or duplicate the Council of Europe’s core role in maintaining relations with civil society.

Otherwise, the Agency will create a risk of double standards and new dividing lines. This would undermine the overall human rights protection system and waste public money.

We must remain vigilant to ensure that our message comes across clearly and effectively.

I strongly urge colleagues from EU Member States to encourage their own national parliaments to take firm positions.

Our concerns regarding the Agency are relevant also to the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy. This must not develop in such a way as to undermine the work of the Council of Europe on promoting respect for our organisation’s fundamental principles throughout the continent. In particular, the status of our own Monitoring Committee’s reports must be maintained.

Last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Neighbourhood Policy. I welcome their call that – and I quote – “the Council of Europe should be strengthened and developed to become the most important pan-European forum of cooperation, particularly as regards respect for, and the implementation of, democracy and human rights conventions, and that its efficiently functioning democratic organisation can also be given new tasks.”

Against this background, we are looking forward to publication this spring of Prime Minister Juncker’s report on relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union. In the light of the Summit’s conclusions, the heads of state and government made a very wise decision to ask one of Europe’s most respected statesmen to report on this issue.

The Assembly will shortly be communicating its own views to Mr Juncker, who has accepted my invitation to address the Standing Committee when it meets in Paris on 17 March. In addition, we expect to be consulted by the Committee of Ministers when it begins working on the agreement with the European Union.

The Romanian chairmanship recently distributed a draft Memorandum of Understanding to members of the Committee of Ministers, although not to the Assembly. This document was prepared by the British EU presidency in collaboration with the Commission. I repeat the Assembly’s demand that work on the agreement not begin until Mr Juncker presents his report. In the meantime, nothing should be done to prejudice or undermine his work. Furthermore, both the Assembly and the European Parliament must be fully involved.

It is significant that the leaders of the two states that will shortly join the European Union – Romania and Bulgaria – will address our Assembly. In the case of Romania, not only the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as Chair of the Committee of Ministers, but also its President will be here. This emphasises the fact that EU enlargement is only possible through respect for Council of Europe standards.

The Assembly has high expectations of the Romanian Chairmanship. On account of its history, location and political situation, Romania is well-placed to promote conflict resolution and democratisation in the Balkans, south-eastern Europe and the Caucasus. We also expect Romania to proceed with implementation of the decisions made at the Warsaw Summit.

2006 will also be important on account of Russia’s chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. This marks the first time that Russia has ever presided over a European institution. It will be proof that Russia is a part of Europe, and not merely its neighbour: a demonstration that Russia’s future lies in cooperation, through a partnership based on equality, and that Europe needs a stable and positive relationship with its largest and most populous country.

Our debate on the Committee of Ministers’ response to Assembly recommendations concerning Chechnya shows that we will continue to take a strong and principled position. At the same time, we must remain constructive, supportive and cooperative.

The coming year will also be important for Belarus. Through its rejection of our common values, the political leadership of this unfortunate country has excluded Belarus from our House of Democracy. Recent developments only add to our concerns.

We must not allow his government to pursue its follies in isolation. In particular, we must maintain our support for those who promote democratic development in Belarus.

In 2005, I identified inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue as a central theme for the Assembly’s activities. Events such as the address by Mr Ihsanoglu and the opportunity this offered to enter into debate marked a good beginning to this work. Nevertheless, it is essential that we now advance with greater determination.

We can only achieve this if we engage in dialogue with European civil society. This week, I will be meeting the Council of Europe Conference of International Non-governmental Organisations.

Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

There are many issues within our mandate on which we can make a genuinely valuable contribution. Together with the political groups, committees and national delegations, I am working on streamlining Assembly activities.

I have asked all Assembly Committees to identify their priorities for 2006. To be effective, we must focus on the topics that are of real importance to our citizens, and we must be confident, imaginative and courageous. People should not need reminding of the relevance and value of an Assembly such as ours: let’s use our resources in the way that the public expects.

Before I finish, I must respond to an issue that has arisen in recent weeks and which directly challenges the values of this organisation.

This time last year, on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we solemnly commemorated the victims of the holocaust. The efforts by the president of Iran to bring the truth into question are utterly unacceptable. As the 61st anniversary approaches, I invite colleagues to reflect on this historical tragedy, which must never be forgotten. Indeed, we must strengthen our efforts to ensure that it can never happen again.

Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Finally, I would like to remind members that this will be the last session for Bruno Haller as Secretary General of the Assembly. As a mark of respect for his outstanding contribution to our work, the Bureau has exceptionally agreed that Mr Haller may address the Assembly during this afternoon’s debate on the Bureau’s progress report.