Parliamentary Assembly
Assemblée parlementaire

Doc. 10885
10 April 2006

The spread of avian influenza and the admission of Taiwan as an Associate Member in the World Health Organisation

Motion for a recommendation
presented by Mrs Vėsaitė and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1.        The avian influenza pandemic is of increasing importance to European countries. There are alarming figures in the neighbouring countries that need to be taken very seriously and without delay.

2.       Despite an advance warning that has lasted almost two years, the world is ill-prepared to defend itself during a pandemic. Urgent measures have to be taken in order to strengthen national preparedness, reduce opportunities for a pandemic virus to emerge, improve the early warning system, delay initial international spread and accelerate a vaccine development.

3.       All the countries of the world must be included in this process and have to co-ordinate their efforts and the World Health Organisations have to take the leading role.

4.       The Assembly thus recommends that the Committee of Ministers encourage Council of Europe member states to take all the steps needed to support the admission of Taiwan as an Associate Member of the World Health Organisation.

Signed 1:

VĖSAITĖ, Birutė, Lithuania, SOC
HERKEL, Andres, Estonia, EPP/CD
JAŘAB, Josef, Czech Republic, ALDE
MARKOWSKI, Tomasz, Poland, EPP/CD
McINTOSH, Andrew, United Kingdom, SOC
MIHKELSON, Marko, Estonia, EPP/CD
OHLSSON, Carina, Sweden, SOC
PAPADIMITRIOU, Elsa, Greece, EPP/CD
SEYIDOV, Samad, Azerbaijan, EDG
van WINSEN, Bart, Netherlands, EPP/CD
VAREIKIS, Egidijus, Lithuania, EPP/CD
ZINGERIS, Emanuelis, Lithuania, EDG

1     SOC: Socialist Group
       EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
       ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
       EDG: European Democratic Group
       UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
       NR: not registered in a group