New methodological concepts of democracy to evaluate its implementation

Doc. 9358

4 February 2002

New methodological concepts of democracy to evaluate its implementation

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Andreas Gross and others

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

1. The norms laid down in the various conventions of the Council of Europe are the same for all states that have ratified them. The reality in the forty-three member states is however very different. In the discourse of the Parliamentary Assembly we are used to speaking about "old" and "new" democracies and sometimes we use the term "transition countries".

2. Political scientists have over the last years developed a more differentiated concept and identified a "grey area" between authoritarian and truly democratic regimes; they distinguish between "authoritarian democracies", "defect democracies" and "real democracies", or "liberal, semi-liberal and illiberal democracies".

3. To facilitate implementation of the norms of human rights, the rule of law and freedom and democracy, in all societies and to evaluate and support positive changes in these implementations, such elaborated concepts could be extremely helpful.

4. For this reason, the Parliamentary Assembly should apply the results of such scientific research and ensure that these results are used by its own committees in their concrete work and by the Committee of Ministers in the Activity Programme of the Council of Europe to implement its conventions effectively in very diverse and complicated realities in order to strengthen all democratic institutions.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed : ¹

Gross, Switzerland, SOC

Aliyev I., Azerbaijan, EDG

Bársony, Hungary, SOC

Cekuolis, Lithuania, LDR

Davis, United Kingdom, SOC

Feric-Vac, Croatia, SOC

Frey, Switzerland, LDR

Holovaty, Ukraine, LDR

Laakso, Finland, UEL

Lachat, Switzerland, EPP/CD

Loutfi, Bulgaria, LDR

Mota Amaral, Portugal, EPP/CD

Popov, Russia, EDG

Soendergaard, Denmark, UEL

Sudarenkov, Russia, SOC

Vahtre, Estonia, EPP/CD

Vis, United Kingdom, SOC

Wielowieyski, Poland, EPP/CD

Zapfl-Helbling, Switzerland, EPP/CD

¹ SOC: Socialist Group

EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

EDG: European Democratic Group

LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

NR: not registered in a group