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PACE Spring session focuses on relations between the Council of Europe
and the European Union
Strasbourg, 04.04.2006 – Relations between the Council of Europe and the
European Union will be a major theme of the Spring session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which takes
place in Strasbourg from 10 to 13 April 2006. The Assembly will be
addressed on Tuesday by:
* Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who will present his
report on this subject
* Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, representing the
chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers
* The Federal Chancellor of Austria Wolfgang Schüssel, President of
the Council of the European Union
* European Commission President José Manuel Barroso
Later in the week, on Thursday, parliamentarians will debate a
memorandum of understanding between the two European organisations as
well as the specific issue of the EU’s new Fundamental Rights Agency.
Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis and the Chairperson of
the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok will take
part in the debate.
A possible urgent debate on stopping trafficking in women before the
FIFA World Cup, as well as debates on the human rights of members of the
armed forces and combating the resurrection of nazi ideology, are among
other highlights. Representatives of the Palestinian Legislative Council
and the Israeli Knesset have been invited to a debate on the situation
in the Middle East.
Other invited guests include Vlado Buchkovski, Prime Minister of “the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, and Thomas Hammarberg, the new
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, who will address the
Assembly for the first time. Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister
Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu will present the communication from the Committee
of Ministers to the Assembly and will answer parliamentarians’
questions.
Debates are also due on the place of mother tongue in school education,
refugees and displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the
social reintegration of prisoners and poverty and the fight against
corruption in Council of Europe member states.
Below is the draft order of business, updated to incorporate proposed
changes. The Assembly will decide on its final order of business at the
opening of the session.
Monday 10 April (3 p.m.)
* Opening statement by René van der Linden, President of the Assembly
* Examination of new credentials
* Election of the Vice-President of the Assembly with respect to Georgia
* Progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and the Standing
Committee
* Statement by Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for
Human Rights
* The place of mother tongue in school education
< k=3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC10837.htm>
* Poverty and the fight against corruption in Council of Europe member
states
< ?link=3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC10834.htm >
Tuesday 11 April
* Election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect
to Liechtenstein
* Address by Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, on his
report on the relations between the Council of Europe and the European
Union
– Address by Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Prime Minister of Romania
– Address by Wolfgang Schüssel, Federal Chancellor of Austria
– Address by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
* Situation in the Middle East
* Social reintegration of prisoners
< k=3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC10838.htm>
* Human rights of members of the armed forces
< D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC10861.htm>
Wednesday 12 April
* Possible urgent debate: stop trafficking in women before the FIFA
World Cup
* Communication from the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary
Assembly
presented by Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Romania and Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers
* Address by Vlado Buchkovski, Prime Minister of “the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia”
* Combating the resurrection of nazi ideology
< =3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc05/EDOC10766.htm>
Thursday 13 April
* Joint debate on follow-up to the Third Summit: relations between the
Council of Europe and the European Union
– Memorandum of understanding between the Council of Europe and the
European Union
– The Council of Europe and the Fundamental Rights Agency of the
European Union
– Statement by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
– Statement by Elmar Brok, Chairperson of the European Parliament’s
Foreign Affairs Committee
* Refugees and displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
< 3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC10835.htm>
(3.30 p.m. Closure of the second part of the 2006 Ordinary Session)
Practical information
PACE President René van der Linden will give a press conference on
Monday 10 April at 11 a.m. in Room 1. Other press conferences will be
announced on the spot.
See the Assembly’s website, , for further
details. Additional information may also be found on the Council of
Europe web portal,
Contact:
PACE Communication Unit:
Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93; Fax +33 3 90 21 41 34; e-mail: pace.com@coe.int
For accreditation:
Directorate of Communication, Danielle Schreiber-Somoza, e-mail:
danielle.schreiber-somoza@coe.int
<mailto:dani ele.schreiber-somoza@coe.int>
Tel. +33 (0)3 88 41 25 44 – Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 37 40
Press Release
Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit
Ref: 196a06
Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93
Fax :+33 3 90 21 41 34
pace.com@coe.int
internet:
The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 315 members from the national
parliaments of the 46 member states.
President: René van der Linden (Netherlands, EPP/CD); Secretary
General of the Assembly: Mateo Sorinas.
Political Groups: 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).