Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an intergovernmental treaty. The Assembly is one of the two statutory organs of the Council of Europe, which is composed of the Committee of Ministers (the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, meeting usually at the level of their deputies) and the Assembly representing the political forces (majority and opposition) in its member states.
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Functions[edit]
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The hemicycle of the PACE at the Palace of Europe
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Unlike the European Parliament (an institution of the European Union), which was created after the model of the PACE and also meets in Strasbourg for its plenary sessions (prior to 1999, in the PACE hemicycle), its powers extend only to the ability to investigate, recommend and advise. Even so, its recommendations on issues such as human rights have significant weight in the European political context. The European Parliament and other European Union institutions often refer to the work of PACE, especially in the field of human rights, legal co-operation and cultural co-operation.
Important statutory functions of the PACE are the election of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the judges of the European Court of Human Rights and the members of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
In general it meets 4 times per year at Strasbourg at the Palace of Europe for a week. The 10 permanent commissions of the Assembly meet all year long to prepare reports and projects for resolutions in their respective fields of expertise.
The Assembly sets its own agenda. It discusses European and international events and examines current subjects which interest the populations of the countries of Europe. The main themes covered are human rights, democracy, protection of minorities and the rule of law.
Members[edit]
It has a total of 642 members – 321 principal members and 321 substitutes [1] – who are representatives of each member state. There are also 18 delegates from the Canadian, Israeli and Mexican observers. The size of each country determines its number of representatives and number of votes. This is in contrast in the committee of ministers, where each country has one vote.
Each State member selects its method of designating its representatives to the parliamentary assembly; however, they must be chosen from among the members of the respective Parliaments. Moreover, the political composition of each national delegation must reflect the representation of the different parties within the respective parliaments.
Some notable members of PACE include:
- Dick Marty (Switzerland), appointed in late 2005 as rapporteur to investigate the CIA extraordinary renditions scandal and Organ theft in Kosovo by the Kosovo Liberation Army from the Kosovo war, in 1998–2001[2]
- Marcello Dell'Utri (Italy), convicted for complicity in conspiracy with the Mafia (Italian: concorso in associazione mafiosa), a crime for which he was found guilty on appeal and sentenced to 7 years in 2010.[3]
Composition by country[edit]
| Country | Seats | Accession date |
|---|---|---|
 Albania |
4 | 1995 |
 Andorra |
2 | 1994 |
 Armenia |
4 | 2001 |
 Austria |
6 | 1956 |
 Azerbaijan |
6 | 2001 |
 Belgium |
7 | 1949 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
5 | 2002 |
 Bulgaria |
6 | 1992 |
 Croatia |
5 | 1996 |
 Cyprus |
3 | 1961 |
 Czech Republic |
7 | 1991 |
 Denmark |
5 | 1949 |
 Estonia |
3 | 1993 |
 Finland |
5 | 1989 |
 France |
18 | 1949 |
 Georgia |
5 | 1999 |
 Germany |
18 | 1951 |
 Greece |
7 | 1949 |
 Hungary |
7 | 1990 |
 Iceland |
3 | 1959 |
 Ireland |
4 | 1949 |
 Italy |
18 | 1949 |
 Latvia |
3 | 1995 |
 Liechtenstein |
2 | 1978 |
 Lithuania |
4 | 1993 |
 Luxembourg |
3 | 1949 |
 Macedonia |
3 | 1995 |
 Malta |
3 | 1965 |
 Moldova |
5 | 1995 |
 Monaco |
2 | 2004 |
 Montenegro |
3 | 2007[4] |
 Netherlands |
7 | 1949 |
 Norway |
5 | 1949 |
 Poland |
12 | 1991 |
 Portugal |
7 | 1976 |
 Romania |
10 | 1993 |
 Russia |
18 | 1996 |
 San Marino |
2 | 1988 |
 Serbia |
7 | 2003 |
 Slovakia |
5 | 1993[5] |
 Slovenia |
3 | 1993 |
 Spain |
12 | 1977 |
 Sweden |
6 | 1949 |
 Switzerland |
6 | 1963 |
 Turkey |
12 | 1949 |
 Ukraine |
12 | 1995 |
 United Kingdom |
18 | 1949 |
Countries with observer status[edit]
| Country | Seats | Date |
|---|---|---|
 Canada |
6 | 1996[6] |
 Israel |
3 | ? |
 Mexico |
? | 1999 |
 Northern Cyprus as "Turkish Cypriot Community" |
2 | 2004[7] |
Canada (1996), Holy See (1970), Israel, Japan (1996), Mexico (1999), Turkish Cypriot Community (2004) and United States (1995) have observer status.[8]
The special guest status of Belarus was suspended on 13 January 1997.
Composition by party groups[edit]
The assembly has five political groups.
| Group | Ideology | Chairman | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| European People's Party | Christian democracy, liberal conservatism | Luca Volontè | 218 |
| Socialist Group | Social democracy, democratic socialism | Andreas Gross | 206 |
| European Democrat Group | Conservatism | Robert Walter | 115 |
| Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe | Liberalism | Anne Brasseur | 103 |
| Group of the Unified European Left | Democratic socialism, communism | Tiny Kox | 31 |
Languages[edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (June 2009) |
The official languages of the council of Europe are English and French, but the assembly also uses German and Italian as working languages. At the plenary sessions (which last one week and take place four times per year), the available languages are English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Greek and Spanish, for which there are interpreters. Each member of Parliament has individual headphones and a controller for him to choose the desired language. Foreign guests who speak another language must either express themselves in one of the two official languages, or bring their own interpreter. In spite of this, the majority of the interventions in the assembly are done in English.[citation needed]
Presidents[edit]
The presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have been :
The Assembly elected Wojciech Sawicki (Poland)[9] as its Secretary General in 2010. His five-year term of office began in February 2011.
Controversy[edit]
Corruption[edit]
In 2013, the New York Times reported that „some council members, notably Central Asian states and Russia, have tried to influence the organization’s parliamentary assembly with lavish gifts and trip“.[10] According to the report, said member states also hire lobbyists to fend off criticism of their human rights records.[11] German news magazine Der Spiegel had earlier revealed details about the strategies of Azerbaijan’s government to influence the voting behavious of selected members of the Parliamentary Assembly. [12] As a consequence to the allegations, Thorbjorn Jagland has made the fight against corruption his big challenge.[13]
Cultural divisions[edit]
Although the Council of Europe is a human rights watchdog and a guardian against discrimination, it is widely regarded as becoming increasingly divided on moral issues because its membership includes mainly Muslim Turkey as well as East European countries, among them Russia, where social conservatism is strong.[14] In 2007, this became evident when the Parliamentary Assembly voted on a report compiled by Liberal Democrat Anne Brasseur on the rise of Christian creationism, bolstered by right-wing and populist parties in Eastern Europe.[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ This number is fixed by article 26.
- ^ https://wcd.coe.int/wcd/ViewDoc.jsp?Ref=PR968%282010%29&Language=lanEnglish&Ver=original&Site=DC&BackColorInternet=F5CA75&BackColorIntranet=F5CA75&BackColorLogged=A9BACE
- ^ (Italian) [1]
- ^ previously part of Serbia and Montenegro: member since 2003
- ^ Previously part of Czechoslovakia, member since 1991
- ^ [2]
- ^ Resolution 1376 (2004) Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/PA-SG/Sawicki/defaut.asp
- ^ Judy Dempsey (February 4, 2013), Corruption Undermining Democracy in Europe New York Times.
- ^ Judy Dempsey (April 27, 2012), Where a Glitzy Pop Contest Takes Priority Over Rights International Herald Tribune.
- ^ Ralf Neukirch (January 4, 2012), A Dictator's Dream: Azerbaijan Seeks to Burnish Image Ahead of Eurovision Der Spiegel.
- ^ Judy Dempsey (February 4, 2013), Corruption Undermining Democracy in Europe New York Times.
- ^ Stephen Castle (October 4, 2007), European lawmakers condemn efforts to teach creationism International Herald Tribune.
- ^ Stephen Castle (October 4, 2007), European lawmakers condemn efforts to teach creationism International Herald Tribune.
Further reading[edit]
- (French) Le Conseil de l'Europe, Jean-Louis Burban, publisher PUF, collection « Que sais-je ? », n° 885.
External links[edit]
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