EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights:
Viviane Reding to address Ministers’ Deputies and meet Thorbjørn Jagland

7 July, Strasbourg - Viviane Reding, European Commission Vice-President, will address the Council of Europe Ministers’ Deputies in order to mark the start of the process of the European Union accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. The Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship will also meet the Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland. The accession is stipulated by Article 6 of the Lisbon Treaty and Article 59 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as amended by the Protocol 14.

Contact: Giuseppe Zaffuto, Tel:  33 (0) 3 90 51 56 04,
giuseppe.zaffuto@coe.int

15th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT)

8 and 9 July, Moscow - The Conference “Future Challenges: Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent in a Changing World” will also celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the CEMAT.

The Ministers of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe will discuss and develop new approaches to meet the challenges which European countries now face. The Conference will also prove instrumental in fostering a reinforced co-operation on territorial matters throughout Europe.

More information

Sarajevo Film festival

23-31 July, Sarajevo - The Council of Europe will present its award “Heart of Sarajevo" for the best film, at the international Sarajevo Film Festival. Launched 16 years ago as a symbol of defiance by the besieged city, the Sarajevo Film festival is now a firmly-established event and the region’s biggest film competition. For this year's festival, the Council of Europe is organising a series of events around the Festival, focusing on the importance of freedom of expression.

Special file, Festival website
Contact: Francisco Empis, Tel.: 33 3 90 21 43 92,
francisco.empis@coe.int

7th edition of the Council of Europe "Youth Peace Camp"

4-11 July, Rust, Germany – 54 young people from conflict and post-conflict regions, including Israel and the territories under the Palestinian Authority, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo Serb and Albanian communities, will attend a one-week training course at "Europa Park". The programme gives participants an opportunity to deal with inter-community conflict and hatred through face-to-face interaction and a series of practical exercises, building mutual trust, strengthening common understanding and dissipating prejudice and stereotypes.  

Contact: Giuseppe Zaffuto, Tel. 33 (0) 3 90 21 56 04, giuseppe.zaffuto@coe.int

And also…

4-12/07, Cape Verde - Second African University on Youth and Development, organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe. Thematic file

5-9/07, Moscow and Murmansk (Russian Federation) - PACE monitoring co-rapporteurs György Frunda and Andreas Gross will make a fact-finding visit as part of their ongoing assessment of the state of Russia’s honouring of its Council of Europe obligations and commitments. PACE website, contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. 33 (0)3 88 41 31 93, pace.com@coe.int

6/07, Strasbourg – European Court of Human Rights to deliver 17 chamber judgments concerning Hungary, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Turkey. The Court will also deliver its Grand Chamber judgment in the case Neulinger and Shuruk v. Switzerland. ECHR website, tel. 33 (0)3 90 21 42 08

8/07, Strasbourg - European Court of Human Rights to deliver 9 chamber judgments concerning Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg and Russia. ECHR website, tel. 33 (0)3 90 21 42 08

12-16/07,  Tbilisi (Georgia) - PACE monitoring co-rapporteurs Kastriot Islami and Michael Aastrup Jensen will make a fact-finding visit as part of their ongoing assessment of the state of Georgia’s honouring of its Council of Europe obligations and commitments. PACE website, contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. 33 (0)3 88 41 31 93, pace.com@coe.int

13-14/07, Batumi (Georgia) – Conference on "Judicial Activism”, organised by the Venice Commission, in co-operation with the Constitutional Court of Georgia.

14/07, Brussels - José Mendes Bota, Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, will address the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament for an exchange of views highlighting possible co-operation in combating trafficking in human beings and violence against women, and promoting balanced participation of women and men in decision-making. PACE website, contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. 33 (0)3 88 41 31 93, pace.com@coe.int

19-21/07, Geneva - PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will address the 3rd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). PACE website, contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. 33 (0)3 88 41 31 93, pace.com@coe.int

27-29/07, Beirut - José Mendes Bota, Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, will contribute to the Regional Workshop for Arab Parliaments on "Implementing CEDAW and ending violence against women", to be organised by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Lebanese Parliament and the United Nations Development Programme. PACE website, contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. 33 (0)3 88 41 31 93, pace.com@coe.int

For further information on all of these events and more, visit www.coe.int or contact the Council of Europe Press Division (pressunit@coe.int, tel. 33 3 88 41 25 60).