A possible urgent debate on the flare-up of tension in the Middle East,  as well as reports on the handling of the H1N1 pandemic, on Islamophobia and on legal remedies for human rights violations in the North Caucasus are among highlights of the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg (21-25 June 2010).

There will be addresses by the President of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” Gjorgje Ivanov, the President of Croatia Ivo Josipović, and the Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Ðukanović. The head of the UN’s Alliance of Civilizations Jorge Sampaio will speak during the debate on Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia, and French actress Fanny Ardant, patron of the Council of Europe’s Dosta! campaign, will take part in a debate on the situation of Roma in Europe.

Antonio Milošoski, Foreign Minister of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, will present the traditional communication from the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe’s executive body, to the Assembly and answer questions from the parliamentarians.

Other highlights include a debate on the situation in Kosovo  and a series of debates on the state of democracy in Europe, as well as reports on combating sexist stereotypes in the media, on the functioning of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan, and on prohibiting the marketing and use of the Mosquito youth dispersal device.

Press conferences and other events (continually updated)

Draft agenda

The final agenda is decided by the Assembly on the opening day of the session.

Monday 21 June 2010 (opening at 11.30 am)

• Statement by the President
• Election of a Vice-President of the Assembly with respect to Hungary
• Address by Ivo Josipović, President of Croatia
• Communication from the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary Assembly presented by Antonio Milošoski, Minister for Foreign Affairs of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers
• Budgets and priorities of the Council of Europe for the 2011 financial year
• Progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and the Standing Committee

Tuesday 22 June

• Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to Germany and Malta
• Legal remedies for human rights violations in the North Caucasus Region
• Address by Milo Đukanović, Prime Minister of Montenegro
• The situation in Kosovo and the role of the Council of Europe
• The situation of Roma in Europe and relevant activities of the Council of Europe, and statement by Fanny Ardant, patron of the Council of Europe Dosta! Campaign
• Joint debate:
• Readmission agreements: a mechanism for returning irregular migrants
• Voluntary return programmes: an effective, humane and cost-effective mechanism for returning irregular migrants

Wednesday 23 June

• Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to Germany and Malta (possible second round)
• Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia in Europe, and statement by Jorge Sampaio, High Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the Alliance of Civilizations
• Joint debate on the state of democracy in Europe:
• Extra-institutional actors in the democratic system
• The political consequences of the economic crisis
• Democracy in Europe: crisis and perspectives, and statement by
  Alain Touraine, sociologist
• The state of democracy in Europe and the progress of the Assembly's monitoring procedure

Thursday 24 June

• Possible urgent or current affairs debate
• The need to avoid duplication of the work of the Council of Europe by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
• Address by Gjorgje Ivanov, President of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia''
• The handling of the H1N1 pandemic: more transparency needed, and statement by an invited personality (to be confirmed)
• The functioning of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan

Friday 25 June

• Prohibiting the marketing and use of the “Mosquito” youth dispersal device
• Combating sexist stereotypes in the media
• Decent pensions for women
• Forests: the future of our planet

Practical information

Press conferences:

PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will give a press conference on Monday 21 June at 10.45 a.m. in Room 1. Other press conferences will be announced on the spot.

Press conferences can be viewed live here. Recordings of some press conferences may also be available.

Further details: see the Assembly's website. Additional information may also be found on the Council of Europe web portal, here. Debates are webcast live here.

For TV planning units: videos in broadcast quality summing up PACE highlights can be downloaded for free here no later than two hours after the event.

Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. 33 3 88 41 31 93, pace.com@coe.int

Accreditation: Directorate of Communication, Danielle Schreiber-Somoza, danielle.schreiber-somoza@coe.int, tel. 33 3 88 41 25 44

Council of Europe Directorate of Communication

Tel: 33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax: 33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
pressunit@coe.int
www.coe.int

For more information see: www.coe.int  / www.coe.ge