Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
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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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[edit] Functions
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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.
[edit] Members
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.
- Marcello Dell'Utri (Italy), currently on trial for complicity in conspiracy with the Mafia (Italian: concorso in associazione mafiosa), a crime for which he was found guilty in first instance and sentenced to 9 years in 2004, pending appeal.[2][3]
[edit] Composition per country
| 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 |
Canada, Mexico and Israel have observer status, 18 members. The special guest status of Belarus was suspended on 13 January 1997.
[edit] Languages
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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 chose 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 seemingly idealistic and relatively expensive operation, it appears that the majority of the interventions in the assembly are done in English.[citation needed]
[edit] Presidents
The presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have been :
The Secretary General of the Assembly is Mateo Sorinas (Spain) since 1 February 2006.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ This number is fixed by article 26.
- ^ (Italian) Accusa e difesa del senatore "M"; Una vicenda lunga dieci anni, La Repubblica, December 11, 2004
- ^ Berlusconi's top ally jailed for Mafia link, The Observer, December 12, 2004
- ^ previously part of Serbia and Montenegro: member since 2003
- ^ Previously part of Czechoslovakia, member since 1991
[edit] Further reading
- (French) Le Conseil de l'Europe, Jean-Louis Burban, publisher PUF, collection « Que sais-je ? », n° 885.
[edit] External links
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