Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
I am a member of the PACE, the parliamentary forum for the member states of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe should not be confused with the European Council and the Council of the European Union, which are the bodies of the European Union. The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 by the Treaty of London, which was signed by ten states: Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Many states followed, especially after the democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe during the early 1990s, and the Council of Europe now has 47 member states. The aim of the Council of Europe is to bring its members together in order to safeguard their shared ideals, principles and interests. Membership is open to all European states which seek European integration, accept the principle of the rule of law and are able and willing to guarantee democracy, fundamental human rights and freedoms.
The Parliamentary Assembly is made up of members appointed by national parliaments including 18 from the UK's House of Commons and House of Lords.
These are my roles in the PACE:
- Vice President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
- Member of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee)
- Member of the Political Affairs Committee
- Member of the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee
- Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Children
- Member of the Sub-Committee on Health
- Member of the Sub-Committee on Refugees
- Alternate in the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population
- Alternate in the Sub-Committee on Migration
Here are some reports that I have authored:
- Safeguarding children and young people from obesity and type 2 diabetes
text adopted by the Assembly on 6 April 2011 - Preventing the first form of violence against children: abandonment at birth
text adopted by the Assembly on 27 June 2008 - Activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
text adopted by the Assembly on 26 June 2008 - A future for children infected with HIV/Aids and Aids orphans
text adopted by the Assembly on 25 January 2007 - Activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 25 November 2005 - The rights of children in institutions: follow-up to Recommendation 1601 (2003) of the Parliamentary Assembly
text adopted by the Assembly on 25 April 2005 - I am also the rapporteur of the opinion of the Political Affairs Committee on the report on "Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia in Europe."
The most recent PACE session was held in Strasbourg, June 20 - 24 2011. These are the speeches I gave:
- Speech on Political dissatisfaction in Europe and the remit of the European Court of Human Rights, 20 June .
- Speech on Reform of the Council of Europe, 22 June 2011.
