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(AGENPARL) – ven 12 aprile 2024 Image
MEDIA RELEASE
Communications
Ref. DC 081(2024)
The Week Ahead: Key Events and Meetings
15-21 April 2024
PACE spring session
There will also be a joint debate on “Alexei Navalny’s death and the need to counter Vladimir Putin’s totalitarian regime and its war on democracy”, and on “The arbitrary detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza and the systematic persecution of anti-war protestors in Russia and Belarus”, together with a third report proposing targeted sanctions against the individuals involved in Kara-Murza’s detention, conviction and earlier poisoning.
The Assembly will also discuss support for the reconstruction of Ukraine, including a proposal to use frozen Russian state assets for this purpose, with the participation of the Chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.
An urgent debate on “The draft Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law” has been requested (the Assembly is due to give its statutory Opinion on this new Council of Europe draft treaty) as well as a current affairs debate on “The role of the Council of Europe in preventing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.
The Assembly will adopt its final agenda on the first day of the session.
*All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
And also …
16 April, Strasbourg – The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing nine judgments concerning Bulgaria, Iceland and Romania.
The delegation will meet with Speaker of the Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, President of the Supreme Administrative Court Kari Kuusiniemi, Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen, as well as the Finnish delegation to the Congress, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, and representatives of various institutions at all levels of government in Finland.
17 April, Skopje (Aleksandar Palace Hotel) – A thematic discussion on “Upholding Journalistic Integrity: Safeguarding Journalists and Media Actors in North Macedonia” will be held, with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
The event will bring together key media actors and stakeholders to discuss the protection of journalists and the increasing use of “Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation” (SLAPPs) in North Macedonia.
Opening remarks will be made by Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje Oleg Soldatov, Head of the Council of Europe Division on Co-operation and Capacity Building on Freedom of Expression Alina Tatarenko; Head of International Co-operation, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of North Macedonia Steffen Hudolin, and Executive Director of the national journalist association Dragan Sekulovski.
The event begins at 10.30 am and will be open to the media.
17-18 April, Podgorica (Hilton Hotel) – The Government of Montenegro in co-operation with the Council of Europe and UNICEF will host an international conference “Elevating Excellence: Uniting for Effective Child Protection with the Barnahus Model”. The event will serve as an interactive platform for government officials from European and Central Asian countries and stakeholders from various sectors to converge and delve on the successes of the Barnahus model, identifying implementation dynamics and options for adaptation of the model to various national legal frameworks.
Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro Dragoslav Šćekić; Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF Representative to the UN and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe Regina de Dominicis; Council of Europe Coordinator for the Rights of the Child, Head of the Children’s Rights Division Regina Jensdottir; Ambassador of the European Union to Montenegro Oana-Cristina Popa and Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia and to Montenegro Annika Ben David will deliver opening remarks.
The conference that will start at 9 am on 17 April will be open to media.
17-18 April, Lisbon (Ismaili Centre) – The Council of Europe and the European Union will launch a new project called “CyberSouth+” which aims to enhance co-operation on cybercrime and electronic evidence in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood. Organised with the support of the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre, the event will bring together representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine* and Tunisia.
Addressing the challenges of cybercrime and electronic evidence, while upholding human rights and the rule of law, has become a priority for many countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe (“Budapest Convention”), backed up by capacity building programmes such as CyberSouth+, provides the countries of this region with a framework to address these challenges.
The event will be open to the press from 9.30 am to 1 pm on Wednesday 17 April.
* This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of Council of Europe and European Union member states on this issue.
18 April, Strasbourg – The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 26 judgments and/or decisions concerning Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain and Ukraine.
The launching event will be opened by President of the Congress Chamber of Local Authorities Bernd Vöhringer and will bring together members of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South-East Europe, which is the implementing partner of the project, as well as local elected representatives from the South-East of Europe, representatives of civil society and international organisations.
^*All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of European Union to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret, Ambassador and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia Jan Braathu and Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade János Babity will open the conference.
Media can attend the opening session of the conference (9.30-10.30 am). Simultaneous English/Serbian interpretation will be provided.
Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Sandra Bergqvist, and Director of the Ministry’s Sports Division Tiina Kivisaari, as well as representatives from the sports movement including the Olympic and Paralympic Committees, non-organised sport, athletes, the media and others will participate in these meetings which will be complemented by visits to sports facilities such as the Olympic Stadium, a sports museum and a local school.
From 5 pm a moment of festive celebration of the 70th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention will be hosted by Matjaž Gruden, Director for Democracy at the Council of Europe.
All times are CET unless indicated otherwise.
Council of Europe, Media Assistance Unit
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Council of Europe/Conseil de l’Europe, Avenue de l’Europe, Strasbourg, . 67000 France