Council of Europe

Governments in the Western Balkans should step up their efforts to improve human rights protection to further their European integration, Human Rights Watch said.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ankara deputy Gülsün Bilgehan, has been elected as Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, becoming the first Turkish politician ever to be selected to the top post for a second time.

The European Union should sign up for the European Convention on Human Rights, but recent negative advice from the Court of Justice of the European Union is worrying, according to Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland.

The separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is an indispensable principle in any democracy, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has said during a visit to Turkey, adding that the country?s Constitutional Court must remain free.

Depsite the improvements and amendments made in the code, Turkey ranked as ‘globally unsatisfactory’ on the issue of the transparency of party funding and failed to meet many recommendations in fight against corruption, according to a report issued by the Council of Europe’s body Turkey is “globally unsatisfactory” on the issue of the transparency of party funding, according to a rep

BELGRADE - The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe appointed on Thursday Natasa Vuckovic as the rapporteur on the transparency and openness of European institutions, the Serbian parliament has stated.

The European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission, has advised Macedonia not to adopt seven constitutional changes while the country's opposition MPs are absent from parliament.

...

BELGRADE - Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency Tatjana Babic said Thursday that it is very important that the European Commission's latest progress report on Serbia underlines the need to provide the Agency with adequate tools, capacities and resources, and to follow up its recommendations.

BELGRADE - The delegation of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) which is staying in Brussels called on the European Commission (EC) to provide support to Belgrade on its EU path through accession talks and assistance instruments.

The FIC delegation headed by FIC President Frederic Coin conferred in Brussels with EC representatives, FIC released on Friday.

BELGRADE - The 4th Belgrade Security Forum, titled Europe 2014: Closure and/or New Beginning, to be attended by many politicians and foreign policy and security experts, began on Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Belgrade.