DOCSLIB.ORG

Report on Exclusion of Offenders

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Report on Exclusion of Offenders Strasbourg, 23 November 2018 CDL-AD(2015)036cor Opinion No. 807 / 2015 Engl. only EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) REPORT ON EXCLUSION OF OFFENDERS FROM PARLIAMENT Adopted by the Council of Democratic Elections at its 52nd meeting (Venice, 22 October 2015) and by the Venice Commission at its 104th Plenary Session (Venice, 23-24 October 2015) on the basis of comments by Mr Sergio BARTOLE (Substitute Member, Italy) Mr Oliver KASK (Member, Estonia) Mr Jorgen Steen SØRENSEN (Member, Denmark) Ms Anna GAMPER (Expert of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Austria) This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. www.venice.coe.int CDL-AD(2015)036cor - 2 - CONTENTS I. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3 II. International standards................................................................................................... 4 A. Ineligibility to be elected ............................................................................................. 4 B. Loss of mandate ......................................................................................................... 6 III. Overview of national legislation .................................................................................. 6 A. Exclusion from standing for Parliament ...................................................................... 6 1. Regulatory level ...................................................................................................... 6 2. According to the nature of the offence..................................................................... 7 3. According to the nature of the sentence ................................................................ 11 4. Other restrictions .................................................................................................. 13 5. No restriction ......................................................................................................... 13 6. General restrictions or case-by-case decisions? ................................................... 13 B. Loss of the parliamentary mandate ........................................................................... 15 1. According to the nature of the offence................................................................... 16 2. According to the nature of the sentence ................................................................ 17 3. When a case of ineligibility arises ......................................................................... 21 4. Other cases .......................................................................................................... 23 5. Procedural issues ................................................................................................. 24 IV. Case study: Italy ....................................................................................................... 25 A. The legal and factual context .................................................................................... 25 B. Elements of appreciation .......................................................................................... 27 V. Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 28 A. Ineligibility to be elected ........................................................................................... 29 1. In general .............................................................................................................. 29 2. Specific cases ....................................................................................................... 31 B. Loss of mandate ....................................................................................................... 31 C. In which kind of legislation and how should the issue be addressed? ................... 32 VI. Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 32 - 3 - CDL-AD(2015)036cor I. Introduction 1. On 23 December 2014, an agreement between the majority and the opposition in Albania took place, putting an end to the boycott of Parliament by the opposition. Among the areas requiring reform, the issue of the exclusion of offenders from Parliament was addressed. This could lead to a legislative reform introducing a new cause of ineligibility to be elected, to be preceded by a public round table involving both the majority and the opposition as well as international experts. 2. On 22 April 2015, the Chairman of the Special Committee to address the issue in the resolution for agreement between the ruling majority and the opposition in the Assembly of the Republic of Albania asked the Venice Commission for co-operation, in addressing the issue of people with criminal records who hold or seek to be elected or appointed to a public office. 3. Before organising specific activities in co-operation with the Albanian authorities, the Council for Democratic Elections and the Venice Commission decided to prepare a report including comparative data on the issue and focusing on access to Parliament. This report was prepared on the basis of comments by Messrs Bartole, Kask and Sørensen, as well as, for information concerning regional parliaments, by Ms Anna Gamper. 4. The question whether persons convicted should be allowed to be Members of Parliament is an issue in many countries, although not very highly discussed at the international level as the number of cases is usually low. Still, as the practices vary, it is of general interest to state the situation in the Venice Commission Member States in order to provide help for countries where the issue gets more attention. 5. In a first part, the report will address the issue of the standards applicable in Europe, especially from the point of view of the limitation of the right to be elected, as well as the kind of legislation which is most appropriate. 6. In a second part, the present document will make an overview of the legal situation, in the Council of Europe Member States as well as in a few other selected states, concerning the possibility to prevent sentenced people from standing for Parliament, on the one side, and to exclude elected members of Parliament from this body if sentenced, on the other side. 7. Not only constitutional provisions, but also ordinary legislation will be quoted when available, in particular from countries with no or very limited constitutional provisions in the field, such as Finland, France, Germany and the United Kingdom – as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Kenya, the Republic of Korea and the United States. 8. The report will address rules applied not only to national parliaments, but also to regional parliaments in the following selected countries: Austria, Belgium,1 Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom. The selection has been made in accordance with the fact that these countries do not only have regions with (primary) legislative powers and elected parliaments2, but that the constitutional arrangements provide for a predominantly (even though, perhaps, asymmetrically) regionalised design. The survey will not consider Bosnia and Herzegovina due to its rather unique confederal-like structures. 1 For the purposes of this study, both the parliaments of the Belgian regions and the Belgian linguistic communities will be considered. 2 “Regional parliament” is used as a generic term here, notwithstanding the constitutional obstacles in some of the selected countries to apply the term “parliament” to an elected assembly at regional level. CDL-AD(2015)036cor - 4 - 9. A number of national contributions, including practical examples of the application of rules in the field, were received from members of the Venice Commission and will be taken account of in this report.3 10. The report will deal successively with exclusion (of offenders) from standing for Parliament and loss of the parliamentary mandate. 11. In a third part, it will address the specific situation in Italy, where legislation was recently changed and practice – in particular concerning the case of a former President of the Council - led to much attention. 12. In a fourth part, the report will deal with possible conclusions to be inferred from the standards of the Council of Europe in the field of restrictions to the right to be elected, as well as from the comparative material available. 13. Parliamentary immunity issues are not at stake here. They were addressed in the Report on the Scope and Lifting of Parliamentary Immunities adopted by the Venice Commission at its 98th plenary session.4 14. The present report was adopted by the Council for Democratic Elections at its 52nd meeting (Venice, 22 October 2015) and by the Venice Commission at its 104th Plenary Session (Venice, 23-24 October 2015). II. International standards A. Ineligibility to be elected 15. Article 3 of the First Additional Protocol to the European Convention of Human Rights implies the (active) right to vote as well as the (passive) right to be elected. This was made clear by the European Court of Human Rights.5 16. At least the principles and values discussed in ECtHR case-law on the right to vote have to be observed.6 “Any departure from the principle of universal suffrage risks undermining the democratic validity of the legislature thus elected and the laws it promulgates.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Synopsis of the Meeting Held in Strasbourg on 21 January 2013
    BUREAU OF THE ASSEMBLY AS/Bur/CB (2013) 01 21 January 2013 TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY Synopsis of the meeting held in Strasbourg on 21 January 2013 The Bureau of the Assembly, meeting on 21 January 2013 in Strasbourg, with Mr Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Assembly, in the Chair, as regards: - First part-session of 2013 (Strasbourg, 21-25 January 2013): i. Requests for debates under urgent procedure and current affairs debates: . decided to propose to the Assembly to hold a debate under urgent procedure on “Migration and asylum: mounting tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean” on Thursday 24 January 2013 and to refer this item to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons for report; . decided to propose to the Assembly to hold the debate under urgent procedure on “Recent developments in Mali and Algeria and the threat to security and human rights in the Mediterranean region” on Thursday 24 January 2013 and to refer this item to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report; . decided not to hold a current affairs debate on “The deteriorating situation in Georgia”; . took note of the decision by the UEL Group to withdraw its request for a current affairs debate on “Political developments in Turkey regarding the human rights of the Kurds and other minorities”; ii. Draft agenda: updated the draft agenda; - Progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and of the Standing Committee (5 October 2012 – 21 January 2013): (Rapporteur: Mr Kox, Netherlands, UEL): approved the Progress report; - Election observation: i. Presidential election in Armenia (18 February 2013): took note of the press release issued by the pre-electoral mission (Yerevan, 15-18 January 2013) and approved the final composition of the ad hoc committee to observe these elections (Appendix 1); ii.
    [Show full text]
  • Slovakia RISK & COMPLIANCE REPORT DATE: March 2018
    Slovakia RISK & COMPLIANCE REPORT DATE: March 2018 KNOWYOURCOUNTRY.COM Executive Summary - Slovakia Sanctions: None FAFT list of AML No Deficient Countries Compliance with FATF 40 + 9 Recommendations Medium Risk Areas: US Dept of State Money Laundering assessment Corruption Index (Transparency International & W.G.I.)) Failed States Index (Political Issues)(Average Score) Major Investment Areas: Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products Exports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 35.9%, vehicles 21%, base metals 11.3%, chemicals and minerals 8.1%, plastics 4.9% (2009 est.) Exports - partners: Germany 22.4%, Czech Republic 14.6%, Poland 8.6%, Hungary 7.8%, Austria 7.1%, France 5.6%, Italy 4.9%, UK 4.1% (2012) Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 31%, mineral products 13%, vehicles 12%, base metals 9%, chemicals 8%, plastics 6% (2009 est.) Imports - partners: Germany 18.5%, Czech Republic 17.9%, Russia 9.9%, Austria 7.7%, Hungary 7.2%, Poland 6%, South Korea 4.3% (2012) 1 Investment Restrictions: Foreign and domestic private entities have the right to establish and own business enterprises and engage in all forms of remunerative activity in Slovakia. In theory, competitive equality is the standard by which private enterprises compete with public entities. In addition, businesses are able to contract directly with foreign entities. 2 Contents Section 1 - Background ....................................................................................................................... 4 Section 2 - Anti – Money Laundering / Terrorist Financing ...........................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Romanian Political Science Review Vol. XXI, No. 1 2021
    Romanian Political Science Review vol. XXI, no. 1 2021 The end of the Cold War, and the extinction of communism both as an ideology and a practice of government, not only have made possible an unparalleled experiment in building a democratic order in Central and Eastern Europe, but have opened up a most extraordinary intellectual opportunity: to understand, compare and eventually appraise what had previously been neither understandable nor comparable. Studia Politica. Romanian Political Science Review was established in the realization that the problems and concerns of both new and old democracies are beginning to converge. The journal fosters the work of the first generations of Romanian political scientists permeated by a sense of critical engagement with European and American intellectual and political traditions that inspired and explained the modern notions of democracy, pluralism, political liberty, individual freedom, and civil rights. Believing that ideas do matter, the Editors share a common commitment as intellectuals and scholars to try to shed light on the major political problems facing Romania, a country that has recently undergone unprecedented political and social changes. They think of Studia Politica. Romanian Political Science Review as a challenge and a mandate to be involved in scholarly issues of fundamental importance, related not only to the democratization of Romanian polity and politics, to the “great transformation” that is taking place in Central and Eastern Europe, but also to the make-over of the assumptions and prospects of their discipline. They hope to be joined in by those scholars in other countries who feel that the demise of communism calls for a new political science able to reassess the very foundations of democratic ideals and procedures.
    [Show full text]
  • Spotlight on Parliaments in Europe
    Spotlight on Parliaments in Europe Issued by the EP Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments N° 13 - November 2016 Quality of legislation stemming from the EU On 19 September 2016, the Italian Senate submitted a request to the ECPRD network concerning the quality of legislation stemming from the EU. This request was an opportunity for National Parliaments to exchange best practices on how to ensure the quality of legislation with specific regard to transposition, implementation and enforcement of EU law. From the 21 answers provided by National Parliaments it is clear that transposition and implementation of EU Law is highly unlikely to require special attention. While almost all of them are using legislative guidelines and procedures for guaranteeing high standard of general law-making, only a few have felt the need to establish special mechanisms to ensure the quality of legislation stemming from the EU. The use of legislative guidelines and procedures; the main way to ensure the quality of legislation stemming from the EU. The use of legislative guidelines and procedures appears to be the most common way for National Parliaments to ensure the quality of legislation, also the legislation stemming from the EU. It allows for good linguistic coherence in the national languages while enhancing the standardization of the law. For example, in the case of Austria, the Federal Chancellery has published specific “Legistische Richtlinien”. In Spain, the instrument used is the Regulation Guidelines adopted in the Agreement of the Council of Ministers of 22 July 2005. Both Italian Chambers use Joint Guidelines on drafting of national legislation.
    [Show full text]
  • Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova
    CENTRAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION ELECTORAL CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA 2019 1 Unofficial translation ELECTORAL CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Chişinău – 2019 2 Electoral Code No. 1381-XIII of 21.11.1997 Published: Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova No.81, Art. No.: 667 of 08.12.1997 Entered into force: 08.12.1997 Amended and completed by the Laws of the Republic of Moldova: Law No. 302 of 30.11.2018 – Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No. 462-467, Art. 778, in force from 12.12.2018; Law No. 271 of 23.11.2018 – Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No. 441-447, Art. 717, in force from 01.12.2018; Law No. 268 of 23.11.2018 – Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No. 467-479, Art. 792, in force from 14.12.2018; Law No. 238 of 08.11.2018 – Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No. 441-447, Art. 709, in force from 30.12.2018; Constitutional Court Decision No. 25 of 11.10.2018 – Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No. 424-429, Art.148, in force from 11.10.2018; Law No. 172 of 27.07.2018 - Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No. 321-332, Art. 529, in force from 24.08.2018; Law No. 79 of 24.05.2018 - Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No. 195-209, Art. 338, in force from 15.06.2018; Law No. 74 of 26.04.2018 - Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova, 2018, No.
    [Show full text]
  • Resolving the Russo-Estonian Border Dispute in the Wake of the Ukrainian Crisis
    RSP • No. 51 • 2016: 49-62 R S P ORIGINAL PAPER Resolving the Russo-Estonian Border Dispute in the Wake of the Ukrainian Crisis Anna Gromilova* Abstract The current paper investigates lack of the Border Treaty between Russia and Estonia. This issue has been marring the relations between the two former Soviet republics for almost 24 years. The recent (and the third) attempt to put an end to the formal demarcation of the border came on 18 February, 2014, when foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and former foreign minister Urmas Paet put their signatures on the border treaty in Moscow. The timing of when the ratification laws in both countries should be passed and exchanged cannot be more controversial. The crisis that continues to escalate in Ukraine apart from bringing a drastic dip in the relations between Moscow and the West will undoubtedly affect all areas of cooperation between Moscow and Tallinn. This paper starts with an overview of the main causes of the long-standing border dispute and the analysis of why the previous attempts to formalize the border were unsuccessful. Secondly, the paper analyzes the new border treaty and the existing discourses on the border dispute resolution in the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis on the ratification processes in both countries. The paper concludes with remarks regarding some possible effects of the border treaty implementation and the future of the relations of Russo-Estonian relations. Keywords : border dispute, Russia, Estonia, Ukrainian crisis, border treaty, ratification process * Ph.D. Candidate, Lecturer, International Relations and European Studies Department, Metropolitan University Prague (MUP), Email: [email protected] 49 Anna Gromilova Introduction Agreement on the Russo-Estonian border has been seen as a cul-de-sac for almost 24 years.
    [Show full text]
  • International Election Observation Mission to Moldova Parliamentary Elections of 24 February 2019
    ENEMO EOM to Armenia, Early Parliamentary Elections 201 8 International Election Observation Mission to Moldova Parliamentary Elections of 24 February 2019 International Election Observation Mission to Moldova FINAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 24 FEBRUARY 2019 MOLDOV A 2019 The English version of this report is 1 1 2 International Election Observation Mission to Moldova Parliamentary Elections of 24 February 2019 International Election Observation Mission to Moldova Parliamentary Elections of 24 February 2019 FINAL REPORT April 2019 The English version of this report is the only official document of ENEMO EOM. 3 ENEMO European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations International Observation Mission to Moldova Parliamentary Elections, 24 February 2019 EUROPEAN NETWORK OF ELECTION MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS ENEMO Bul. Josipa Broza 23A 81 000 Podgorica, Montenegro e-mail: [email protected] www.enemo.eu Published by: ENEMO - European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations The EOM of ENEMO for the 2019 Parliamentary Elections in Moldova is financially supported by: the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Sweden; the National Endowment Foundation of US Congress, through the National Democratic Institute; and the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of ENEMO and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors! 4 International Election Observation Mission to Moldova Parliamentary Elections of 24 February 2019 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 Introduction and acknowledgments 11 I. Background 13 II. Legal framework and electoral system 15 III. Election management bodies 20 Central Election Commission (CEC) 20 Constituency Electoral Councils (CoECs) 23 Polling Stations (PS) and Precinct Electoral Buraus (PEB) 24 IV. Candidate registration 27 Candidate registration for the national constituency 28 Candidate registration for single mandate constituencies 29 V.
    [Show full text]
  • Good Government Nordic and East Asian Perspectives
    Good Government Nordic and East Asian Perspectives Geir Helgesen and Uichol Kim in collaboration with Good_Govt.pm6 1 20/08/02, 10:16 First published in 2002 by NIAS Press Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Leifsgade 33, DK–2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark tel: (+45) 3254 8844 • fax: (+45) 3296 2530 E–mail: [email protected] • Website: http://www.niaspress.dk/ in collaboration with the Danish Institute of International Affairs (DUPI) Typesetting by NIAS Press Printed and bound in Denmark by Hertz bogtrykkergården a/s Cover design by Nanna Bild © Geir Helgesen and Uichol Kim 2002 All rights reserved. No part of this volume may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of authors and publisher. The responsibility for facts and opinions expressed in this publication rests exclusively with the authors, and their interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. Publication of this book was made possible thanks to economic support from the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies and the Danish Institute of International Affairs British Library Catalogue in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 87-91114-16-0 Good_Govt.pm6 2 20/08/02, 10:16 Contents Preface 5 The Research Network 6 Sponsors 6 East Asian Ideals: Harmony with Nature, Acknowledgementss 6 Self and Others 40 Introduction 7 Confucianism 41 Why is it important to understand East Asian societies 43 other societies? 7 Confucianism in modern East Asia 45 East Asia and the Nordic countries: Socialization
    [Show full text]
  • Act on the Althing Ombudsman
    Act No. 85/1997 on the Althing Ombudsman Article 1 Election of the Althing Ombudsman The Althing Ombudsman is elected by Althing for a period of four years. He shall fulfil the conditions provided by law as to fitness to hold the office of Supreme Court Justice and may not be a Member of Althing. In the event of the death of the Ombudsman, or his permanent incapacitation for other reasons, Althing shall hold a new election for the office. The same applies if the Ombudsman is released from his duties of his own volition, or if two thirds of the members of Althing vote to dismiss him. In case of a temporary absence of the Ombudsman the Speaker of Althing will appoint a substitute to act for him meanwhile. Article 2 Role of the Althing Ombudsman, etc. The role of the Althing Ombudsman is to monitor, on behalf of Althing and in such manner as is further stated in this Act, the administration of the State and local authorities, and to safeguard the rights of the citizens vis-a-vis the authorities. He shall ensure that the principle of equality is upheld in public administration and that such administration is otherwise conducted in conformity with the law and good administrative practice. The Ombudsman shall not, in the discharge of his functions, have to take instructions from anybody, Althing included. Article 3 Jurisdiction of the Althing Ombudsman The jurisdiction of the Althing Ombudsman extends to State and local administration. The Ombudsman's jurisdiction also extends to the activities of private parties insofar as they have been by law vested with public authority to decide as to individuals' rights and obligations in the sense of Article 1, para.
    [Show full text]
  • The Year in Elections, 2013: the World's Flawed and Failed Contests
    The Year in Elections, 2013: The World's Flawed and Failed Contests The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Norris, Pippa, Richard W. Frank, and Ferran Martinez i Coma. 2014. The Year in Elections 2013: The World's Flawed and Failed Contests. The Electoral Integrity Project. Published Version http://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/ Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11744445 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA THE YEAR IN ELECTIONS, 2013 THE WORLD’S FLAWED AND FAILED CONTESTS Pippa Norris, Richard W. Frank, and Ferran Martínez i Coma February 2014 THE YEAR IN ELECTIONS, 2013 WWW. ELECTORALINTEGRITYPROJECT.COM The Electoral Integrity Project Department of Government and International Relations Merewether Building, HO4 University of Sydney, NSW 2006 Phone: +61(2) 9351 6041 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.electoralintegrityproject.com Copyright © Pippa Norris, Ferran Martínez i Coma, and Richard W. Frank 2014. All rights reserved. Photo credits Cover photo: ‘Ballot for national election.’ by Daniel Littlewood, http://www.flickr.com/photos/daniellittlewood/413339945. Licence at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0. Page 6 and 18: ‘Ballot sections are separated for counting.’ by Brittany Danisch, http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdanisch/6084970163/ Licence at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0. Page 8: ‘Women in Pakistan wait to vote’ by DFID - UK Department for International Development, http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/8735821208/ Licence at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0.
    [Show full text]
  • OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities His Excellency
    OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities His Excellency Mr Toomas Hendrik Ilves Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Rävala 9 TALLINN EE 0100 Republic of Estonia The Hague Reference no.: 21 May 1997 359/97/L Dear Mr Minister, With great interest I read your statement in the Permanent Council of the OSCE on 10 April 1997 in which you commented on our conversation in Tallinn on 8 April 1997. I was glad to note your positive assessment of the efforts I have made since 1993 to be of assistance to Estonia in solving its inter-ethnic problems. I have also studied carefully the papers prepared by your Ministry and sent to the members of the Permanent Council regarding the issues raised during my visit to Tallinn on 8/9 April 1997 and regarding the recommendations I have made to the Government of Estonia during the period from April 1993 to October 1996. Please allow me to send you a detailed reaction which I will also send to the members of the Permanent Council two weeks after you have received this letter. First of all, I should like to make some general remarks about the situation of the over 200,000 persons in Estonia who have neither the Estonian nor any other citizenship. As I have remarked before, I have found no evidence that persons belonging to national minorities in Estonia are systematically persecuted, or that there are persistent violations of their human rights. The assurance I received in July 1993 from the then Prime Minister, Mr Laar, that Estonia does not intend to start a policy of expulsion from Estonia of Russian speakers has been repeated by subsequent Governments and I feel confident that this will continue to be the case in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • News from Ukraine
    March, 2013 NEWS FROM UKRAINE Rada to adopt EU-recommended bills on data protection, combating discrimination, says speaker The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will approve the draft laws on amendments to the laws on personal data protection and countering discrimination that was recommended by the European Union, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Rybak has said. “There are several key issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible. In particular, these are the legal regulation of the fight against corruption, and the introduction of the EU-recommended amendments to Ukraine’s laws in the field of personal data protection and combating discrimination,” Mr. Rybak stated at a meeting of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Seimas of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of Poland in Warsaw on 26 March. Mr. Rybak said the Verkhovna Rada has already adopted most of the laws that are needed to implement the first stage of the action plan on the liberalization of the EU visa regime with Ukraine. In particular, the Parliament passed the laws dealing with the issues related to migration, a resolution to introduce biometric travel documents. Besides, a system of personal data protection was created in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Parliament’s Chair, Ukraine plans to submit to the European side soon its third report on the implementation of the first stage of the visa liberalization action plan, which would give the EU grounds to switch to the second stage. Read more: Interfax Ukraine, 26 March 2013 http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/146376.html#.UVGP7DesZVQ Ukrainian Parliament ratifies visa facilitation agreement with EU Some 275 of the 350 MPs registered in the parliamentary sitting hall supported the Law “On the Ratification of the Amended Visa Facilitation Agreement between Ukraine and the EU”.
    [Show full text]