Cgbur01-2016-Inf-01 En Missions Du Président

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Cgbur01-2016-Inf-01 En Missions Du Président The Bureau of the Congress CG/BUR01(2016)INF011 1 February 2016 Missions of the President of the Congress (10/12/2015 - 05/02/2016) Document submitted for information to the Bureau of the Congress on 8 February 2016 1 This document is classified as confidential until it has been examined by the Bureau of the Congress. CG/BUR01(2016)INF01 - Meeting with the Regional policy, Public works and Local self-government Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria (Sofia, 10 December 2015) - Forum of the newly-elected Bulgarian Mayors organised by the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (Sofia, 11 December 2015) - Post-monitoring visit and high level meetings in Georgia (Tbilisi, 15-17 December 2015) - In the framework of the 1st part of the Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 25-29 January 2016): < Mr Rosen Plevneliev, President of Bulgaria (26 January 2016) Ms Lorella Stefanelli I and Mr Nicola Renzi I, Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino, (28 January 2016) Meeting of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media (28 January 2016): Platform of dialogue between the Council of Europe and high representatives of religions and non- confessional organisations - Meeting of the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre (Strasbourg, 29 January 2016) Replacements: - Celebration of the 30 years anniversary of the European Charter of local self-government – represented by VP Anders Knape (Kiev, 14 December 2015) - Workshop "Mayors Leaders for change" – represented by VP Anders Knape (Kiev, 15-16 December 2015) - Bilateral meeting with the President of the Committee of the Regions, Mr Markku Markkula – represented by VP Mosler-Törnström (Strasbourg, 15 December 2015) - Meeting of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) (Elections Ukraine) - represented by VP Mosler-Törnström (Brussels, 5 February 2016) 2/2 .
Recommended publications
  • Bulgaria – the Difficult “Return to Europe”
    European Democracy in Action BULGARIA – THE DIFFICULT “RETURN TO EUROPE” TAMARA BUSCHEK Against the background of the EU accession of Bulgaria on 1st January 2007 and the first Bulgarian elections for the European Parliament on 20th May 2007, Tamara Buschek takes a closer look at Bulgaria’s uneven political and economic transition – at its difficult “return to Europe”. Graduated from Graz University (Austria) in 2003 with a Masters in Law [magistra juris] after finishing her studies in European and international law. After gaining a grant from the Chamber of Commerce in 2000 to complete an internship at the Austrian Embassy in London, she carried out research for her dissertation in criminal law – “The Prevention of Sexual Child Abuse – Austria/Great Britain” - in 2001 at the London School of Economics. She studied European and administrative law in Paris from 2001 to 2002 as part of an Erasmus year. She is quadrilingual (German, Bulgarian, English and French). « BULGARIA – THE DIFFICULT RETURN TO EUROPE » MAY 2007 Table of Contents Introduction P. 1 2.3 The current governmental coalition, 2005-2007 and the P. 21 presidential election in 2006 I – Background Information P. 3 III - The first European Parliament elections, 20 May 2007 P. 25 1.1 Hopes and Fears P. 3 Conclusion P. 30 1.2 Ethnic Minorities P. 5 1.3 Economic Facts P. 7 Annex P. 32 II – Political Situation- a difficult path towards stability P. 9 Annex 1: Key facts P. 32 2.1 The transition from 1989 till 2001 P. 9 Annex 2: Economic Profile P. 33 2.1.1 The legislative elections of 1990 and the first P.
    [Show full text]
  • Call from Members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre to the United Nations Security Council to Support the UN Secretary
    Call from Members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre to the United Nations Security Council to Support the UN Secretary-General’s Urgent Call for an Immediate Global Ceasefire amid the COVID-19 Pandemic We are deeply alarmed that the United Nations Security Council has not been able to reach agreement on a draft resolution put before it on COVID-19. This draft resolution called for an end to hostilities worldwide so that there could be a full focus on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. If passed it would have given powerful backing to the call made earlier by the Secretary-General. Yet, agreement could not be reached on the resolution in the Security Council because of its reference to “the urgent need to support…. all relevant entities of the United Nations system, including specialized health agencies” in the fight against the pandemic. The failure to reach agreement saddens us at this time when our world is in crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about immense human suffering and is having a devastating impact on economies and societies. It is exactly at times like this that the leadership of the Security Council is needed. It should not be silent in the face of the serious threat to global peace and security which Covid-19 represents. Global action and partnership are vital now to deal with the global pandemic and its aftermath. This is the time for the premier institution responsible for leading on global security to show strength, not weakness. We support UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his call for an immediate global ceasefire, in all corners of the world, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulgaria Urgent Interim Opinion on the Draft New
    Strasbourg, 20 November 2020 CDL-PI(2020)016 Opinion No. 1002 / 2020 Or. Engl. EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) BULGARIA URGENT INTERIM OPINION ON THE DRAFT NEW CONSTITUTION Issued pursuant to Article 14a of the Venice Commission’s Rules of Procedure on the basis of comments by Mr Michael FRENDO (Member, Malta) Mr James HAMILTON (Former member, Ireland) Mr Eirik HOLMØYVIK (Substitute Member, Norway) Ms Regina KIENER (Member, Switzerland) Mr Martin KUIJER, (Substitute Member, the Netherlands) This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. www.venice.coe.int CDL-PI(2020)016 - 2 - Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3 II. Background ................................................................................................................... 3 1. Scope of the Opinion ........................................................................................... 3 2. Amendment process ........................................................................................... 4 III. Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 6 1. Preamble and Chapters I and II (fundamental principles and human rights) ........ 6 2. Chapter III (National Assembly) ........................................................................... 9 3. Chapter VI (Judiciary) .......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • LETTER to G20, IMF, WORLD BANK, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS and NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS
    LETTER TO G20, IMF, WORLD BANK, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS and NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS We write to call for urgent action to address the global education emergency triggered by Covid-19. With over 1 billion children still out of school because of the lockdown, there is now a real and present danger that the public health crisis will create a COVID generation who lose out on schooling and whose opportunities are permanently damaged. While the more fortunate have had access to alternatives, the world’s poorest children have been locked out of learning, denied internet access, and with the loss of free school meals - once a lifeline for 300 million boys and girls – hunger has grown. An immediate concern, as we bring the lockdown to an end, is the fate of an estimated 30 million children who according to UNESCO may never return to school. For these, the world’s least advantaged children, education is often the only escape from poverty - a route that is in danger of closing. Many of these children are adolescent girls for whom being in school is the best defence against forced marriage and the best hope for a life of expanded opportunity. Many more are young children who risk being forced into exploitative and dangerous labour. And because education is linked to progress in virtually every area of human development – from child survival to maternal health, gender equality, job creation and inclusive economic growth – the education emergency will undermine the prospects for achieving all our 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and potentially set back progress on gender equity by years.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulgaria: the Greatest Vacillations Simeon Djankov March 1, 2014 In
    Bulgaria: The Greatest Vacillations Simeon Djankov March 1, 2014 In one of the most famous economics books, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, Joseph Schumpeter (1942) predicted the inevitable collapse of capitalism. I grew up in the last two decades of socialism in Bulgaria and as students we were repeatedly told that socialism would prevail in the whole world, and that in Bulgaria it would soon enter its ultimate form, communism. Then everything would be free and nobody would have to work, unless they wanted to. A strange thing to tell children. Luckily, few believed. In the summer of 1989 I finished high-school and took the entrance exams in international relations at the Karl Marx Institute of Economics in Sofia. In my graduating high-school class was also the grandson of the Secretary General of the Bulgarian Communist Party Todor Zhivkov. He, too, fancied a career in diplomacy. This was a problem. There were rigid quotas for entering international studies – for fear of students taking off to the West after graduation – and in that particular year there was only one slot allotted for diplomacy. As luck had it, Zhivkov Junior failed the exams and did what most offspring of totalitarian leaders had done before – went to study in Switzerland. And I entered the Karl Marx Institute. I did not stay long at the Karl Marx Institute, and neither did its name. In December 1988 during a speech at the United Nations Council in New York, Mikhail Gorbachev had declared that the Soviet Union would no longer intervene in the international affairs of other countries from the socialist bloc.
    [Show full text]
  • WHY EUROPE NEEDS a NEW GLOBAL STRATEGY Susi Dennison, Richard Gowan, Hans Kundnani, Mark Leonard and Nick Witney
    BRIEF POLICY WHY EUROPE NEEDS A NEW GLOBAL STRATEGY Susi Dennison, Richard Gowan, Hans Kundnani, Mark Leonard and Nick Witney Today’s Europe is in crisis. But of all the world’s leading powers, SUMMARY It is now a decade since European leaders none has had so much success in shaping the world around approved the first-ever European Security it over the last 20 years as the European Union. The United Strategy (ESS), which began with the States provided the military underpinning for a Europe whole memorable statement that “Europe has and free, but its record in other parts of the world has been never been so prosperous, so secure nor mixed at best. Russia is still lagging behind where it was when so free”. But Europe and the world have the Cold War ended. Japan has stagnated. Meanwhile rising changed so dramatically in the last decade that it is increasingly hard to argue that powers such as China have not yet sought to reshape global the EU can simply stick to the “strategy” it politics in their image. But since the end of the Cold War, the agreed in 2003. Many of the approaches that EU has peacefully expanded to include 16 new member states worked so well for Europe in the immediate and has transformed much of its neighborhood by reducing aftermath of the Cold War seem to be ethnic conflicts, exporting the rule of law, and developing ineffectual at best and counter-productive economies from the Baltic to the Balkans. at worst in an age of power transition and global political awakening.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulgaria by Maria Spirova
    Bulgaria by Maria Spirova Capital: Sofia Population: 7.3 million GNI/capita, PPP: US$15,450 Source: The data above are drawn from the World Bank’sWorld Development Indicators 2014. Nations in Transit Ratings and Averaged Scores 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Electoral Process 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.75 2.00 2.00 2.25 Civil Society 2.75 2.75 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.25 Independent Media 3.50 3.25 3.50 3.50 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.75 4.00 4.00 National Democratic Governance 3.50 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.25 3.25 3.50 3.50 3.50 3.75 Local Democratic Governance 3.50 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 Judicial Framework and Independence 3.25 3.00 2.75 2.75 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.25 3.25 3.25 Corruption 4.00 3.75 3.75 3.50 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.25 Democracy Score 3.18 2.93 2.89 2.86 3.04 3.04 3.07 3.14 3.18 3.25 NOTE: The ratings reflect the consensus of Freedom House, its academic advisers, and the author(s) of this report. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author(s). The ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 representing the highest level of democratic progress and 7 the lowest.
    [Show full text]
  • Vienna Workshop on the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred: List of Experts
    Vienna workshop on the prohibition of incitement to hatred: Biography of experts Agnès Callamard Dr. Agnès Callamard is the Executive Director of ARTICLE 19. Under her direction, ARTICLE 19 has strengthened its leadership of cutting edge public policy issues, and grown in size with the opening of 5 regional offices across the world. Agnès founded and led HAP (Humanitarian Accountability Partnership), the first international self-regulatory body for humanitarian actors. At HAP she oversaw field trials on accountability to beneficiaries in Afghanistan, Cambodia and Sierra Leone. She is the former Chef de Cabinet for the Secretary General of Amnesty International (AI) where she played a key role in establishing an effective senior management system and also led policy work on women’s human rights. Agnès also served as a board member for IFEX (International Freedom of Expression Exchange), a membership-based NGO comprised of over 80 member organizations and operating in more than 50 countries, the majority of which are in the developing world and in countries in transition. Agnès has investigated human rights abuses in a diverse number of countries across the world’s regions including in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. She has undertaken extensive media work and presented human rights concerns to a wide range of public forums. She has also worked extensively in the field of refugee and IDPs movements. Agnès has published broadly and holds a PhD in Political Science from the New School for Social Research in New York. Aidan White Aidan White is the General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulgaria External Relations Briefing
    ISSN: 2560-1601 Vol. 40, No. 4 (BG) May 2021 Bulgaria external relations briefing: Symbolic Attempt for Rapprochement and Renewal of the Dialogue Between Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia Evgeniy Kandilarov 1052 Budapest Petőfi Sándor utca 11. +36 1 5858 690 Kiadó: Kína-KKE Intézet Nonprofit Kft. [email protected] Szerkesztésért felelős személy: CHen Xin Kiadásért felelős személy: Huang Ping china-cee.eu 2017/01 Symbolic Attempt for Rapprochement and Renewal of the Dialogue Between Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia Summary From May 26 to 28, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev visited the Vatican and the Italian Republic. The President led the Bulgarian delegation, which was traditionally received by the head of the Roman Catholic Church on the occasion of the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture and Slavic literature - May 24. During the visit, the head of Bulgarian state visited the holy places for Bulgarians. In order to pay tribute to the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius in Rome, this year a delegation from the Republic of Northern Macedonia, led by President Stevo PendarovsKi, was traveling with the Bulgarian delegation. This act of joint celebrating the memory of the founders of Slavic literature and culture creates a precondition for raproachment between Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia, which is extremely important in view of the negotiations between the Republic of Northern Macedonia and the EU for accession of the BalKan state in the Union. Less than a month ago, the President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev appointed a caretaker government with a mandate of two months, which should organize and hold early parliamentary elections.
    [Show full text]
  • The Future of Russia-Bulgaria Relations After the Bulgarian Presidential Election Jakub Pieńkowski
    No. 82 (932), 2 Decem ber 2016 © PISM Editors: Sławomir Dębski (PISM Director) . Katarzyna Staniewska (Managing Editor) Karolina Borońska-Hryniewiecka . Anna Maria Dyner . Patryk Kugiel . Sebastian Płóciennik Patrycja Sasnal . Rafał Tarnogórski . Marcin Terlikowski . Tomasz Żornaczuk The Future of Russia-Bulgaria Relations after the Bulgarian Presidential Election Jakub Pieńkowski On 13 November, Rumen Radev was elected president of Bulgaria. Supported by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BPS), he received nearly 60% of the votes in the second round. He promises to strengthen cooperation with Russia and remains sceptical of NATO reinforcement in the Black Sea region. Tsetska Tsacheva, the candidate for the ruling party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), received 36% of the votes. Her loss brought with it the resignation of the Boyko Borisov government. GERB announced it would not participate in a new government coalition. BPS has limited ability to form a new coalition, meaning early parliamentary elections may take place at the beginning of 2017 and could further strengthen the pro-Russian parties. Election in Context. The aim of Bulgarian foreign policy is to maintain a balance between good relations with its EU partners on the one hand and with Russia and Turkey on the other. The most important challenge it faces is to prevent Turkish-Russian cooperation because it could marginalise Bulgaria. The latter attempts to use existing animosity between the two countries to strengthen its own political position in the Black Sea region. The Bulgarian authorities are particularly interested in improving relations with Russia. Bulgaria is located on a mass migration route from Turkey to Western Europe and had become dissatisfied with the EU aid response to the crisis.
    [Show full text]
  • Lista Poparcie Dla Deklaracji His Excellency Mr. Ilir Meta, President
    Lista poparcie dla Deklaracji His Excellency Mr. Ilir Meta, President of Albania His Excellency Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria His Excellency Mr. Charles Michael, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium His Excellency Mr. Rumen Georgiev Radev, President of Bulgaria Canada His Excellency Mr. Richard Brabec, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for the Environment of the Czech Republic His Excellency Mr. Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark His Excellency Mr. Jüri Ratas, Prime Minister of Estonia His Excellency Mr. Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, Prime Minister of Eswatini His Excellency Mr. Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission Honourable Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji, Republic of Finland Republic of France His Excellency Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic Federal Republic of Germany His Excellency Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of Greece His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See His Excellency Mr. Juan Orlando Hernández, President of Honduras Her Excellency Ms. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland His Excellency Mr. Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia State of Japan Republic of Korea His Excellency Mr. Raimonds Vējonis, President of Latvia Her Excellency Ms. Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of the Republic of Lithuania His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg His Excellency Mr. Gjorge Ivanov, President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Republic of Madagascar His Excellency Mr. Milo Djukanovic, President of Montenegro Her Excellency Ms. Saara Kuugongelwa Amadhila, Prime Minister of Namibia His Excellency Mr. Baron Divavesu Waqa, President of Nauru Her Excellency Ms.
    [Show full text]
  • Presidential Elections in Bulgaria
    PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN BULGARIA 6th November 2016 European Rumen Radev, the candidate supported by Elections monitor the Socialist Party is elected President of the Republic of Bulgaria Corinne Deloy Rumen Radev, supported by a committee of voters and by the Socialist Party (BSP), won the 2nd round of the presidential election in Bulgaria on 13th November. With 59.37% of the vote (still partial results), he drew ahead of Tsetska Tsacheva, who represented the Prime Minister in office Boyko Borisov’s party, the Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), who won Results 36.16% of the vote. This is a serious setback for the head of government who witnessed the defeat 2nd Round of his candidate by over 20 points (23.18). 4.48% of the voters chose to vote “for none of these candidates” – an option now offered to them during the elections that take place according to a majority vote, like those in which the President of the Republic and MPs are appointed. Rumen Radev came out ahead in the first round Rossen Plevneliev cannot dissolve parliament in of voting on 6th November with 25.44% of the the last three months of his mandate, which vote. His adversary won 21.96%. will end on 22nd January 2017, the general According to some exit polls Rumen Radev elections following the resignation of the head was said to have rallied 92% of the voters, of government will not take place before next who had chosen Plamen Oresharski in the spring. first round (6.63% of the vote) and 60% of those who voted for Krassimir Karakachanov, “Democracy has won over apathy and fear,” the candidate running for the United Patriots maintained Ruman Radev, when the first results Coalition (14.97% of the vote).
    [Show full text]