CoE:Democracy Status for Neighbouring States (Maghreb-ME, Kazakhstan+) spreads from MPs to Venice+..

In an Historic Geopolitical move, Strasbourg's PanEuropean organization's strategic decision to open "Partnerships for Democracy" with Neighbouring States from Maghreb, Middle East, up to Kazakhstan and other former URSS/CIS members, including several Energy producing big countries, after a landmark Report unanimously adopted by CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, and drafted by the President of its largest Group (ChristianDemocrats/EPP), Belgian Senator and former Head of Flander's Government, Luc van den Brande, started to spread also to other key CoE bodies  :

 

The strategic U-turn stimulated a wave of various but converging concrete moves at the CoE, including from its "Political Schools'" network, as CoE's Director on Political affairs, Jean-Luis Llaurens told "EuroFora", to its "North-South Center", as its Director Denis Huber confirmed to "EuroFora", up to its prestigious "Venice" commission for "Democracy through Law", as its experienced Director, Gianni Buquicchio, just revealed to "EuroFora", while preparing a key plenary meeting for the beginning of October : The new ground breaking move, initiated by CoE's Parliamentary Assembly at the end of June 2009, started to be already applied by the Summer Democracy University of the PanEuropean Organization's Political Schools, organized in Strasbourg from 6 to 10 July 2009 :

Replying to an "EuroFora" question,  CoE's Political Director, Jean-Louis Llaurens, made it clear that new prospects for more participants from such countries neighbouring Europe, goes as far as "from Morocco up to Kazakstan". Laurens, did not deny that prospects for participation of countries around Europe in CoE's Summer University for Political Schools went in a similar direction as the creation, by CoE's Assembly, of a new status of "Democracy Partnerships" for parliamentarians of neighbouring countries.- "Democracy is a Universal project, not only European. And CoE's Values are not only European : There are specific European mechanisms for the collective application of certain Rights, as f.ex. the European Court of Human Rights. But the Values themselves are also Universal. That's why the project of Democracy Summer University for Political Schols is not limited only into what might be percieved as Europe. That's why we (CoE) are currently developing this new kind of Partnerships" : Such projects go from Morocco to Kazakstan and beyond". 

- "Democracy is today Europe's best "export" item", added smiling, in reply to the same "EuroFora" question the young Strasbourg City's Director for European/International affairs,  Nawel Rafik-Elmrini, whose French family has links with 2 important Maghreb countries.

CoE's Assembly has just started to prepare to implement from July 2009 the unanimously supported Van Den Brande's proposal to create a "Democracy Partner" new Status for participation of Parliamentarians from big Energy-producing or transit Countries, in Strategic neighbouring locations, from Maghreb and the Midddle East up to Kazakstan, based on respect of Democratic Elections and International Law, as well as aspirations towards Human Rights.

- "We are very much interested into opening such perspectives", added later to "EuroFora" also the Head of CoE's "North-South" Center for "Global Interdependence", Denis Huber.

The parallel moves came shortly before Morocco's accession to CoE's North-South Center, on Summer 2009, Rabat is the 1st non-European but neighbouring and historically linked Country, who is also member of CoE's Venise Commission for Democracy through Law.

EU gave it, on December 2008, an "Advanced Status". French and Spanish-speaking Morocco was first to present its candidacy to the EU a long time before Ankara, but EU Commission had rejected it, contrary to what it did later on Turkey's controversial EU bid.

- “CoE must project its Human Rights values beyond Europe’s borders, and a New Phase has begun with the creation of a new ‘Partner for Democracy’ Status with PACE, in order to strengthen co-operation with the countries of the southern Mediterranean, Central Asia and the Middle East,” stressed, meanwhile, at CoE's Summer Democracy University, CoE Assembly's President, the experienced Spanish Socialist MEP Luis de Puig.

EU Commission's recent decision to earmark more than 600 Million euros to boost Democratic structures, Rule of Law and Human Rights accross former CIS countries, naturally creates a new area of strategic cooperation with the CoE, who has already played an Historic role in re-integrating Central and Eastern European Countries in the recent past.

    The experienced Director of Venice Commission for Democracy through Law, Gianni Buquicchio, speaking to "EuroFora" at the beginning of September 2009 in Strasbourg, acknowledged that CoE's Independent top Legal Experts may probably be consulted for modern Reforms, to bring neighbouring countries closer to European standards, eventually starting first with  Kazakhstan or Kirgistan, perhaps Turkmenistan, etc.

    - For countries like Kazakhstan, etc., who are candidates to a special status at CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, PACE may ask a Legal expertise from the Venice Commission. But for all other neighbouring countries, they have to demand that themselves, Buquicchio explained to "EuroFora". Developments in this direction were not excluded even as early as the next Plenary meeting of Venice's Commission, scheduled for October 9 and 10 he added.

    The GeoPolitical concentric cercles extending now on culturally related, Energy-producing neighbouring countries, after CoE  unanimously endorsd Van Den Brande's Report, (See supra), are due to focus on simplified mechanisms, initially between Parliamentarians, based on elementary mutual acceptance of basic Democratic, Human Rights and Rule of Law' values, (including by adhering to various CoE's International Conventions, fex, on Judicial structures, Parliamentary Elections, Environment, BioEthics, against Terrorism or Cybercrime, etc), able to bring them closer to Europe and smooth cooperation.


    Already, CoE Assembly's Political affairs Committee, is due to examine, on September 10 and 11 in Paris, Kazakhstan's demand for a special Status in Strasbourg's paneuropean organization, according to a Report tabled by Polish Socialis MEP Tadeusz Iwinski, who has already visited the country recently.

    At the same moment, a landmark Report on "CoE''s Future", drafted by the Head of the French Delegation to the CoE, ChristianDemocrat MEP Jean-Claude Mignon, is expected to deal also with the issue of CoE Values' role in the neighbouring countries and the World, which is also included in an important CoE Conference on the Future of Human Rights, organized in parallel in Paris, in cooperation also with the experienced new Russian Ambassador Alexander Orlov, who had worked in Strasbourg during the Historic 1st Russian Chairmanship of the CoE. Topically, the Conference will be opened by the Swedish President of CoE's Political affairs committee, Lars Lindbland, while Sweden chairs also the EU and the issue of the Future of EU - Russia,  Turkey, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and various other important countries around the EU or CoE has been recently raised by top political European actors.


    But, Mignon's move might even be larger : The active top MEP has already proposed, at an earlier Report adopted by the CoE in Strasbourg on 2008, to even consider another special Status for ..China itself  : The only UNO Security Council's Permanent Member which is not yet officially represented at the CoE, (after USA's accession to a special CoE Status since 1995 and Russia's full membership since 1996) ...

(See "EuroFora"s earlier publication : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/irish/china.html ).