ECPP2014+Norway Parliament Chief Thomessen to EuroFora:Integrate Rightists to Democracy/Human Rights

 

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- The European Top Politician who is due to Host soon the next Bi-Annual PanEuropean Summit of National Parliaments' Heads, the President of Norway's Parliament, Olemic Thommessen, speaking to "EuroFora" precisely 1 Month after the May 25, 2014 EU Parliament's Elections, where EU succeeded, for the 1st time in a Decade and a Half (1999-2014)  to Start Reversing a previous trend towards more and more Majority Abstention, (sharply augmented on 1999-2004, and just decelerated on 2009), but gave an even Bigger than expected Number of various "Rightists", "Populists" and other Atypical, more or less New or reNovated Parties most often classified towards the Far Right part of the Political Spectrum, didn't find difficult at all to integrate at least some so-called "Rightist"/Atypîcal Parties into mainstream Democratic and Human Rights' respectful politics of Europe today:

Norway being (since November 2013) the 1st Country in Europe to have formed a New Governing Coalition which includes, together with "Classical" ChristianDemocrat/EPP and other Center/Right and/or traditional Conservative Parties, also an important New Rightist Party (named "Progres"), together perhaps with Switzerland, at least partly, where the famous "Anti - (Turkish) Minaret","Swiss People's Party" CVP/UDC (more than 27 % of votes, plus a +5% offspring from a local split), reportedly supported the recent Election of the new President if the Country : the Liberal Didier Burkhalter, a convinced and able Democratic Politician, Swiss Foreign Minister since 2011, who also Heads during all the Year 2014 a crucial OSCE's Presidency, quite succesfully facing exceptionaly Hard Challenges, as f.ex. that of the current Conflict in Ukraine, where OSCE appears as the No 1 tool of the PanEuropean/TransAtlantic International Community, (Comp. President Burkhalter's relevant Replies to "EuroFora"s Questions on ISCE at an earlier Press Conference at the CoE in Strasbourg : ...), Thommessen told "EuroFora" how this was achieved :  

 - "You are among the first few in Europe - may be only together with Switzerland, partly -  to have Succeeded to bring a formerly outsider Rightist Party, inside mainstream, Democracy and Human Rights politics. - "How did you achieve that ?" , "EuroFora" asked President Thommessen, earlier Today in Strasbourg, on the occasion of his meeting with CoE Assembly's President Anne Brasseur, from Luxembourg.

 - "First of all, .(I know that). "there are many "Myths", about the "Progres" Party in Norway", the Head of the Strorting observed Critically, (obviously pointing from the outset to many established Mass Media's DisInformation in such issues). .

- But, "it has Not been Difficult to Work with them", he Replied with a Smile, to "EuroFora"s Question.

- This goes "either in the Parliament, or in the Government", he confirmed on both levels of the Public Institutions. .

+ Moreover, "I thnk that the Experience that we had, so far, is very, very Good !", President Thommessen underlined.

  + A fortiori, when, in this case, moreover, in fact, "it's a Democratic Party", and "Not an Extremist Party, as you may find in some Other European Countries", he estimated in addition.  

 - This obviously appears to be particularly Important Today, when "Working on Democracy and Human Rights is more Important Now, than in many, many years" in the Past", as Thommassen observed earlier.

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Significantly, President Thommessen said that to "EuroFora" just 1 Day after CoE's Parliamentary Assembly re-Elected with a crystal-clear Majority, for a 2nd term, (for the 1st time in History), totalling a whole Decade : 2009 - 2019, at the Head of the PanEuropean Organisation for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, the .. Norwegian Thornbjorn Jagland, a former SocialDemocrat Prime Minister, but now strongly Backed by the New Government of the ...Right, (which includes Today both mainstream Center Right Parties, and the Rightists/Populists of the "Progres" party), without any problem, (as he acknowledged himself; speaking immediately after his brillant reelection to Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", accompagnied by the Head of the New Norwegian Governing Majority Coalition's Delegation of MEPs to CoE's Assembly : Comp. Jagland's replies to "EuroFora"s Questions at : ...),     

- A topical point, shortly after CoE Assembly's President, Anne Brasseur from Luxembourg, praised earlier the Norwegian MEPs for being "active" enough to get a ranking "among the Top 5"  of CoE's 47 Member States for Participation,, and even 3rd for Voting...

+ By another Timely "coincidence", CoE's ANti-Corruption Watchdog has just published its Report on Norway, where it praises the Transparency and, more generally, the efficient Fight against Corruption among Norwegian Parliamentarians, political Parties, etc. (See Infra).           

 

 + The significance all this has for a PanEuropean CoE's dimension  was reflected also in President Thomassen's subsequent statements, Today, in Strasbourg, when he  stressed that - "Working Together between Parliamentarians within Europe is more important now than for many years".

 

- It's in this context that the Speaker of  the Norwegian "Storting", officially announced, speaking to Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", together with CoE Assembly's President, Anne Brasseur from Luxembourg, that "we (Norway) look very much forward into Hosting that (PanEuropean) Conference on September" 2014, "where all the Parliament's Presidents of (47) CoE Member Countries will be Welcomed", as he said.

  - "I hope also that these Questions will be also Discussed there", Thommassen added, speaking of the September 11-12 European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments (ECPP 2014), whose official Agenda already includes issues such as : "Majority and Opposition – striking a Balance in Democracy", and "Fundamental constitutional Rights and Freedoms – Participation, Trust and public Debate as Conditions for Democracy", as well as a "Current political issue".

 

      In fact, Norway takes over on 2014 ECPP's Chairmanship from Cyprus, whose Parliament President, Yanakis Omirou, had hosted the previous similar PanEuropean event at Nicosia, back on 2010, (followed, as usual, by an intermediary gathering of Parliaments' Presidents in Strasbourg on 2012 : See "EuroFora"s NewsReports of September 2012 from the CoE), with a partly similar issue on the Agenda about the Parliamentary "Opposition"s rights and responsibilities, as well as on "International Human Rights".

  [>>> Surprisingly, CoE had succeeded, during the ECPP 2012 in Strasbourg, there where EU had, at the same time failed : Convince Turkey to accept to deal with the Presidency of a (Pan)European Organisation by Cyprus, ... as it was spectacularly seen then with the Speaker of the Turkish Assembly responding to the call of the ECPP Chairman, the President of Cyprus' Parliament Omirou, to come and speak to the podium at a precise moment, while the latter was chairing the event, together with CoE's officials, (an unforgettable Photo)...] 

 

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 - Because, "for us, (Leaders of Parliaments from CoE's 47 Member Countries, etc+), in our way, this is a possibility to Strengthen our Knowledge about the COE, and our efforts on such Issues"; the Leader of the Norwegian Parliament, and ECPP 2014's Chairman observed.
    
 + "I also think that there are Important Dimensions in working Together, that we have  on the Parliamentary Structures, and this important to raise and increase" in the foreseable Future, Thommessen advised.

>>> "Particularly when we see that there are (certain) Situations on which the Structures which are run by Governments, may be Need some Help", the experienced Norway Parliament's President, and Chair of the 2014 ECPP, concluded, given the manifold Economic, Social, Ethical and Political Challenges that the After-Crisis period raises to all Countries.
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Concerning Topical GeoPolitical issues, the Dates chosen for the 11-12 September 2014 PanEuropean Conference of Parliaments' Speakers, (to which is traditionaly invited also the EU Parliament's President, i.e. the New personality who is due to be elected Next Week in Strasbourg, during the 1st Plenary Session of the New EU Parliament issued from the May 2014 European Elections), is, at least, obviously well placed not only for the .. 9/11's Annual Anniversary, (already a Topical Issue, given the recently raising, Worldwide Concerns about the Dangerous spread of extremely Violent Islamic Terrorism, from Syria to Iraq and even inside EU Countries, as France's 2012 and Brussels' 2014 brutal killings of innocent Civilians, even small kids, started to reveal), but, apparently, much more for expected developments in the quest for Peace by efforts to settle the Ukranian Crisis : It's indeed shortly afterwards, on October 2014, that CoE's "Venice" Commission is due to definitively discuss and possibly Adopt a Report, with probable Recommendations, on proposed Draft Amendments to the Ukranian Constitution, already drafted by President Poroshenko, including on a planned "DeCentralisation of Power", which is widely expected to play a Crucial role, both for Dialogue among all the Parties to that Conflict, and for a Peaceful Solution.

In this prospect, it's naturally helpful that PACE's President Anne Brasseur, and other Top CoE's Officials, could have interesting Contacts in Oslo particularly with the President of the Russian Duma, Naryshkin, (with whom she already had recently a 1st Phone conversation), as well as the acting Speaker of the Ukranian Rada, Tuschinov, (i.e. there where a series of Important Reforms, including on DeCentralisation, the Electoral System, relations between the Executive Power and Parliament, the Judiciary and Fight against Corruption, etc, have to be prepared and adopted before the end of 2014).

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+ Apparently a solid Rock for Democracy, despite having to face both Atlantic and Arctic Oceans' challenging waves throughout Europe's bumpy modern History, Norway is proud to be the 2nd Country in the World to get and still keep an entirely Written Constitution since as early as back on 1814, and celebrates its BiCentenary Anniverary throughout this year, including also by collective visits to the superb Eidsvoll Manor,  where the Norwegian Constitution was written and signed in 1814, without big changes until now :  

A green parc hosting a prestigious, restored Building of an emblematic Architecture, with a clearly distinguished Right and Left side, linked together by the main Building's biggest Common Space, deeper inside : A crystal-clear Symbol of the fact that, in a Democracy, various Political Parties can have sharply Opposed Views and Policies, while, at the same time, sharing and caring all together for certain fundamental Common Values on Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law.

+ A Topical Symbol; also, Today, even, about a so obviously Divided Today, but possibly United in the Future Ukraine ? Naturally, if one wants for the Inhabitants of 2 Different Houses to live Together, inside a Bigger, United Home, then, the best way to do so, is to built the latter in a way able to welcome and gather them all under a Common Roof, offering equal Access, Space and Protection to all those People who are to live United : A good Symbol f.ex. for the forthcoming Constitutional Reforms in that conflict-stricken Country..

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