7 | - Número: 001 | 16 de Julho de 2011

Fiz uma intervenção em defesa da proposta escrita que apresentei no sentido de se fazer um apelo a contribuições voluntárias de apoio à dimensão parlamentar da campanha de promoção da Convenção atrás mencionada, a de decorrer no período 2012-2013, e que consta no Anexo F do presente relatório.

Assembleia da República, 27 de Junho de 2011.
O Deputado do PSD, José Mendes Bota.

ANEXO A

Speech by Mr. Mendes Bota on the debate of report Mignon (doc. 12627) about the ―Reform of the Parliamentary Assembly‖ Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Strasbourg, 22nd of June 2011

Dear President, Dear colleagues, I would like to thank the Rapporteur and the members of the ad hoc committee for having put forward a well thought-out reform proposal, which is wise, coherent and forward-looking.
Colleagues, if we are serious about our engagement as members of this Assembly, we should know that the reform is necessary.
If we are serious about our engagement, we should know that we do not want just ANY reform.
The reform should not be dictated by the need of saving money.
It should not aim at cutting structures for the sake of cutting structures.
It should not be the result of amendments aimed at disrupting more than constructing something that makes sense.
The reform should aim at strengthening the Assembly’s political relevance; it should aim at enhancing the Assembly’s effectiveness, its visibility, and the involvement of its members.
In the Committee’s opinion, Mr. Mignon’s reform proposals are the best suited to achieve these objectives.
The Committee particularly welcomes the proposals of: – holding a free debate; – having more time for Committee meetings during sessions; and – limiting the number of Committees to which a member can belong to.

In addition, the Committee believes that it would not be possible to achieve the objectives of the reform without touching the structure of committees.
Also in this regard, we support the proposals made by the ad hoc committee, which would review committees’ structures and mandates so as to ensure that: – they are more in line with the CORE BUSINESS of the Council of Europe; – they focus on areas where the Assembly CAN make a difference; – they allow for a better repartition of responsibilities between committees, therefore contributing to a better sharing of responsibility, visibility and engagement between Assembly members.

As far as the proposal of transforming the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men into a Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, our Committee expresses its full support.
– Equality and non-discrimination are CORE BUSINESS of the Council of Europe, and areas in which our Organisation has a consolidated expertise and credibility;