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meio, tendo sido o cerne da decisão daquela organização de Direitos Humanos. A minha intervenção consta

do Anexo C do presente relatório.

No dia 19 de Novembro de 2014, participei como orador principal, na conferência subordinada ao tema

“Ratifying the Istanbul Convention – European Parliament’s next challenge on the fight against domestic

violence”, organizada pela deputada europeia Beatriz Becerra, e que se realizou no Parlamento Europeu.

Participaram na mesa redonda que se seguiu à minha intervenção (cujo texto figura no Anexo D do

presente relatório), as seguintes pessoas:

— Iratxe Garcia, presidente da Comissão dos Direitos das Mulheres, do Parlamento Europeu;

— Sami Nevala, chefe do Departamento de Estatísticas, Inquéritos, Liberdade e Justiça, da Agência dos

Direitos Fundamentais da União Europeia;

— Colette De Troy, diretora do Observatório da Violência contra as Mulheres do European Women’s Lobby;

— Alejandra Agudo, jornalista do El País

— a organizadora, Beatriz Becerra, deputada europeia.

No final, houve um debate com a assistência que enchia a sala, e onde se contavam vários deputados

europeus, e fiz uma intervenção em resposta a questões que me foram colocadas por oito assistentes.

Assembleia da República, 20 de Novembro de 2014.

O Deputado do PSD, José Mendes Bota.

ANEXO A

Speech by Mr. Mendes Bota, vice-president of the Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

Committee, about report THE EARL OF DUNDEE (doc. 13539), about “Measuring and fostering the well-

being of European citizens”

Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly

of the Council of Europe

Brussels, 18th November 2014

Successive global crises in various domains have exposed the limits of our current development model. The

weak link is our insufficient consideration of human aspirations for well-being and of critical resources for

progress in society. Many essential aspects of life, such as health (physical and mental) and work, are not

given enough priority in our member States' policies.

Gaps therefore keep widening between and within European countries in terms of prosperity, subjective

well-being and popular support for policies. The key challenge for politicians is to rebuild trust and better

respond to people's demands. Hence they need to be better equipped with reliable information on what

genuinely matters for the people and the planet. Smart policy choices require smart data, so as to shape better

lives for the present generation and the ones of the future.

We know that many common measurements — such as the GDP and the Human Development Index — do

not deliver a full picture on well-being, notably its subjective dimension. One of the new means — Better Life

Index (elaborated by the OECD) — fares much better: it makes a real difference as a comprehensive tool and

deserves our support. It should be promoted across all of Europe, in particular beyond the OECD countries, in

complementarity with any existing national initiatives.

Council of Europe member States should also consider carrying out national audits on the implementation of

social and environmental rights for different population groups. This modernisation of the way we measure and

drive changes in society requires strong political impulse from national parliaments and this Parliamentary

Assembly.