PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION ATTENDS PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

A parliamentary delegation led by Hon John Vella, MP and including the Hon Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, MP, Hon John Attard Montalto, MP and Hon Joe Debono Grech, MP, will be attending the fourth part of the 2000 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to be held in Strasbourg between the 25th and 29th September 2000.

This session will be addressed by various personalities, including Mr Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Republic of Italy, Mr Gerhard Schr'�der, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Adrian Severin, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE, Mr Jaime Matas, Minister for the Environment of Spain and Mr Stjepan Mesic, President of the Republic of Croatia.

Amongst the subjects to be discussed during the next part session, are:

Lack of water resources and agriculture;

Creation of a hydrotechnical euro-Mediterranean institute of the Council of Europe;

Sharing water resources management data on Internet – role of the Council of Europe

Honouring of obligations and commitments by Croatia;

Situation of lesbians and gays in Council of Europe member states;

Arrival of asylum seekers at European airports;

Impact of new technologies on labour legislation;

Demographic change and sustainable development;

The United Nations at the turn of the new century;

Conflict in the Chechen Republic – recent development;

Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union;

Accidents with consequences on the environment; and

Protection and management of the Danube Basin.

The members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will discuss the OECD and world economy during which discussion Mr Donald Johnston, Secretary General of OECD, will make a statement.

During the session there will also be a communication from the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary Assembly presented by Mr Umberto Ranieri, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Italy and Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Ministers.