MALTESE DELEGATION TO ATTEND PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE IN STRASBOURG

A parliamentary delegation, led by the Hon John Vella, MP, and comprising the Hon Michael Asciak, MP and the Hon Joe Debono Grech, MP, will be attending the second part of the 2001 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The session will be held in Strasbourg between the 23rd and 27th April 2001.

Mr Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe and Mr Mircea Geoan'?, Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania, will address the Assembly.

Amongst the subjects on the agenda are:

- Europe's fight against economic and transitional organised crime: progress or retreat;

- the opinion on the Council of Europe draft Convention on cyber-crime;

- the honouring of obligations and commitments by Ukraine;

- the situation in Kosovo and the neighbouring regions together with the human rights and the rule of law in Kosovo, the humanitarian situation of returnees to Kosovo and the cultural situation in Kosovo;

- the protection of the human genome by the Council of Europe;

- the Opinion on the draft additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine on transplantation of organs and tissues of human origin;

- the freedom of expression and information in the media in Europe;

- fifteen years after Chernobyl: financing a lasting solution;

- the situation in the Middle East; and

- the demographic change and sustainable development.

The reports by Hon Michael Asciak, rapporteur of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, on the protection of the human genome and on the draft additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, on transplantation of organs and tissues of human origin, will be discussed during this Session.