Mrs Anne Brasseur, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said recently at the opening of the meeting of the Committee of the PACE, in Sofia (Bulgaria) that "Migration is not a threat to our democracies"because the real threats "are intolerance and hatred".
The European official said: "Our common goal must be to fight against terrorism, not to fight against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers".
She added that "2015 should be a year of festivities to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights and the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Act » but « unfortunately, there is little reason to celebrate when the threat of terrorism and attacks to the very roots of democracy and core values are embodied in the Council of Europe ".
For Mrs Brasseur Europe « must unite to defend democracy ». And this can be only achieved if the Council overcomes political divisions and focuses on the root causes of extremism and radicalization : « We must denounce hatred, discrimination and intolerance and reaffirm the values of living together ».
Mrs Brasseur, also called on national parliaments to ratify the Additional Protocol to the Convention of the Council of Europe for the prevention of terrorism, a "powerful instrument in the framework of our joint response to all aspiring terrorists."
with MAP