Since its establishment at the Center for properly
trained to deal with litigation the Study of Democracy in 1993, the
issues in the Court. In February, in cooper-Information Centre on
the Council of action with the Ministry of Justice, the Europe in
Sofia has become a focal point Information Centre organized a
training for the Council activities in Bulgaria. Five session for
the office of the agent of the years later the Information Centre
is a pro-active facilitator of cooperation between local
institutions and theCouncil of Europe and a pertner to many
government agencies inolved in Council activities. Below are some
of the highleghts of 1998.
In 1998, the increasing number of cases brought
against Bulgaria in the European Court of Human Rights in
Strasbourg necessitated that government agents be properly trained
to deal with litigation issues in the Court. In February, in the
cooperaion with the Ministry of Justice, the Inormation Centre
organized a traininga session for the office of the agent of the
Bulgarian government before the organs of the European Convention
on Human Rights. Guests included representatives of these offices
in France, Germany, Italy and the Human Rights Directorate of the
Council of Europe.
In April, the Information Centre held a seminar on
the case law of the European Convention on Human Rights, with
representatives of the judiciary, the prosecution and other legal
experts. It was a follow-up of a conference held earlier in
December 1997 which reviewed the legal practice in Bulgaria since
the ratification of the Convention.
1998 Print Releases
Translations
- Human Rights and Their Protection under
International Law - A Pamphlet for Police.
- Resolution (97) 10 Rules Adopted by The
Committee of Ministers on the Monitoring Arraignments under
Articles 24 to 26 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of
National Minorities
- Outline for Reports to be submitted pursuant
Article 25 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of
National Minorities
- Introduction to the Framework Convention for
the Protection of National Minorities
- Ethical Review of biomedical Research in
Europe
- Gender Mainstreaming: Conceptual Framework,
Methodology and Presentation of Good Practice
- 4th European Ministerial Conference on
Equality between Women and Men (Istanbul, 13-14 November 1997).
Declarations and Resolutions.
- Convention for the Protection of the
Architectural Heritage of Europe and Explanatory Report. European
Treaty Series No 121
- European Convention for the Protection of the
Archaeological Heritage (revised) and Explanatory Report. European
Treaty Series No 143
- European Charter for the Architectural
Heritage
Publications
- Murdoc, J.L.Article 5 of the European Convention on
Human Rights - The protection of liberty and security of person.
Council of Europe Human Rights Files No.12
- Grotrean, A. Article 6 of the European Convention
on Human Rights - The right to a fair trial. Council of Europe
Human Rights Files No.13
- Eissen, M.-A. The length of civil and criminal
proceedings in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.
Council of Europe Human Rights Files No.16
- "The Council of Europe - Activities and
Achievements"
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The Information Centre facilitated the input of the
Council of Europe Secretariat to the workshop organized by the Law
Reform Program in May on establishing the Ombudsman in Bulgaria. In
coordination with the Human Rights Directorate of the Council of
Europe, representatives of the Ombudsman offices of Hungary and
Denmark were invited to and participated in the conference. The
Council of Europe has considerable experience in facilitating the
cooperation among member states' Ombudsmen as an instrument of
encouraging democratic stability, particularly in the countries in
transition.
Traditionally, the Information Centre is involved in the Europe in
School competitions in Bulgaria. In May, in cooperation with the
Portuguese Embassy in Sofia, the Information Centre held a meeting
for school teachers and students and presented the awards to the
winners in the national competition Europe in School which aims to
promote European values in school. In May, Helsinki hosted the
Human Dignity and Social Exclusion (HDSE) Project Conference of the
Council of Europe. HDSE Project was launched by the Council of
Europe in 1995, inviting governments and non-governmental
organizations, other international organizations, both sides of
industry, and foundations to work together in order to establish
concrete principles for successful action to combat poverty and
social exclusion. The Helsinki Conference provided a platform to
present the first Pan-European Report on Poverty and Social
Exclusion. Bulgaria was represented at the conference by MPs,
officials from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the
Information Centre on the Council of Europe in Sofia.
The Council of Europe Information Centre in Sofia
was one of the coorganizers of the conference Human Rights in
Bulgaria 1998, organized jointly with the mission of the United
Nations Development Programme, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and
the Human Rights Committee of the National Assembly. The conference
discussed a comprehensive agenda of human rights from the role of
the Ombudsman to corruption as a violation of human rights.
In 1998, Bulgaria was still under a monitoring procedure by the
Committee on Honoring the Obligations by the member states of the
Council of Europe, which monitors compliance with the European
Convention on Human Rights. The mission of Mr. Atkinson, British MP
and Mr. Gjelerod, Danish MP, co-rapporteurs for Bulgaria to the
Committee took place in June. The Information Centre facilitated
the input of non-governmental orgardzations to the report prepared
by the rapporteurs. The report by the co-rapporteurs was published
in September and generated considerable media interest.
In November, the Information Centre on the Council of Europe,
Sofia cooperated with Centre Europeen d'Aide a la Vie Associative
(CEAVA) in organizing a training session for Bulgarian NGOs on
Council of Europe and European Union assistance and cooperation
programs for the non-profit sector. Due to the considerable
interest among NGOs in the country, this training session will be
followed up in 1999 by a training seminar in another Bulgarian
city. From the very beginning of the establishment of Coalition
2000 (see Section I), the Information Centre on the Council of
Europe in Sofia was invited to participate and provide liaison with
the Council of Europe.
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