Albania ratifies two Council of Europe Conventions
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 18:42:19 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: Albania ratifies two Council of Europe Conventions
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Nicola Markes-Goerlach
<[email protected]>
Albania ratifies two Council of Europe Conventions
Please find below a press release we would like to share with MINELRES
subscribers.
Albania ratifies two Council of Europe Conventions
STRASBOURG, 28.09.99 - Albania today ratified the Convention on
Spectator Violence and Misbehaviour at Sports Events and in particular
at Football Matches and the Framework Convention for the Protection of
National Minorities. Ambassador Fotaq ANDREA, Permanent Representative
of Albania to the COUNCIL OF EUROPE, handed the instruments of
ratification of these texts to Walter SCHWIMMER, Secretary General of
the Organisation.
1. The Convention on Spectator Violence and Misbehaviour at Sports
Events and in particular at Football Matches
The Convention sets out a series of binding measures including: close
co-operation between police forces involved, prosecution of offenders
and application of appropriate penalties, strict control of ticket
sales, severe restrictions on the sale of alcoholic drinks,
appropriate design and physical fabric of stadia to prevent violence
and allow effective crowd safety, etc.
It is already in force in the followind States : Austria, Belgium,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland,
France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia",
Turkey, the United Kingdom, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
Convention has also been signed by: Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania and
Malta.
It will enter into force for Albania on 1st November 1999.
2. The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Opened for signature on 1 February 1995 this text is the first legally
binding multilateral instrument for the protection of national
minorities. It is already in force in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Norway,
Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland,
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Ukraine, the United
Kingdom as well as Armenia. It has also been signed by Greece,
Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal and Sweden.
It will enter into force for Albania on 1st January 2000.
For more information:
The Framework Convention sets out the principles to be respected and
implemented by the States Parties. They thereby undertake:
* to combat discrimination,
* to promote full and effective equality, between national minorities
and the majority,
* to promote the conditions necessary to preserve and develop the
culture and safeguard the identity of national minorities, their
language, religion and tradition,
* to afford persons belonging to national minorities freedom of
peaceful assembly, freedom of association, freedom of expression and
freedom of thought, conscience and religion,
* to ensure the right to access to and use of the media,
in the field of linguistic freedoms
* to allow the use of the minority language in private and in public,
as well as in dealings with administrative authorities,
* to recognise the right to use one's name in the minority language,
* to recognise the right to display information of a private nature
visible to the public in the minority language,
* to make efforts to display topographical indications in the
minority language,
in the field of education,
* to provide opportunities for learning a minority language and for
receiving instruction in this language,
* to recognise the creation of educational and training
establishments,
* not to hinder transfrontier contacts,
* to foster transfrontier and international co-operation,
* to encourage participation in economic, cultural and social life,
* to promote participation in public affairs,
* to prohibit forced assimilation.
Implementation
The Convention includes a monitoring mechanism, whereby the Committee
of Ministers, assisted by an Advisory Committee composed of
independent experts, evaluates the adequacy of the Convention's
implementation. The States Parties will be obliged to present, within
one year after the entry into force of the Convention, a report
containing full information on legislative and other measures taken to
give effect to the Convention. Moreover, each Party shall thereafter
submit a report every five years and whenever the Committee of
Ministers so requests. The reports of the States and the conclusions
of the Committee of Ministers will be made public.
Non-member states may also be invited to accede to Framework
Convention.
A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works
to promote democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops
common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 41
member states.
Press Contact
Christiane Dennemeyer, Council of Europe Press Service
Tel. +33 3 88 41 25 63 - Fax. +33 3 88 41 27 89
E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
------------
Nicola Markes-Goerlach
Council of Europe
Directorate of Human Rights
Minorities Unit
F-67075 Strasbourg-Cedex
[email protected]
Tel: 00 33 - (0)3 90 21 44 33
Fax: 00 33 - (0)3 88 41 27 93
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