Safety in the stadia, the prevention of incidents, but also respect for individual freedoms, are at the centre of a meeting to be held in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Thursday 22 April. The organization, which comprises 45 countries throughout the continent, has organized a debate between the Portuguese security forces, the UEFA leadership and the organizers of “Euro 2004”, the European football championships due to begin in Portugal on 12 June and continue to the end of the same month. The aim of the exchange is to prevent disturbances inside and outside the stadia, maintain public order, ensure ticket availability and facilitate the reception of spectators. The spring session of the Assembly of the Council of Europe is due to be held in the following week, from 26 to 30 April. The order of the day comprises the examination of the situation of human rights in Belarus, respect for the human rights commitments assumed by Turkey and Albania, the situation in Kosovo after the recent bloodshed, and the evaluation of the membership application by the Principality of Monaco. A dossier on the problem of euthanasia will also be subjected to scrutiny. The Council’s assembly comprises 626 members, nominated by the national parliaments. It is chaired by the Austrian Peter Schieder; the main European political “families” are all represented in it.
