The state of democracy in Turkey and China: both are on the agenda of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) which will be gathering in its plenary session in the Strasbourg HQ from today to Friday June 27th. The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs has been asked to attend an "urgent debate", but the delegates of the 47 members of the CoE will not fail to discuss democratic rules and fundamental freedoms in China in the run-up to the Olympic Games. However, PACE will also look inside the borders and invited some experts to take part in a so-called "special" debate on the "state of democracy in Europe". Guest speakers will include Wolf Lepenies ("Specific challenges of the European democracies: the case of diversity and migration"), Jan Niessen ("Measures to improve democratic participation of migrants!), Miklos Marschall ("The operation of democratic institutions in Europe"). Other experts will go to the Palais de l’Europe, including the Serbian president Boris Tadi_, who will speak on June 26th. Other points on the agenda: "More space to women in a modern, multicultural society" and "Abandonment of children at birth".” ” ” “
