renditions; 212. Calls on European countries to support the rapid adoption by the UN General Assembly of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons Against Enforced Disappearance, adopted on 29 June 2006 by the UN Human Rights Council; 213. Believes that, in providing for the adequate interpretation and enforcement of the UN Convention Against Torture, all European countries should ensure that their definition of torture is in accordance with Article 1 of the Convention and that, moreover, the obligations relating to the prohibition of torture are also fulfilled with respect to other acts of cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment referred to in Article 16 of the Convention; considers that all European countries should ensure that Article 3 of the Convention is properly enforced, in particular in relation to the activities of their secret services; 214. States that, given that the protection against refoulement is higher under the ECHR than under the Convention against Torture, European countries should ensure in any event the protection afforded by the ECHR; recalls, in this context, that the principle of nonrefoulement is also recognised by the Court of Justice of the European Communities; 215. Calls on all European countries to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and establish independent national mechanisms to monitor places of detention; emphasises the need to ensure that all such procedures used by the different international conventions on human rights are compatible; 216. Takes the view that the CPT should be granted access without delay or obstruction to any place of detention within the European countries, including foreign military bases, and provided with all relevant information concerning such detention, and that, to this end, any bilateral agreements that restrict the access of the CPT should be revised; 217. Urges all European countries to comply with the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; 218. Believes that the European Union should encourage all third countries to become party to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and to the Convention on Enforced Disappearances; 219. Asks European countries to establish clear rules that provide for the possibility of State immunity being waived where illegal actions violate human rights; Administrative recommendations (at EU level) 220. Takes the view that all internal services within the Council (inter alia, the Policy Unit and the Joint Situation Centre) and the Commission (the Crisis Management and Conflict Prevention Unit in the Directorate-General for External Relations and relevant services in the Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security), should be strengthened in the framework of the implementation of the EU Security Strategy and the counter-terrorism strategy in close cooperation with all Member States, and that their cooperation with each other, as well as with Member States, be clearly regulated RR\382246XM.doc 31/77 PE 382.246v02-00 XM