1 On 7 October 2011, the Bureau appointed me rapporteur for this report. Since the last part-session of the Assembly, the Bureau has met in Edinburgh on 24 November 2011 and Paris on 12 December 2011. The Standing Committee also met in Edinburgh on 25 November 2011.

2 In line with my predecessors, this progress report covers the period outside of Assembly sessions, leaving aside the decisions which have already been ratified by the Assembly. Thus, the first part of this report presents the Bureau’s activities since the part-session of October 2011 up until the January 2012 part-session. The activities of the Standing Committee of 25 November are presented in Chapter 3 of this report.

3 The Bureau will hold its next meetings on Monday 23 January 2012 at 8 a.m. and Friday 27 January 2012 at 8.30 a.m. (in Strasbourg, during the 1st part-session), then on 8 March 2012 in Paris. The next meeting of the Standing Committee will also be held in Paris on 9 March 2012.

2 Activities of the Bureau since the last part-session

2.1 Follow-up to the 4th Part of the 2011 Ordinary Session (Strasbourg, 3-7 October 2011)

4 On 7 October, the Bureau approved the proposals made by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly as regards:

Resolution 1830 (2011) Request for Partner for Democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly submitted by the Palestinian National Council: the Bureau noted that the Palestinian National Council would be formally invited to appoint a “Partner for Democracy” delegation consisting of three representatives and three substitutes in accordance with Rule 60.4 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure, in time for the 1st Part Session of 2012.
Resolution 1831 (2011) Co-operation between the Council of Europe and the emerging democracies in the Arab world: the Bureau asked the President of the Assembly to send a letter to the six Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe member states also members of the United Nations Security Council mentioned in paragraph 10 (France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany and Portugal), inviting them to support the Palestinian formal request to join the United Nations as a full member state. It invited the Presidential Committee to raise with the Bureau of the Committee of Ministers the desirability of convening a summit of heads of state and government of the democracies of Europe and the southern Mediterranean to discuss co-operation between the Council of Europe and the emerging democracies in the Arab countries in Europe’s neighbourhood.
Resolution 1832 (2011) National sovereignty and statehood in contemporary international law: the need for clarification: the Bureau asked the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly to address a letter to the competent bodies of the United Nations in order to draw their attention to paragraph 8.5 of the Resolution.
Resolution 1836 (2011) The impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the Council of Europe: the Bureau took note of the fact that the attention of committees would be drawn to the decision of the Assembly to further enhance its relations with the European Parliament (paragraph 13 of the Resolution).
Resolution 1839 (2011) The political situation in the Balkans:the Bureau invited the Committee for the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States (Monitoring Committee) to follow the situation within the framework of the monitoring procedure of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania.Furthermore, it invited the Political Affairs Committee to follow the situation in the framework of the preparation of its report on the situation in KosovoNote andits Presidential Committee to consider a mission in the region to intensify the dialogue and overcome the tensions.
Meeting on election observation (Strasbourg, 4 October 2011): the Bureaudecided to invite Mrs de Pourbaix-Lundin (Sweden, EPP/CD) to the next meeting of the Bureau in order to present the conclusions of the meeting, which she did on 24 November in Edinburgh.

2.2 Follow-up to Resolution 1822 (2011) on the Reform of the Parliamentary Assembly

5 The Bureau, on 24 November in Edinburgh, took note of the content of a memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Assembly (AS/Bur (2011) 87) and decided to approve the new arrangements for the organisation of part-sessions of the Assembly as from the opening of the January 2012 part-session, in particular the arrangements listed in paragraphs 2 and 5 of the document.

6 At the same meeting, the Bureau also took note of another memorandum by the Secretary General of the Assembly on the implementation of Resolution 1822 (2011) on the reform of the Assembly: “Organisation chart and list of tasks of different entities of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly” (AS/Bur (2011) 88), to enter into force as from 1st January 2012.

2.3 Follow-up to Resolution 1842 (2011) on the terms of reference of Parliamentary Assembly committees – implementation of Resolution 1822 (2011) on the reform of the Parliamentary Assembly

7 At its meeting on 12 December 2011 in Paris, the Bureau approved the proposals contained in a memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Assembly (AS/Bur (2011) 104), in particular those concerning modifications of the references to Committees (Appendix 1 of the document AS/Bur (2011) 104), the appointment of rapporteurs (paragraph 5), the presentation of reports (paragraph 6) and the mandate of general rapporteurs (Appendix 2).

2.4 Expenditure of the Parliamentary Assembly for the 2012 financial year

8 The Bureau took note of the Council of Europe’s General Budget 2012-2013, the contributions of member States to the general budget and partial agreements, the contribution country by country, as well as the detailed appropriations allocated to the Assembly for 2012.

2.5 Ad hoc committees of the Bureau for the observation of elections and referenda

9 On 24 November in Edinburgh, the Bureau approved the report of the meeting of the Chairpersons of Ad Hoc committees for the observation of elections held on 4 October, and invited the Secretariat to prepare revised Guidelines on the observation of elections by the Assembly as proposed by the meeting.

10 On 12 December, the Brueau took note of the schedule of elections in 2012.

2.5.1 Presidential election in Bulgaria (23 and 30 October 2011)

11 On 24 November, the Bureau approved the report of the ad hoc Committee.

2.5.2 Election of a National Constituent Assembly of Tunisia (23 October 2011)

12 On 24 November, the Bureau approved the report of the ad hoc Committee.

13 On 12 December, the Bureau decided to send a post-electoral mission to Tunisia before the next part-session, and to constitute an ad hoc Committee for this purpose composed of one member from each political group, as follows: EPP/CD: Mr Gardetto; SOC: Mr Gross; EDG: Mr Chope; ALDE: Ms Brasseur; UEL: Mr Lecoq.

2.5.3 Presidential election in the Kyrgyz Republic (30 October 2011)

14 On 24 November, the Bureau approved the report of the ad hoc Committee.

2.5.4 Parliamentary elections in Morocco (25 November 2011)

15 The Bureau, on 7 October, approved the composition of the ad hoc Committee for the observation of these elections and appointed Mr Tomáš Jirsa (Czech Republic, EDG) as Chairperson of the ad hoc committee.

16 The ad hoc committee carried out a pre-electoral mission to Morocco from 9-12 November 2011. At its following meeting on 24 November, the Bureau took note of the related press release issued by the ad hoc committee.

17 At its meeting on 12 December, the Bureau took note of the press release of the ad hoc Committee which observed the elections.

2.5.5 Parliamentary elections in the Russian Federation (4 December 2011)

18 The pre-electoral mission to the Russian Federation took place on 8-11 November 2011. On 24 November, the Bureau took note of the related press release by the ad hoc committee.

19 At its following meeting, the Bureau took note of the press release of the ad hoc Committee, which observed the elections and of an oral report by the Chairperson of the ad hoc Committee. It decided to send a post-electoral mission to Moscow before the next part-session and to constitute an ad hoc Committee for this purpose composed of one member from each political group, as follows: EPP/CD: Ms de Pourbaix-Lundin; SOC: Mr Saar; EDG: Mr Vaksdal; ALDE: Mr Rigoni, UEL: Mr Kox, as well as the two Rapporteurs on the Russian Federation of the Monitoring Committee, Mr Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD) and Mr Gross (Switzerland, SOC).

2.5.6 Early parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan (15 January 2012)

20 On 24 November, the Bureau decided to observe these elections and to constitute an ad hoc Committee for this purpose composed of 11 members in accordance with the D’Hondt system (EPP/CD: 3, SOC: 3; EDG: 2, ALDE: 2, UEL: 1).

21 On 12 December, the Bureau approved the list of members and appointed Ms Papadimitriou (Greece, EPP/CD) as Chairperson.

2.5.7 Russian Federation: presidential election (4 March 2012)

22 On 12 December, the Bureau decided - in principle and subject to the reception of an invitation by the competent authorities of the Russian Federation - to observe the presidential election in the Russian Federation on 4 March 2012. It constituted an ad hoc Committee for this purpose composed of 30 members, in accordance with the D’Hondt system (EPP/CD: 11, SOC: 9; EDG: 5, ALDE: 4, UEL: 1) and authorised a pre-electoral mission to take place approximately one month ahead of the election.

2.6 Ad Hoc Committee of the Bureau on recent detentions, prosecutions and convictions of members of the opposition in Belarus

23 On 7 October, the Bureau approved and declassified the report of the ad hoc committee.

2.7 Issues raised by committees

2.7.1 Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs

24 The Bureau approved the declaration by the Bureau on the occasion of the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban (South Africa), 29 November – 9 December 2011.

2.7.2 Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee)

25 On 7 October, the Bureautook note of the letters from Mr Marty, Chairperson of the Committee, of 4 and 5 October 2011 and from Mr Seyidov, Chairperson of the national delegation of Azerbaijan, of 3 October 2011 concerning the co-operation of the Azerbaijani delegation with the Rapporteur on Revisiting the issue of political prisoners, and asked the President to send a letter to Mr Seyidov informing him of the Bureau’s position on the contents of his letter.

2.7.3 Political Affairs Committee

26 The Bureau authorisedMr Toshev (Bulgaria, EPP/CD) to attend the conference on “the future of Christians in the Middle East” in Beirut (Lebanon), on 18-19 November 2011, and took note of the fact-finding visit by Mr von Sydow (Sweden, SOC) in Kosovo during the first week of November 2011, in the framework of the preparation of his report on the situation in Kosovo.

27 The Bureau took note of the recent arrest of three members of the Turkish Cypriot community for “conspiring to have a sexual intercourse against the order of nature” and decided that the elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot Community will be approached on this matter.

2.7.4 Ad hoc Committee of the Bureau to participate in the Conference on “Women as drivers of change in the Mediterranean” (Rome, 24 and 25 October 2011)

28 The Bureau took note of the oral report from the Chairperson of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.

2.7.5 Debate on the state of democracy in Europe

29 The Bureau decided that the next Assembly debate on the state of democracy in Europe foreseen for June 2012, should be devoted to: “Democracy at risk: role of citizens and the state today” and that the reports on “crisis of democracy and role of the state in today’s Europe” and on “the rise of populist movements in Europe and its danger for democracy” be the subject of a joint debate on this occasion.

2.7.6 Living Together in 21st-century Europe: follow up to the report of the Group of Eminent Persons of the Council of Europe

30 The Bureau, on 24 November, took note of the information document approved by the Political Affairs Committee on Assembly Recommendation 1975 (2011) on “Living Together in 21st-century Europe: follow up to the report of the Group of Eminent Persons of the Council of Europe” and approved the proposed action contained in it.

31 On 12 December, it took note of three information documents presented respectively by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, the Committee on Culture, Science and Education and the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee concerning the proposals for action requested by the Bureau further to Recommendation 1975 (2011): Living together in 21st century Europe: follow-up to the report of the Group of Eminent Persons of the Council of Europe and approved the action proposed in these three documents.

3 Communications

32 The Bureau took note of communications by the President, the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, as well as by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly at each of its meetings.

3.1 References and transmissions to committees

3.1.1 References approved by the Bureau

33 On 7 October, the Bureau approved the following references, which were ratified by the Assembly:

Doc 12704, motion for a resolution, Frontex and human rights implications of Europe’s border security, to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for report and to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for opinion;
Doc. 12587, motion for a resolution, Criteria for the definition of a political prisoner, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for information.

34 On 24 November, the Bureau approved the following references, which were ratified by the Standing Committee:

Doc 12737, motion for a resolution, Role of NGOs in countering nationalism, migrantophobia and xenophobia in Europe, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report;
Doc 12740, motion for a resolution, Securing decent work for all, to the Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee for report;
Doc 12749, motion for a resolution, Keeping political and criminal responsibility separate, to Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report and to the Political Affairs Committee for opinion;
Doc 12752, motion for a recommendation, Revision of the European Convention on transfrontier broadcasting, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report and to the Committee on Culture, Science and Education for opinion;
Doc 12754, motion for a resolution, Strengthening the mechanism for the disclosure of conflicts of interest in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs for report;
Doc 12759, motion for a resolution, Restoring social justice through a tax on financial transactions, to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development for report;
the Bureau decided to refer the request for partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly submitted by the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Political Affairs Committee for report and to the Committees on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for Women and Men for opinion.

35 On 12 December, the Bureau approved the following references, subject to ratification by the Assembly:

Doc. 12763, motion for a resolution, Developing advanced drug policies: the example of drug-checking, to the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee for information;
Doc. 12770, motion for a resolution, Vukovar 1991 – 2011, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for information;
Doc. 12771, motion for a resolution, Effective and fair returns of irregular migrants and failed asylum seekers to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for report;
Doc. 12772, motion for a resolution, Human rights as the ethical reference in a global economy, to the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee to be taken into account in the preparation of the report on “Unfair economic competition by third countries: social dumping” (Doc. 12269, Ref. 3693);
Doc. 12773, motion for a resolution, Protecting patients’ rights: preventing unnecessary medical treatment, to the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee for information;
Doc. 12790, motion for a resolution, Political transition in Tunisia, to the Political Affairs Committee for report;
Bureau decision, follow-up to the current affairs debate, The young generation sacrificed: political, social, economic and other consequences of the financial crisis, to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report and to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for opinion.

36 The Assembly is invited to ratify these references.

3.1.2 Requests for modification of references

37 On 7 October, the Bureau approved the following modifications, ratified by the Assembly:

Doc. 12327, motion for a resolution, Muslim Women in Europe: for Equal Opportunities (Ref. 3706 of 4 October 2010, modified on 8 October 2010 – validity: 8 October 2012), to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men for report and to the Committee on Culture, Science and Education and the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for opinion

38 The Assembly is invited to ratify these references.

3.1.3 Requests for extension of references

39 On 7 October, the Bureau approved the following extension of reference, which was ratified by the Standing Committee:

Doc. 12049, motion for a recommendation, Preventing natural disasters (Ref. 3616 of 20 November 2009 - validity: 20 November 2011), extension until 31 May 2012.

40 On 24 November, the Bureau extended its reference of Measures to improve the democratic character of elections in Council of Europe member states for report (Ref. 3629 of 25 January 2010) until 30 June 2012.

41 On 12 December, the Bureau approved the following extension of references:

Doc. 12115, motion for a recommendation, Jewish cemeteries (Ref. 3641 - validity: 29 January 2012), extension until 30 June 2012;
Doc. 12077, motion for a recommendation, Access to and protection of the audiovisual cultural heritage, (Ref. 3627 of 25 January 2010 - validity: 25 January 2012), extension until 30 June 2012.

3.2 Assembly representatives for official activities

42 The proposals approved during the reference period are contained in Appendix I.

3.3 Apportionment of the allocation to political groups for 2012

43 On 12 December, the Bureau approved the proposal for the apportionment of the allocation.

3.4 Relations with other bodies of the Council of Europe

3.4.1 Election of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

44 The term in office of the present Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe (DSG) will come to an end on 31 August 2012. On 7 October, the Bureau approved the timetable foreseen for the election of the new DSG and invited the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly to transmit this timetable to the Committee of Ministers. The Bureau returned to this subject at its meeting in Paris on 12 December, where it considered the letter from the Secretary General of the Council of Europe of 1 December 2011 and agreed to proposals to amend the draft job description/ competence framework of the DSG and to reduce the term of office of the DSG to be elected in 2012 to three years. The Bureau will review the draft job description/competence framework at its meeting on 23 January and its decision will appear as an addendum in Part II of this progress report

3.4.2 European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)

45 The Bureau took note of the lists of candidates for the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) in respect of Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Cyprus, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Romania, San Marino, Serbia with a view to their transmission to the Committee of Ministers.

3.4.3 Forum for the Future of Democracy (Cyprus, 13-14 October 2011)

46 With regard to the Forum for the Future of Democracy (Cyprus, 13-14 October 2011), the Bureau took note of the conclusions of the Forum.

3.5 Relations with European Union institutions

3.5.1 Co-operation with the European Parliament

47 On 12 December, the Bureau took note of the report by the President of the Assembly.

3.6 Relations with non-member states

3.6.1 Request by the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic for “partner for democracy status”

48 The Bureau took note of the request by the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic for “partner for democracy status” and decided to refer this request to the Political Affairs Committee for report as well as to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men for opinion.

3.7 Other business

49 During the reference period, the Bureau approved statements on terrorist acts in Norway and Turkey, on the situation in Syria and Egypt and on the sentence handed down on Mr Bialatski in Belarus, and adopted a Declaration in the framework of the International day for the elimination of violence against women (25 November).

50 It approved the composition of the Ad hoc Committee of the Bureau to participate in the conference on “Women as drivers of change in the Mediterranean” in Rome on 24 and 25 October 2011 and added Ms Karin Woldseth (Norway, EDG) and Ms Katrin Werner (Germany, UEL) to the list of members proposed by the ad hoc Committee.

51 The Bureau took note of the composition of the Ad hoc Sub-Committee of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights on “the situation of Roma in Bulgaria”.

52 With regard to the composition of the Committees, the Bureau appointed, on the basis of proposals by the political groups, Mr Jordi Xuclà (Spain, ALDE) to replace Mr Andrej Zernovski (“The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, ALDE) in the Monitoring Committee and Ms Liliana Palihovici (Moldova, EPP/CD) to replace Mr Erol Aslan Cebeci (Turkey, EPP/CD), Mr Tuğrul Türkeş (Turkey, EDG) to replace Mr Etruğrul Kumcuoğlu (Turkey, EDG), Mr Hans Franken (Netherlands, EPP/CD) to replace Mrs Marie-Louise Bemelmans-Videc (Netherlands, EPP/CD) and Mr Davit Harutyunyan (Armenia, EDG) to replace Mr Ali Huseynli (Azerbaijan, EDG) in the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs. These appointments were ratified by the Standing Committee.

53 The Bureau authorised the external meetings appearing in Appendix II.

54 It also took note of the new dates of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament to be held in Strasbourg on 20‑21 September 2012.

55 Finally, the Bureau agreed that several former Presidents of the Assembly and the former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ms Lalumière, be invited to attend the election of the next President of the Assembly on 23 January 2012.

4 Activities of the Standing Committee (Edinburgh, 25 November 2011)

56 The Standing Committee held an exchange of views with the Rt Hon David Lidington MP, Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom.

57 The Standing Committee held a current affairs debate on “The young generation sacrificed: political, economic, social and other consequences of the financial crisis”

58 It ratified the credentials of new members of the Assembly submitted by Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Italy and the Netherlands and approved the changes in the composition of Assembly committees (as contained in paragraph 50).

59 The Standing Committee took note of the reports of the Ad hocCommittees of the Bureau on the “Observation of the election of a National Constituent Assembly in Tunisia (23 October 2011)”; the “Observation of the presidential election in Bulgaria (23 and 30 October 2011)” and the “Observation of the presidential election in the Kyrgyz Republic (30 October 2011)”;

60 Moreover, the Standing Committee adopted a declaration on ‘”Freedom from violence should be the first human right” in the framework of the International day for the elimination of violence against women (25 November 2011).

61 The Standing Committee adopted, on behalf of the Assembly, the texts listed in Appendix III. It ratified the references as listed in paragraph 35 of this report.

5 Gender equality in the functioning of the AssemblyNote

62 Endorsing a proposal made by the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, at its meeting in Strasbourg on 15 April 2011 the Bureau decided to publish statistics on the gender breakdown of Assembly positions and to produce an annual report on progress in achieving gender equality in the functioning of the Assembly. The statistics are annexed in Appendix IV.

63 The present chapter represents the first implementation of the Bureau’s decision. It will limit itself to taking stock of the situation, as in the absence of systematic data collected in the past, it is not possible at this stage to measure trends, whether positive or negative.

64 The statistics highlight that women are under-represented in all Assembly positions.

65 As regards overall Assembly membership, women represent 30% of the total. They are slightly better represented amongst Substitutes (31%) than amongst Representatives (29%).

66 In January 2011, the credentials of the national parliamentary delegations of Montenegro, San Marino and Serbia were challenged on the basis of Rule 6.2a of the Assembly’s Rules of procedure, which require that ‘national delegations should include members of the under-represented sex at least in the same percentage as in their parliaments and, at a very minimum, one member of the under-represented sex apppointed as representative’. In the Resolution 1789 (2011) which ensued, the Assembly decided to ratify the credentials of the three delegations but to suspend the voting rights of its members in the Assembly with effect from the beginning of the April 2011 part-session. The membership of the three delegations concerned was revised prior to the April session, with the result that the irregularity was redressed and the sanction was not applied.

67 The majority of national delegations (29) comply with Resolution 1585 (2007) on Gender equality principles in the Parliamentary Assembly, which urges them ‘to ensure at least a 30% representation of women’.

68 Women’s underrepresentation is confirmed as regards the Assembly’s main leadership positions, such as presidency (0%), vice-presidency (15%), Presidential Committee (17%) and Bureau of the Assembly (19%).

69 At Committee level, women represent 20% of Chairpersons and 28% of Committees’ Bureau members. However, as of July 2011, two Committees had women and men equally represented in their bureaux (the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee and the Committee on Culture, Science and Education).

70 Women are slighly better represented as alternates (32%) as opposed to members (31%) in Committees. 37% of Rapporteurs for report and 32% of Rapporteurs for opinion are women. Again, some Committees (the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee, the Committee on Culture, Science and Education, and theCommittee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs) are above average in ensuring a balanced representation of women and men in this important task, which is not only at the core of the work of the Assembly but also contributes to the media and political visibility of the person concerned, in the Assembly itself. The only Committee in which men are underrepresented – as members, alternates, Bureau members and rapporteurs – is the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.

Appendix 1 – Appointments of Assembly Representatives for official activities

The Bureau approved the following appointments:

a Ms Elsa Papadimitriou (Greece, EPP/CD), 125th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 16-19 October 2011, Bern, at no cost for the Assembly;

b The Chairperson, or a member of the Italian delegation, according to availability, 6th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), 29 October 2011, Palermo (Italy);

c Mr Oliver Heald (United Kingdom, EDG), “Corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors”, training workshop in the framework of GRECO’s fourth evaluation round, 9 November 2011, Andorra, at no cost for the Assembly;

d Mr Latchezar Toshev (Bulgaria, EPP/CD), “Living together, combining diversity and freedom in 21st century Europe”, 13-14 November 2011, Strasbourg;

e The Chairperson, or a member of the Albanian delegation, according to availability, 38th Plenary Session of the PABSEC, 22-23 November 2011, Tirana, at no cost for the Assembly;

f Ms Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), opening session of the 2011 ‘Exchange on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue’, 28 November 2011, Luxembourg, at no cost for the Assembly;

g Sir Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC), parliamentary meeting on the occasion of the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 5 December 2011, Durban (South Africa).

h Mr Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), OSCE Parliamentary Assembly winter meeting, Vienna, 23‑24 February 2012 at no cost for the Assembly;

i Mr Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring session, Tallinn, 25‑28 May 2012 at no cost for the Assembly;

Appendix 2 – Meetings elsewhere than in Strasbourg and Paris

a Sub-Committee on Local Democracy (of the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs), 3-4 November 2011, Kyiv;

b Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs, 1 December 2011, Vilnius;

Appendix 3 – Texts adopted by the Standing Committee (Edinburgh, 25 November 2011)

Recommendation 1986 (2011)	The Declaration of Principles on Equality and activities of the Council of Europe
Recommendation 1987 (2011)	Combating all forms of discrimination based on religion
Recommendation 1988 (2011)	The underground economy: a threat to democracy, development and the rule of law
Recommendation 1989 (2011)	Granting of participatory status to the international non-governmental organisation ANDANTE
Resolution 1844 (2011)	The Declaration of Principles on Equality and activities of the Council of Europe
Resolution 1845 (2011)	Fundamental rights and responsibilities
Resolution 1846 (2011)	Combating all forms of discrimination based on religion
Resolution 1847 (2011)	The underground economy: a threat to democracy, development and the rule of law
Resolution 1848 (2011)	The challenges faced by small national economies
Resolution 1849 (2011)	Input for local development: an innovative approach for crisis-stricken regions
Resolution 1850 (2011)	What Europe can do for children in the aftermath of natural disasters and crisis situations: the examples of Haiti and Afghanistan
Resolution 1851 (2011)	Armed conflicts and the environment
Resolution 1852 (2011)	Psychological violence
Resolution 1853 (2011)	Protection orders for victims of domestic violence
Resolution 1854 (2011)	Ensuring protection against attacks on a person's honour and reputation

Appendix 4

GENDER BREAKDOWN - COMMITTEES

Committees	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Political Affairs Committee
Members	72	13	85	85%	15%
Alternates	61	24	85	72%	28%
Chairperson	1
Committee Bureau members	4	0	4	100%	0%
Rapporteurs for report	16	2	18	89%	11%
Rapporteurs for opinion	3	1	4	75%	25%
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Members	61	22	83	73%	27%
Alternates	56	20	76	74%	26%
Committee Bureau members	4	0	4	100%	0%
Chairperson	1
Rapporteurs for report	17	6	23	74%	26%
Rapporteurs for opinion	7	0	7	100%	0%
Committee on Economic Affairs and Development
Members	59	22	81	73%	27%
Alternates	61	15	76	80%	20%
Chairperson		1
Committee Bureau members	3	1	4	75%	25%
Rapporteurs for report	6	3	9	67%	33%
Rapporteurs for opinion	4	1	5	80%	20%
Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee
Members	49	34	83	59%	41%
Alternates	43	34	77	56%	44%
Chairperson		1
Committee Bureau members	2	2	4	50%	50%
Rapporteurs for report	5	5	10	50%	50%
Rapporteurs for opinion	4	2	6	67%	33%
Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population
Members	65	18	83	78%	22%
Alternates	54	23	77	70%	30%
Chairperson	1
Committee Bureau members	4	0	4	100%	0%
Rapporteurs for report	4	5	9	44%	56%
Rapporteurs for opinion	4	1	5	80%	20%
Committee on Culture, Science and Education
Members	51	32	83	39%	61%
Alternates	51	26	77	34%	66%
Chairperson	1
Committee Bureau members	2	2	4	50%	50%
Rapporteurs for report	6	10	16	38%	63%
Rapporteurs for opinion	4	1	5	80%	20%
Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs
Members	68	14	82	83%	17%
Alternates	56	19	75	75%	25%
Chairperson	1
Committee Bureau members	3	1	4	75%	25%
Rapporteurs for report	4	5	9	44%	56%
Rapporteurs for opinion	2	1	3	67%	33%
Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men
Members	24	53	77	31%	69%
Alternates	33	38	71	46%	54%
Chairperson	1
Committee Bureau members	1	3	4	25%	75%
Rapporteurs for report	3	7	10	30%	70%
Rapporteurs for opinion	2	7	9	22%	78%
Monitoring Committee
Members	62	21	83	75%	25%
Chairperson	1
Committee Bureau members	2	2	4	50%	50%
Rapporteurs for report	20	8	28	71%	29%
Rapporteurs for opinion	0	0
Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
Members	19	7	26	73%	27%
Chairperson	1
Committee Bureau members	3	0	3	100%	0%
Rapporteurs for report	6	1	7	86%	14%
Rapporteurs for opinion	0	0

GENDER BREAKDOWN, SUB-COMMITTEES, BUREAUX

Committees	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Political Affairs Committee
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	2	0	2	100%	0%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	4	0	4	100%	0%
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	2	2	4	50%	50%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	6	2	8	75%	25%
Committee on Economic Affairs and Development
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	1	1	2	50%	50%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	1	1	2	50%	50%
Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	2	1	2	66,6%	33,3%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	5	1	6	83%	17%
Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	1	2	3	33,3%	66,6%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	2	2	4	50%	50%
Committee on Culture, Science and Education
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	0	3	3	0%	100%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	2	3	5	40%	60%
Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	3	1	4	75%	25%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	6	1	7	86%	14%
Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	0	3	3	0%	100%
Sub-Committee Bureau members	0	6	6	0%	100%

GENDER BREAKDOWN – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS

National Delegations (Representatives and Substitutes)	Total	Men	Women	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Albania	8	5	3	62,5%	37,5%
Andorra	4	2	2	50,0%	50,0%
Armenia	8	5	3	62,5%	37,5%
Austria	12	8	4	66,7%	33,3%
Azerbaijan	12	9	3	75,0%	25,0%
Belgium	14	10	4	71,4%	28,6%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	5	3	2	60,0%	40,0%
Bulgaria	12	10	2	83,3%	16,7%
Croatia	10	6	4	60,0%	40,0%
Cyprus	4	3	1	75,0%	25,0%
Czech Republic	14	8	6	57,1%	42,9%
Denmark	10	6	4	60,0%	40,0%
Estonia	6	4	2	66,7%	33,3%
Finland	10	4	6	40,0%	60,0%
France	36	25	11	69,4%	30,6%
Georgia	10	8	2	80,0%	20,0%
Germany	36	23	13	63,9%	36,1%
Greece	14	9	5	64,3%	35,7%
Hungary	14	12	2	85,7%	14,3%
Iceland	6	3	3	50,0%	50,0%
Ireland	8	6	2	75,0%	25,0%
Italy	36	28	8	77,8%	22,2%
Latvia	6	3	3	50,0%	50,0%
Liechtenstein	4	2	2	50,0%	50,0%
Lithuania	8	4	4	50,0%	50,0%
Luxembourg	6	4	2	66,7%	33,3%
Malta	6	4	2	66,7%	33,3%
Republic of Moldova	10	6	4	60,0%	40,0%
Monaco	4	3	1	75,0%	25,0%
Montenegro	6	4	2	66,7%	33,3%
Netherlands	14	7	7	50,0%	50,0%
Norway	10	4	6	40,0%	60,0%
Poland	24	19	5	79,2%	20,8%
Portugal	14	9	5	64,3%	35,7%
Romania	20	17	3	85,0%	15,0%
Russian Federation	36	32	4	88,9%	11,1%
San Marino	4	3	1	75,0%	25,0%
Serbia	14	10	4	71,4%	28,6%
Slovak Republic	10	8	2	80,0%	20,0%
Slovenia	6	4	2	66,7%	33,3%
Spain	24	14	10	58,3%	41,7%
Sweden	12	7	5	58,3%	41,7%
Switzerland	12	8	4	66,7%	33,3%
"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"	6	4	2	66,7%	33,3%
Turkey	24	19	5	79,2%	20,8%
Ukraine	24	20	4	83,3%	16,7%
United Kingdom	36	29	7	80,6%	19,4%
Total	629	441	188	70%	30%

GENDER BREAKDOWN – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS (REPRESENTATIVES ONLY)

National Delegations (Representatives)	Total	Men	Women	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Albania	4	3	1	75%	25%
Andorra	2	1	1	50%	50%
Armenia	4	3	1	75%	25%
Austria	6	5	1	83%	17%
Azerbaijan	6	5	1	83%	17%
Belgium	7	6	1	86%	14%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3	2	1	67%	33%
Bulgaria	6	5	1	83%	17%
Croatia	5	3	2	60%	40%
Cyprus	2	1	1	50%	50%
Czech Republic	7	4	3	57%	43%
Denmark	5	3	2	60%	40%
Estonia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Finland	5	2	3	40%	60%
France	18	14	4	78%	22%
Georgia	5	4	1	80%	20%
Germany	18	10	8	56%	44%
Greece	7	4	3	57%	43%
Hungary	7	6	1	86%	14%
Iceland	3	2	1	67%	33%
Ireland	4	3	1	75%	25%
Italy	18	16	2	89%	11%
Latvia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Liechtenstein	2	1	1	50%	50%
Lithuania	4	1	3	25%	75%
Luxembourg	3	1	2	33%	67%
Malta	3	2	1	67%	33%
Republic of Moldova	5	3	2	60%	40%
Monaco	2	1	1	50%	50%
Montenegro	3	2	1	67%	33%
Netherlands	7	4	3	57%	43%
Norway	5	1	4	20%	80%
Poland	12	9	3	75%	25%
Portugal	7	4	3	57%	43%
Romania	10	9	1	90%	10%
Russian Federation	18	17	1	94%	6%
San Marino	2	1	1	50%	50%
Serbia	7	6	1	86%	14%
Slovak Republic	5	4	1	80%	20%
Slovenia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Spain	12	9	3	75%	25%
Sweden	6	3	3	50%	50%
Switzerland	6	5	1	83%	17%
"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"	3	2	1	67%	33%
Turkey	12	9	3	75%	25%
Ukraine	12	8	4	67%	33%
United Kingdom	18	13	5	72%	28%
Total	315	223	92	71%	29%

GENDER BREAKDOWN – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS (SUBSTITUTES ONLY)

National Delegations (substitutes)	Total	Men	Women	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Albania	4	2	2	50%	50%
Andorra	2	1	1	50%	50%
Armenia	4	2	2	50%	50%
Austria	6	3	3	50%	50%
Azerbaijan	6	4	2	67%	33%
Belgium	7	4	3	57%	43%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	1	1	50%	50%
Bulgaria	6	5	1	83%	17%
Croatia	5	3	2	60%	40%
Cyprus	2	2	0	100%	0%
Czech Republic	7	4	3	57%	43%
Denmark	5	3	2	60%	40%
Estonia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Finland	5	2	3	40%	60%
France	18	11	7	61%	39%
Georgia	5	4	1	80%	20%
Germany	18	13	5	72%	28%
Greece	7	5	2	71%	29%
Hungary	7	6	1	86%	14%
Iceland	3	1	2	33%	67%
Ireland	4	3	1	75%	25%
Italy	18	12	6	67%	33%
Latvia	3	1	2	33%	67%
Liechtenstein	2	1	1	50%	50%
Lithuania	4	3	1	75%	25%
Luxembourg	3	3	0	100%	0%
Malta	3	2	1	67%	33%
Republic of Moldova	5	3	2	60%	40%
Monaco	2	2	0	100%	0%
Montenegro	3	2	1	67%	33%
Netherlands	7	3	4	43%	57%
Norway	5	3	2	60%	40%
Poland	12	10	2	83%	17%
Portugal	7	5	2	71%	29%
Romania	10	8	2	80%	20%
Russian Federation	18	15	3	83%	17%
San Marino	2	2	0	100%	0%
Serbia	7	4	3	57%	43%
Slovak Republic	5	4	1	80%	20%
Slovenia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Spain	12	5	7	42%	58%
Sweden	6	4	2	67%	33%
Switzerland	6	3	3	50%	50%
"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"	3	2	1	67%	33%
Turkey	12	10	2	83%	17%
Ukraine	12	12	0	100%	0%
United Kingdom	18	16	2	89%	11%
Total	314	218	96	69%	31%

OVERVIEW - ASSEMBLY

Position	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
President	1	0	1	100%	0%
Vice-Presidents	17	3	20	85%	15%
Presidential Committee	6	1	7	83%	17%
Assembly Bureau	30	7	37	81%	19%

OVERVIEW – COMMITTEES

Position	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Members	530	236	766	69%	31%
Alternates	415	199	614	68%	32%
Committees’ Chairpersons	8	2	10	80%	20%
Committees’ Bureau members	28	11	39	72%	28%
Rapporteurs for report	87	52	139	63%	37%
Rapporteurs for opinion	30	14	44	68%	32%

OVERVIEW – SUB-COMMITTEES

Position	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Sub-Committees’ Chairpersons	11	13	24	45,8%	54,2%
Sub-Committees’ Bureau members	26	16	42	61,9%	38,1%

OVERVIEW – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS

Delegations	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Total	441	188	629	70%	30%
Representatives	223	92	315	71%	29%
Substitutes	218	96	314	69%	31%

;

Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (7 October 2011 – 21 January 2012)

Contents

1 Introduction