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Duration of the mandate of the President of the Assembly (Rule 15.5 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure)

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13858 | 28 August 2015

Signatories:
Mr Axel E. FISCHER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Theodora BAKOYANNIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Marie BOCKEL, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Pascale CROZON, France, SOC ; Ms Aleksandra DJUROVIĆ, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Bernard FOURNIER, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Ms Dzhema GROZDANOVA, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Michael HENNRICH, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Anette HÜBINGER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Denis JACQUAT, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Aleksandar JOVIČIĆ, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Pierre-Yves LE BORGN', France, SOC ; Mr Jean-Yves LE DÉAUT, France, SOC ; Mr Jacques LEGENDRE, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Thierry MARIANI, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Claude MIGNON, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrei NEGUTA, Republic of Moldova, SOC ; Ms Julia OBERMEIER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Marija OBRADOVIĆ, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Žarko OBRADOVIĆ, Serbia, SOC ; Mr François ROCHEBLOINE, France, EPP/CD ; Mr René ROUQUET, France, SOC ; Mr André SCHNEIDER, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Elisabeth SCHNEIDER-SCHNEITER, Switzerland, EPP/CD ; Ms Karin STRENZ, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Volker ULLRICH, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Volkmar VOGEL, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Tobias ZECH, Germany, EPP/CD

Unlike the national parliaments or the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly only holds plenary sessions four times a year. Its permanent bodies and its President in particular thus need to be clearly visible to the outside world.

For this reason, it makes sense to go back to a three-year term of office for the President, as was the case until 2008, in order to allow them to give full effect to their political duties outside of and towards the Secretariat of the Assembly. The timing is ideal for this, as the reform would not personally affect the incumbent. Rule 15.5 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly should therefore be amended in this respect. The same ruling should also apply to the chairpersons of the committees (Rule 46.7 of the Rules of Procedure) and the sub-committees (Rule 49.7).