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Modification of various provisions of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure

Doc. 16292: compendium of written amendments | Doc. 16292 | 20/11/2025 | Provisional version

Compendium index

Amendment 1

Caption: AdoptedRejectedWithdrawnNo electronic votes

ADraft Resolution

1The actions and decisions of the Parliamentary Assembly shall be based on clear, consistent and effective parliamentary rules and procedures. The Assembly has regularly amended its rules in recent years in order to accommodate changes in parliamentary practice, clarify the rules and procedures where their application or interpretation has raised difficulties, or address specific problems.
2Having regard to the above considerations and in order to give effect to Resolution 2394 (2021) “Gender representation in the Parliamentary Assembly”, the Assembly must amend its provisions relating to gender representation. The Assembly formally undertook in that resolution to increase the minimum representation of each sex in its delegations to 40% as from the opening of its 2026 session. In recognition that our societies are composed of an equal number of men and women, the Assembly should strive for an equal number of men and women, as is the case for national parliamentary delegations to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, whilst keeping the minimum at 40% as agreed in 2021. It is also appropriate to ensure that these figures are applied consistently and coherently across the work of the Assembly for various types of compositions of delegations, committees and where possible other representative roles.
3Pursuant to its Resolution 2394 (2021), the Assembly decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as follows:
3.1 replace Rule 6.2.b with the following text:
3.1.1“Each national delegation shall include at least 40% men and 40% women in both its overall composition and amongst the representatives, whilst striving for equal representation. For the following delegations, specific provisions apply, as follows:
3.1.2- delegations with 4 members (2 representatives and 2 substitutes) shall have a minimum of one woman and one man, including at least one woman and one man as representatives;
3.1.3- delegations with 6 members (3 representatives and 3 substitutes) shall have a minimum of 2 women and 2 men, including at least one woman and one man as representatives;
3.1.4- delegations with 8 members (4 representatives and 4 substitutes) shall have a minimum of 3 women and 3 men, including at least one woman and one man as representatives.”;
3.2at the end of Rule 44.2, insert the following text:
3.2.1“For each seat, the national delegation shall appoint a full member and an alternate.
3.2.2Delegations shall strive for equal representation between women and men, whilst ensuring a minimum of one third of each sex in their appointments to each committee.”;
3.3delete the second sentence of Rule 44.5;
3.4replace Rules 44.3.a. and b. with the following text:
3.4.1“44.3.a. For the Monitoring Committee, the Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities and the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights, the Bureau shall appoint the members (and in the case of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights also alternates) on the basis of candidatures presented by the political groups and taking into account gender balance and regional balance, by applying the apportionment ratio based on the D’Hondt method. Two additional appointments to the Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities are allocated from among members of the Assembly who do not belong to any political group.
3.4.244.3.b. At the beginning of each ordinary session, each political group shall present candidatures to each of these committees, striving for equal representation between women and men, whilst ensuring at least one third of each sex in their nominations to each committee. The political groups shall nominate the members with a view to ensuring a fair representation of national delegations where applicable. The Bureau shall appoint members, striving for equal representation between women and men, whilst ensuring that each committee includes at least one third of each sex.”;
3.5at the end of Rule 44.4.a. insert the following text:
3.5.1“An ad hoc committee should include at least 40% of each sex, whilst striving for equal representation between women and men.”;
3.6renumber Rule 44.4.c as Rule 44.5 and replace its second sentence with the following text:
3.6.1“An ad hoc committee should include at least 40% of each sex, whilst striving for equal representation between women and men.”;
3.7delete the footnote to Rule 44.4.c;
3.8at the end of Rule 44.4.c insert the following text:
3.8.1“However, reports on the observation of elections may be presented to the Assembly or the Standing Committee.”;
3.9in Rule 46.1 replace the words “while taking into account the principle of gender equality” with the following words:
3.9.1“whilst striving for equal representation between women and men”;
3.10in Rule 50.1 replace the fourth sentence with the following:
3.10.1“A committee shall include at least one third of each sex among its rapporteurs, whilst striving for equal representation between women and men.”;
3.11at the end of Rule 62.5, insert the following text:
3.11.1“The delegation shall include both women and men among its representatives, and strive to ensure equal representation between women and men, whilst ensuring a minimum of 40% of each sex in its composition.”;
3.12in Rule 63.2, replace the final sentence with the following text:
3.12.1“The delegation shall be composed to ensure a fair representation of the political parties or groups within their parliament. The delegation shall include both women and men among its representatives, and strive to ensure equal representation between women and men.”;
3.13in Rule 64.4, replace the final sentence with the following text:
3.13.1“The delegation shall be composed to ensure a fair representation of the political parties or groups within their parliament. The delegation shall include both women and men among its representatives, and strive to ensure equal representation between women and men.”.
4The Assembly also agreed to a number of minor modifications to the Rules of Procedure as follows:
4.1in Rule 14.3, first sentence, and in Rule 16.1, replace the word “twenty” with the word “nineteen”;
4.2in the complementary texts on “Election of Assembly Vice-Presidents” (Appendix IX, part 1), under group I, replace the word “six” with the word “five”;

20 November 2025

Tabled by the Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities

In the draft resolution, after paragraph 4.2, insert the following paragraph:

"in Rule 19.6, replace the first sentence with the following sentence: 'Chairpersons of political groups are ex officio members of the general committees, except the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights'";

Explanatory note

This harmonises the approach to the ex officio presence of the chairpersons of political groups in the meetings of all committees (with the exception of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights due to its different methods of operating, in interviewing candidates and its small composition).

4.3in Rule 48.4, replace the first sentence with the following sentence:
4.3.1“Members of the Assembly may attend meetings of committees of which they are not members without the right to vote. They can speak if called by the chairperson of the committee.”
4.4In Rule 48.5 replace the words “appointed to a committee may participate in its meetings” with the following words:
4.4.1“may participate in the meetings of one of the first six committees listed in Rule 44.1”.
5In order to rebalance the workload and mandates of committees, the Assembly amends the Terms of Reference of Assembly Committees (Appendix VII to the Rules of Procedure), part B “Specific terms of reference of Assembly Committees” as follows:
5.1in “I. Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (AS/Pol)”:
5.1.1delete paragraph 3;
5.1.2in paragraph 6, delete “and in the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South Centre)”;
5.2in “III. Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development (AS/Soc)”:
5.2.1in paragraph 1, delete the words “economic co-operation and development”;
5.2.2delete paragraph 4;
5.3replace the entry for “IV. Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (AS/Mig)” with the following text:
5.3.1“IV. Committee on Migration, International Protection and Economic Cooperation (AS/Mig)
5.3.2Number of seats: 81
5.3.3Terms of reference:
5.3.41. The committee shall consider all relevant matters relating to (i) migration, international protection and displacement, and (ii) economic co-operation and development. It shall work and propose legal and political solutions and actions for closer European co-operation in these fields, as well as, when relevant, with non-European countries, in keeping with the human rights and humanitarian values of the Council of Europe.
5.3.52. The committee shall in particular:
5.3.6i. consider questions relating to migration, including the rights of migrants during the migration process, and co-operation between countries of origin, transit and destination;
5.3.7ii. consider issues linked to international protection, in particular the asylum process in Europe and the rights of asylum seekers and refugees;
5.3.8iii. consider the situation of internally displaced persons in Europe and their rights and humanitarian needs;
5.3.9iv. consider community relations in multicultural societies, including the situation and integration of migrants and their social, economic and civil and political rights;
5.3.10v. consider humanitarian law and humanitarian issues;
5.3.11vi. consider questions relating to population, demography, nationality and stateless persons;
5.3.12vii. consider questions relating to economic co-operation and development;
5.3.13viii. prepare reports on the activities of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). For the preparation of the reports and the debates in the Assembly, the committee maintains relations with the OECD and with parliaments of non-member states for the purpose of their participation in those debates;
5.3.14ix. prepare reports on the activities of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). For the preparation of the reports and the debates in the Assembly, the committee maintains relations with the EBRD and with parliaments of non-member states for the purpose of their participation in those debates;
5.3.15x. report regularly on the activities of the Council of Europe Development Bank.
5.3.163. The committee shall represent the Assembly in, and follow the work of, the relevant expert committees of the Council of Europe.
5.3.174. The committee shall share the Assembly representation in the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South Centre).”;
5.4in “V. Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media (AS/Cult)”, paragraph 4, delete “and the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South Centre)”.
6The Assembly decides that the amendments to the Rules of Procedure contained in paragraph 3.1 of this resolution shall enter into force at the opening of the January 2027 part-session. All other amendments to the Rules of Procedure set out in this resolution shall enter into force at the opening of the January 2026 part-session.