Consultative status system

Recommendation 444 (1965)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

See Doc. 1922, report of the Committee on Rules of Procedure. Text adopted by the Assemblyfollowing tacit adoption procedure on 1st October 1965 (16th Sitting).

The Assembly,

1. Having examined the communication from the Committee of Ministers, Doc. 1836, relating to the consultative status system ;

2. Considering that its Rules of Procedure apply to the proceedings of its own organs only ;

3. Considering that there is a special text governing relations between the Council of Europe and international non-governmental organisations enjoying consultative status ;

4. Considering that paragraph 7 of the text now in force, which was adopted by the Ministers' Deputies on 28th October 1960, provides that "Organisations in category I may also, after consulting the Secretary General, propose to the Bureau of the Assembly new items for inclusion in the Assembly's Agenda" ;

5. Considering that, following the abolition by Resolution 62 (1954) of the documents bearing the title "requests for inclusion in the agenda" and in accordance with the principles laid down by that Resolution with regard to Representatives' right of initiative and the fixing of the agenda, Resolution 80 (1955) amended the present Rules 14 and 27 of the Rules of Procedure concerning the placing of new questions on the Assembly's Register, as well as Rule 15, on the settlement of the agenda for Sessions or part-Sessions ;

6. Considering that the right of initiative is an essential privilege of members of the Assembly and that Motions for Recommendations or Resolutions laid on the Table of the Assembly must contain no mention of any intervention or prompting from outside ;

7. Believing that in addition to changes in terminology in the aforesaid paragraph 7 of the text governing relations between the Council of Europe and international non-governmental organisations a clarification might be introduced in regard to the action to be taken on proposals by organisations in category I for new questions to be placed on the Register,

8. Recommends the Committee of Ministers to amend paragraph 7 of the text governing relations between the Council of Europe and international non-governmental organisations as follows : "7. Organisations in category I may also, after consulting the Secretary General, suggest new questions to be placed on the Assembly's Register ; the Bureau shall decide whether any action should be taken on such suggestions with a view to Rule 27 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly being applied and may, if need be, submit them to the Chairman of the Committee concerned."