Amendment of the Rules of Procedure concerning the languages used in the Assembly and its committees

Resolution 485 (1971)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 10 May 1971 (1st Sitting) (see Doc. 2927, report of the Committee on Rules of Procedure). Text adopted by the Assembly on 10 May 1971 (1st Sitting).

The Assembly,

1. Welcoming the decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers in Resolution (70) 52 to charge to the general Budget of the Council of Europe the cost of interpreting speeches delivered in German or Italian in the Assembly and its committees, and of publishing such speeches made in the Assembly and translating them into the official languages,

2. Resolves to amend its Rules of Procedure as follows :

3. (a) Rule 17 :

the title to read : "official and working languages" ;

a third paragraph to be added reading as follows : "3. In addition to the two official languages, German and Italian may be used in the Assembly and its committees as additional working languages" ;

4. (b) Rule 18 :

5. Amend to read :

5.1 "Speeches delivered in one of the official languages or additional working languages shall be simultaneously interpreted into the other official and working languages.

5.2 Speeches may be made in a language other than the official or working languages. In such cases the speaker himself shall be responsible for arranging for interpretation, simultaneous if possible, into one of the official or working languages, which shall be simultaneously interpreted into the other official and working languages."

6. (c) Rule 19 :

7. Amend to read :

7.1 " If interpretation is required in committee, provision shall be made, as far as possible, for simultaneous, or failing that, consecutive, interpretation into the other official and working languages.

7.2 Nevertheless, a Representative or Substitute who cannot use one of the official or working languages may bring his own interpreter. Interpretation shall then be provided, as far as possible, on the same conditions as in the plenary Assembly."

8. (d) Rule 22 :

9. Amend paragraph 1 to read :

9.1 " A report of each sitting shall be compiled, in each of the official languages, and distributed within as short a period as possible. The report in each of the official languages shall reproduce in full all speeches delivered in the language of the report and shall give a summary of the interpretation of speeches delivered in other languages. An appendix containing the verbatim records of speeches delivered in the additional working languages shall be attached to each of the two editions of the report."