Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (21 January 2019)

Progress report | Doc. 14796 Add. 1 | 21 January 2019

Committee

Bureau of the Assembly

Rapporteur :

Mr Ian LIDDELL-GRAINGER, United Kingdom, EC

1 Decisions of the Bureau of 21 January 2019 requiring ratification by the Assembly

1.1 Vice-Presidents of the Assembly in 2019

The Bureau took note of the list of candidates for Vice-Presidents of the Assembly (Appendix).

1.2 References and transmissions to committees

The Bureau considered and approved the following references and transmissions:

• Doc. 14777, Motion for a resolution, Ending violence against children: a Council of Europe contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals: reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report
• Doc. 14778, Motion for a resolution, Artificial intelligence and labour markets: friend or foe?: reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report

1.3 Election observation

1.3.1 “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”: presidential election (21 April 2019)

Subject to receiving an invitation, the Bureau decided to observe this election and constituted an ad hoc committee for this purpose composed of 12 members (EPP/CD: 3; SOC: 3, EC: 2, ALDE: 2, UEL: 1, FDG: 1) and of the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee.

1.4 Composition of the Monitoring Committee, the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs and the Committee on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights

The Bureau, on the basis of proposals from the political groups, nominated members of these three committees and decided to submit them to the Assembly for ratification (Commission (2019) 01).

1.5 Resolution 1376 (2004) relating to Cyprus

The Bureau took note of the letters by the two Turkish Cypriot political parties informing the President of the Assembly of the names of the “elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community” entitled to sit in the Assembly in 2019, namely Mr Armağan Candan and Mr Hamza Ersan Saner.

The Assembly is invited to ratify these decisions.

2 Other decisions of the Bureau

2.1 First part-session of 2019 (21 to 25 January)

2.1.1 Requests for debates under urgent procedure

The Bureau considered the requests for debate under urgent procedure and decided to recommend to the Assembly:

• to hold a debate under urgent procedure on Escalations of tensions around the sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to the European security and to refer the matter to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy;
• to hold a debate under urgent procedure on Worsening situation of opposition politicians in Turkey: what to do to protect their fundamental rights in a Council of Europe member state? and to refer the matter to the Monitoring Committee.

2.1.2 Draft agenda

The Bureau updated the draft agenda.

2.1.3 Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Italy and Sweden

The Bureau took note of the report drawn up by the Committee on the election of judges following interviews with candidates for the posts of judges to the Court in respect of Italy and Sweden. This report had been already declassified by the Committee and submitted to the attention of all members of the Assembly (Doc. 14796 Add. 2).

2.1.4 Joint Committee (Strasbourg, 24 January 2019, 12.00 noon)

The Bureau prepared the meeting of the Joint Committee and took note that the Committee of Ministers had received four candidatures for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe and that the Bureau would proceed at its meeting on 23 May in Paris with interviews of the candidates included in the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers.

2.2 Progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and of the Standing Committee (12 October 2018 to 20 January 2019) (Rapporteur: Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger, United Kingdom, EC)

The Bureau approved the Progress report.

2.3 Election observation

2.3.1 Armenia: early parliamentary elections (9 December 2018)

The Bureau approved the report of the ad hoc committee.

2.3.2 Meeting of the Chairpersons of ad hoc committees for the observation of elections (23 January 2019)

The Bureau took note of the draft agenda of the meeting.

2.4 Communications

The Bureau took note of communications by the President of the Assembly, the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Appendix – Vice-Presidents of the Assembly in 2019

GROUPS / GROUPES	COUNTRY / PAYS	CANDIDATURES
GROUP I / GROUPE I	France	Ms Nicole TRISSE
	Germany / Allemagne	Mr Andreas NICK
	Italy / Italie	Mr Alvise MANIERO
	Russian Federation / Fédération de Russie
	Turkey / Turquie	Mr Akif Çağatay KILIÇ
	United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni	Sir Roger GALE
GROUP II / GROUPE II	Poland / Pologne	Mr Włodzimierz BERNACKI
	Spain / Espagne	Ms Carmen LEYTE
GROUP III / GROUPE III	Austria / Autriche	Mr Werner AMON
	Azerbaijan / Azerbaïdjan	Mr Samad SEYIDOV
	Belgium / Belgique	Mr Hendrik DAEMS
	Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bosnie-Herzégovine	Vacant seat / siège vacant
	Bulgaria / Bulgarie	Ms Dzhema GROZDANOVA
	Croatia / Croatie	Ms Sanja PUTICA
	Sweden / Suède	Ms Boriana ÅBERG
	Switzerland / Suisse	Ms Elisabeth SCHNEIDER-SCHNEITER
GROUP IV / GROUPE IV	Iceland / Islande	Ms Rósa Björk BRYNJÓLFSDÓTTIR
	Ireland / Irlande	Mr Joseph O’REILLY
	Latvia / Lettonie	Ms Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE
	Liechtenstein	Ms Susanne EBERLE-STRUB