Explanatory Memorandum
The Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges has been requested to consider a Motion submitted by M. Schütz and a number of his colleagues (Doc. 32) which seeks to transform the present Special Committee on Refugees into a General Committee by the addition of a sub-paragraph (g) to Paragraph 1 of Rule 38 of the Rules of Procedure.
Without attempting to anticipate the ultimate solution to this question the Committee considered that an alteration of this kind-which would entail an amendment to the Rules of Procedure and would, nevertheless, be unable to effect the establishment of the proposed General Committee before the beginning of the next Session?would, for the immediate present be less effective than an expansion of the already existing Special Committee.
Your Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges would therefore prefer the Committee on Refugees to retain its character as a Special Committee. On the other hand, it would increase the number of Members of the Committee from 10 to 18, so that, while the present number of German, Italian and French members would be maintained at two each, the Member States of the Council of Europe would all be represented on this Committee.
Moreover,-?still with the same consideration of speed in mind,?it is of opinion that the eight new representatives on the Special Committee ought to be appointed by the Bureau of the Assembly.
The Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges therefore proposes that, with your approval, the three following steps should be sanctioned :