Powers of the Assembly in budgetary matters

Recommendation 1038 (1986)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 3 July 1986.See Doc. 5574, report of the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme.

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Considering the various proposals for intensifying co-operation between the Committee of Ministers and the Assembly, contained in the reports by the Colombo Commission and by the Ministers' Deputies' working parties, and in the report by Senator Dreyfus-Schmidt to the French Prime Minister (« Pour une relance durable du Conseil de l'Europe ») ;

2. Believing that closer co-operation between the two statutory organs of the Council of Europe should be practised in budgetary matters also ;

3. Considering that criticism has been expressed in some national parliaments regarding information on the management of, and results obtained by, international organisations ;

4. Believing that the working of international organisations should be made more transparent and that, to this end, the Committee of Ministers should strengthen the Parliamentary Assembly's consultative role with regard to the Council of Europe budgets,

5. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

A. As regards the Council of Europe general budget :

define ways of improving information and consultation of the Assembly on the Organisation's general budget, for example :

a by transmitting to the Assembly more detailed documentation on the general budget for the coming year and on the last accounts to have been closed and audited ;

b by holding an exchange of views with the Standing Committee, during the summer sessions, on the budgetary prospects for the coming financial year ;

c by authorising exchanges of views between the Assembly Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme and representatives of the (governmental) Budget Committee and of the Board of Auditors ;

6. As regards the Assembly's operational appropriations (Vote III of the budget) :

a give its direct consideration to the proposals relating to the Assembly's operational expenditure, as jointly agreed by the Secretary General and the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme ;

b hear the President of the Assembly or the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme, if need be, when examining Vote III of the budget (Assembly estimates).