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Rules of Procedure of the Assembly (May 2025)

(Resolution 1202 (1999) adopted on 4 November 1999) with subsequent modifications of the Rules of Procedure*

Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Rules of Procedure of the Assembly

Sessions of the Assembly
Rule 1 - Ordinary sessions

Representatives and substitutes
Rule 5 - Provisional President

Rule 7 - Challenge of still unratified credentials on procedural grounds

Rule 8 - Challenge of still unratified credentials on substantive grounds

Rule 9 - Reconsideration of previously ratified credentials on substantive grounds

Rule 10 - Decision of the Assembly on a challenge or reconsideration of credentials

Rule 13 - Code of conduct for members of the Assembly

Bureau, Presidential Committee and Standing Committee
Rule 14 - Bureau of the Assembly and Presidential Committee

Rule 15 - Election of the President

Rule 16 - Election of Vice-Presidents

Rule 17 - Standing Committee

National delegations and political groups
Rule 19 - Political groups

Duties of the President, discipline and order
Rule 20 - President and immediate past President

Rule 21 - Vice-Presidents

Rule 23 - Public order in the Chamber and galleries

Organisation of Assembly business
Rule 24 - Official documents

Rule 25 - Tabling of motions for recommendations and resolutions

Languages and records
Rule 28 - Official and working languages

Rule 29 - Interpretation in the Assembly

Rule 30 - Interpretation in committees

Rule 31 - Reports of debates

Conduct of proceedings
Rule 33 - Debate and consideration of texts

Rule 34 - Amendments and sub-amendments

Rule 35 - Right to speak

Rule 36 - Points of order

Rule 37 - Procedural motions

Rule 39 - Free debate

Voting
Rule 40 - Methods of voting

Rule 41 - Majorities required

Rule 42 - Quorum

Rule 43 - Right to vote

Committees
Rule 44 - Appointment of committees

Rule 45 - Competence of committees

Rule 46 - Bureaux of committees

Rule 47 - Procedure in committee

Rule 48 - Meetings of committees

Rule 49 - Sub-committees

Rule 50 - Reports of committees

Exceptional procedures
Rule 52 - Urgent procedure in the Standing Committee

Rule 53 - Current affairs debates

Rule 54 - Procedure for dismissing the President and Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly

Rule 55 - Procedure for dismissing chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of committees, sub-committees, networks, platforms and alliances

Written declarations
Rule 56 - Written declarations

Relations between the Committee of Ministers and the Assembly
Rule 59 - Reports of the Committee of Ministers

Rule 60 - Requests from the Committee of Ministers for opinion or further consideration

Rule 61 - Questions to the Committee of Ministers

Special guests, observers, partners for democracy and other guests
Rule 62 - Special guests

Rule 64 - Partners for democracy

Rule 65 - Representatives of national or international organisations

Part-sessions of the Assembly and meetings of committees, the Bureau and the Standing Committee organised in a hybrid or remote manner
Rule 67 - Hybrid or remote Assembly sessions

Rule 68 - Hybrid or remote committee meetings

Rule 69 - Hybrid or remote Bureau and Standing Committee meetings

Rule 70 - Hybrid or remote Joint Committee meetings

Petitions
Rule 71 - Petitions to the Assembly

Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly
Rule 72 - Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly

Miscellaneous provisions
Rule 74 - Revision of the Rules of Procedure

Complementary texts

Additional provisions relating to Assembly debates
i. - Organisation of debates

ii. - List of speakers

iii. - Order of speakers

iv. - Speaking time

v. - Order No. 316

Code of conduct for members of the Parliamentary Assembly
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Guidelines on the scope of the parliamentary immunities enjoyed by members of the Parliamentary Assembly
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Rules on voting by secret ballot in committees
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Guidelines for consideration of motions for resolutions and recommendations
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Guidelines for the adoption of declarations
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Terms of reference of Assembly committees
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Honouring of obligations and commitments by member states of the Council of Europe
ii. - Terms of reference of the Assembly Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee)

Election of Assembly vice-presidents
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Elections by the Parliamentary Assembly
i. - Procedure

ii. - Election of the members of the European Court of Human Rights and of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture

iii. - Election of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

iv. - Modalities for the election procedure of judges to the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

v. - Candidates for the European Court of Human Rights

vi. - Regulations relating to the appointment of the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and Secretary General of the Assembly

vii. - Rules and procedures for the future elections of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe - Joint interpretative statement

viii. - Procedure for election of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe - Competence framework

Complementary electoral procedure
i. - Scope

ii. - Individual electronic voting procedure in elections

iii. - Postal voting in elections

Budgetary texts
i. - Extract from the Resolution (53) 38 adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 13 December 1953 (Doc. 220)

ii. - Extract from the Communication of the Committee of Ministers on the examination of the Budget by the Assembly (Doc. 342)

iii. - Extract from the Progress Report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee concerning the preparation of the Assembly’s budget Doc. 3292 (1973)

iv. - Extract from the reply of the Committee of Ministers to Recommendation 1344 (1997) of the Parliamentary Assembly on enlargement of the Council of Europe: the budgetary and administrative powers of the Assembly (Doc. 8080)

Observation of elections by the Parliamentary Assembly
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External relations of the Assembly
ii. - Recommendation 1247 (1994) on the enlargement of the Council of Europe

iv. - Special rules governing relations between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the parliamentary and inter-parliamentary assemblies of non-member states

v. - Relations with the consultative interparliamentary Council of Benelux

vi. - Relations with the Nordic Council

vii. - Relations with the Inter-parliamentary Union

viii. - Relations between the parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE

ix. - Agreement on cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (9 June 1997)

xvi. - Cooperation agreement concluded between the Council of Europe and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

xx. - Cooperation agreement concluded between the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Roma and Travellers Forum

Rules of procedure for enlarged debates of the Parliamentary Assembly on the activities of OECD
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Memorandum of understanding between the Council of Europe and the European Union
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Access to the Palais de l'Europe and use of offices
i. - Rules on access to and movement and security within the Council of Europe during sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly and meetings of Assembly committees and sub-committees

iii. - Use of the offices of political groups by third parties

Additional provisions relating to documents
ii. - Distribution of non-official documents

Special rules on honorary status
i. - Special rules on honorary association with the Parliamentary Assembly

ii. - Special rules on the title and prerogatives of Honorary President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

iii. - Special rules on the title and prerogatives of “Honorary Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly”

Awarding medals to members of the Assembly
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Ruling on meetings of Committees and Sub-Committees of the Assembly elsewhere than in Strasbourg or Paris
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Exhibitions in the Assembly lobby
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