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Rules of Procedure of the Assembly (December 2025)

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

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Elections by the Parliamentary Assembly

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

1. Submission of candidatures
a. When a vacancy occurs in any of the three senior posts of the Secretariat General, appointments to which are made by the Consultative (Parliamentary) Assembly on the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers, or in the case provided for in clause 8.b below, candidates may be proposed to the Committee of Ministers:
i. by one or more Member Governments;
ii. by the Secretary General, in respect of the posts of Deputy Secretary General and Secretary General of the Assembly.
Furthermore, when the post of Secretary General of the Consultative (Parliamentary) Assembly falls vacant, or in the case provided for in clause 8.b, proposals may be submitted to the Committee of Ministers by one or more groups of representatives to the Consultative (Parliamentary) Assembly; they should bear not less than five and not more than ten signatures.
The Secretary General may only propose candidates who are already permanent or temporary members of the Secretariat General.
Candidates from the Secretariat General may also be sponsored by one or more Member Governments, provided that in the case of the Deputy Secretary General or Secretary General of the Consultative (Parliamentary) Assembly the Secretary General has been previously consulted and has given his assent.
b. Member Governments and Assembly representatives shall send their proposals to the Secretary General, who will forward them, together with his own, to the Committee of Ministers.
2. Criteria determining the choice of candidates
The following criteria shall determine the choice of candidates:
a. The recruitment of persons of the highest ability and integrity and suitability for the post to be filled.
b. The qualifications and experience of persons already employed by the Council of Europe shall be taken into consideration, so that members of the Secretariat may have reasonable prospects of promotion.
c. The desirability of ensuring an equitable geographical allocation of appointments among nationals of the member states subject to the overriding interests of efficiency. No office in the Secretariat shall be considered to be the prerogative of any particular member state.
3. Preliminary examination of candidatures by the Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers shall examine the list of candidates. The latter may be summoned to an interview by the Committee itself or by a Sub-Committee appointed for the purpose.
4. Consultation of the Assembly by the Committee of Ministers
Before transmitting to the Consultative (Parliamentary) Assembly a recommendation for the appointment of any one of the three senior officials of the Secretariat General, the Committee of Ministers shall consult the Assembly on the subject through the medium of the Joint Committee.
This consultation shall take place, unless otherwise agreed to by the Joint Committee, not less than thirty days before the date of the opening of the Session during which the Assembly will be called upon to make the appointment.
5. Nomination of candidates
a. Unless it has been otherwise agreed after discussion in the Joint Committee, the Committee of Ministers shall draw up a list containing at least two names, which shall be submitted to the Assembly.
b. In the case of candidates for the posts of Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General, the Committee of Ministers shall be free to list the names in order of preference, should it so desire.
6. Procedure in the Bureau
The proposals submitted to the Assembly by the Committee of Ministers shall be examined by the Bureau, which may summon candidates to an interview. The Bureau shall then transmit the proposals to the Assembly, indicating, if it thinks fit and where appropriate, its own order of preference and the order of preference of the Committee of Ministers with regard to the candidates.
7. Procedure in the Assembly
a. The Assembly shall proceed to make the appointment.
b. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
c. An absolute majority of the votes cast shall be required at the first ballot and a relative majority at the second.
8. Term of office and possible re-appointment
a. The three senior officials shall henceforth be appointed for a period of five years.
b. Not less than six months before the expiry of the term of any such official, the procedure laid down in the preceding clauses shall be set in motion; the official may be put forward again as a candidate in accordance with clause 1, and his term may always be renewed for a period specified in advance by agreement between the Assembly and the Committee of Ministers in the Joint Committee.