Representatives and substitutes
Rule 6Credentials
6.1. The
credentials of the representatives and substitutes, elected within
the national or federal parliament or appointed from among the members
of the national or federal parliament, shall be sent to the President
of the Assembly by the President (Speaker) of the national parliament
or the President (Speaker) of a national parliamentary chamber or
any person delegated by them. Each member state shall notify the
Secretary General of the Council of Europe of the competent authority
it has appointed for the purpose.
The credentials shall be transmitted,
if possible, not less than one week before the opening of the Session.
6.2.a. Insofar
as the number of their members allows, national delegations should
be composed so as to ensure a fair representation of the political
parties or groups in their parliaments.
Each parliament
shall inform the Assembly of the methods used to appoint seats on
the delegation and of the number of its women members.
6.2.b. Each national
delegation must include both women and men among its representatives. As
long as women are under-represented in the Assembly, each national
delegation shall include a percentage of women as members that is
at least equal to the percentage in its parliament or, if this is
more favourable to the representation of women, ensure gender representation
as follows:
- delegations with
2 seats (4 members) shall include at least one woman as representative;
- delegations with
3 seats (6 members) shall have a minimum of 2 women, including at
least one woman as representative;
- delegations with
4 seats (8 members) shall have a minimum of 3 women, including at
least one woman as representative;
- delegations with
5 seats (10 members) shall have a minimum of 3 women, including
at least 2 women as representatives;
- delegations with
6 seats (12 members) shall have a minimum of 4 women, including
at least 2 women as representatives;
- delegations with
7 seats (14 members) shall have a minimum of 5 women, including
at least 3 women as representatives;
- delegations with
10 seats (20 members) shall have a minimum of 7 women, including
at least 4 women as representatives;
- delegations with
12 seats (24 members) shall have a minimum of 8 women, including
at least 4 women as representatives;
- delegations with
18 seats (36 members) shall have a minimum of 12 women, including
at least 6 women as representatives.
6.2.c. Credentials
of members of a national delegation shall be accompanied by a signed
written statement by the individual members reading as follows:
“I, the undersigned, ..., hereby
affirm and state that I will subscribe to the aims and basic principles
of the Council of Europe, mentioned in the Preamble, in Article
1.a. and in Article 3 of the Statute of the Council of Europe. I
declare that I have read and understood the Code of conduct for
members of the Parliamentary Assembly and I undertake to abide by
its provisions.”
6.3. At
the beginning of each ordinary session these credentials shall be
submitted to the Assembly by the provisional President for ratification.
6.4. Credentials
presented at a later date shall be transmitted to the President
of the Assembly, if possible, not less than one week before the
first sitting of a part-session or a meeting of the Standing Committee,
for ratification.
