Conduct of proceedings
Rule 37Procedural
motions
37.1. A
member shall have a prior right to speak if he or she asks leave:
37.1.a. to
move a dilatory motion;
37.1.b. to move
the adjournment of the Assembly
or of a
debate
;
37.1.c. to
move the closure of a debate
;
37.1.d. to
move reference of the report back to committee either during the
opening sitting when the draft agenda is adopted, or when the report
is debated anytime before the vote on the whole of any draft text
begins.
None of these procedural motions may
be moved more than once during a debate.
The procedural motions mentioned in
paragraphs a. to c. shall be in order
only if notice has been given in writing to the President before
the end of the previous sitting. If these motions and also the reference
of a report back to committee mentioned in paragraph d. are moved
in the course of the first sitting of a part-session, such notice
must be given two hours before the start of the sitting.
37.2. The above
matters shall take precedence over the main question, the proceedings
on which shall be suspended while they are being considered.
37.3. In
debate on the above matters the following only shall be heard: the
mover of the motion, one speaker against the motion, and the rapporteur
or the chairperson of the committee concerned.
37.4. During
a debate, the President may give the floor to the rapporteur(s)
and to members speaking on behalf of their political groups who
indicate, by raising a blue card, their intention to ask another
member not belonging to the same political group, in response to
that member’s speech, a question lasting no more than thirty seconds,
directly related to the speech and the subject of the debate. The
member to whom the question is put may respond within the same time limit.
The rapporteur(s) may make use of at most two blue cards per debate,
and members speaking on behalf of their political groups one blue
card per debate. This procedure shall not apply to exchanges with
guest speakers.
