Special guests, observers, partners
for democracy and other
guests
Special guests, observers, partners
for democracy
and other
guests
Rule 63Special guests
63.1. The Bureau may
grant special guest status to national parliaments of European non-member
States which have applied for membership of the Council of Europe.
63.2. Any formal request for special
guest status shall be addressed to the President of the Parliamentary
Assembly by the President of the parliament concerned.
63.3. If
the Bureau, having consulted the Committee on Political Affairs
and Democracy, approves such a request, the President of the Parliamentary
Assembly shall invite the parliament concerned to assume special
guest status.
63.4. The number of members of
a special guest delegation, which shall not exceed eighteen, shall
be the same (without substitutes) as the number of seats likely
to be appropriate were the special guest state to become a full
member of the Council of Europe. This number shall be fixed by the
Bureau, on the proposal of the Committee on Political Affairs and
Democracy.
63.5. In so far
as the size of its delegation allows, a parliament with special
guest status shall appoint members so as to ensure a fair representation
of the political parties or groups in that parliament. The delegation
shall include both women and men among its representatives, and strive
to ensure equal representation between women and men, whilst ensuring
a minimum of 40% of each sex in its composition.
63.6. The
credentials of members of special guest delegations shall be sent
to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly if possible not less
than one week before the opening of the session. These credentials
shall be submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly for ratification
at the same time as those of representatives and substitutes.
Credentials of members
of special guest delegations may be contested on stated grounds
based on paragraph 1 above. Contested credentials shall be referred
without debate to a joint meeting of the Committee on Political
Affairs and Democracy and the Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities,
presided over by the chairperson of the Committee on Rules, Ethics
and Immunities. These committees shall report to the Bureau as soon
as possible.
63.7. Members
of special guest delegations may sit in the Assembly but without
the right to vote. They shall have the right to speak with the authorisation
of the President of the Assembly.
63.8. Members
of special guest delegations may participate in committee meetings
as provided in Rule 48.5.
.
They may submit to the committee chairperson proposals concerning
the draft agenda of committee meetings and proposals for amendments
to draft texts examined in these meetings. The committee chairperson
shall decide on any further action. They may sign motions for resolutions
and recommendations and written declarations. However, they shall
not be taken into account for the number of signatures required.
Members of special guest delegations may participate in the work
of political groups according to the conditions established by the
groups.
63.9. The
Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, or at least twenty
members, may request of the President that special guest status
be suspended or withdrawn. The President shall immediately inform
the Bureau of any such request. If the request was not made by the
Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, the President shall
forthwith seek that committee’s opinion which shall forward it to
the Bureau.
63.10. The
members of the Bureau shall be informed of the consideration of
such a matter at least two weeks before the meeting of the Bureau
at which it will take place. The decision of the Bureau shall be
taken by a two-thirds majority.
63.11. Where
special guest status has been withdrawn, the parliament concerned
shall make a further formal request if it wishes to assume this
status again. Suspension of special guest status may be lifted by
the Bureau deciding by a two-thirds majority if it considers that
the conditions having led to the suspension no longer exist.
Rule 64Observers
64.1. The Assembly
may, on the proposal of the Bureau, grant observer status to national parliaments
of non-member states of the Council of Europe which meet the conditions
set out in paragraph 1 of Statutory Resolution (93) 26 of the Committee
of Ministers on observer status.
Any
requests for observer status shall be referred to the Committee
on Political Affairs and Democracy for report and to other relevant
committees for opinion.
64.2. The
Assembly shall specify the number of members of observer delegations.
The parliaments concerned
are not required to submit credentials to the President of the Assembly. However,
they shall submit to the President of the Assembly not less than
one week before the opening of the ordinary session a list of members
appointed for the whole duration of the session. The delegation
shall be composed to ensure a fair representation of the political
parties or groups within their parliament. The delegation shall
include both women and men among its representatives, and strive
to ensure equal representation between women and men.
64.3. Members
of such delegations may sit in the Assembly but without the right
to vote. They shall have the right to speak with the authorisation
of the President of the Assembly.
64.4. Members
of observer delegations may participate in committee meetings as
provided in Rule 48.5.
.
They may submit to the committee chairperson proposals concerning
the draft agenda of committee meetings and proposals for amendments
to draft texts examined in these meetings. The committee chairperson
shall decide on any further action. They may sign motions for resolutions
and recommendations and written declarations. However, they shall
not be taken into account for the number of signatures required.
Members of observer delegations may participate in the work of political
groups according to the conditions established by the groups.
64.5. The President
of the Assembly may invite representatives of parliaments of other
non-member states to attend a debate in the Assembly.
Rule 65Partners for democracy
65.1. The Assembly may grant partner
for democracy status to national parliaments of non-member states
of the Council of Europe in neighbouring regions, which meet the
conditions set out in Rule 65.2.
and
any specific conditions which the Assembly may lay down.
65.2. Any formal
request for partner for democracy status shall be addressed to the
President of the Parliamentary Assembly by the president or speaker
of the parliament concerned. This request shall contain the following
elements:
- an explicit
reference to the aspiration of the said parliament to embrace the
values of the Council of Europe, which are pluralist and gender
parity-based democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms;
- a commitment to act to abolish
the death penalty and to encourage the competent authorities to
introduce a moratorium on executions;
- a statement on the intention
of the parliament to make use of the Assembly’s experience, as well
as the expertise of the European Commission for Democracy through Law
(Venice Commission), in its institutional and legislative work;
- a commitment to organise free
and fair elections in compliance with relevant international standards;
- a commitment to encourage
balanced participation of women and men in public and political
life;
- a commitment to encourage
the competent authorities to become party to the relevant Council
of Europe conventions and partial agreements which are open for
signature and ratification by non-member states, in particular those
dealing with human rights, rule of law and democracy issues;
- an obligation to inform the
Assembly regularly on the state of progress in implementing Council
of Europe principles.
65.3. The Assembly shall specify
the number of members of a partner for democracy delegation.
65.4. A parliament
with partner for democracy status shall transmit to the President
of the Parliamentary Assembly not less than one week before the
opening of the session the list of the delegation members appointed
for the duration of the entire session. The delegation shall be composed
to ensure a fair representation of the political parties or groups
within their parliament. The delegation shall include both women
and men among its representatives, and strive to ensure equal representation
between women and men.
65.5. Members
of delegations with partner for democracy status may sit in the
Assembly but without the right to vote. They shall have the right
to speak with the authorisation of the President of the Assembly.
65.6. Members
of delegations with partner for democracy status may participate
in committee meetings as provided in Rule 48.5.
. They
may submit to the committee chairperson proposals concerning the
draft agenda of committee meetings and proposals for amendments
to draft texts examined in these meetings. The committee chairperson
shall decide on any further action. They may sign motions for resolutions
and recommendations (except those under Rules 9.2.
and 75
) and written declarations. However,
they shall not be taken into account for the number of signatures
required. Members of such delegations may participate in the work
of political groups according to the conditions established by the
groups. Their names shall be published on the website and in the
Assembly list after the list of members for each committee, under
the heading ‘partners for democracy’.
65.7. On a proposal by the Committee on Political Affairs
and Democracy, the Bureau may decide to grant some additional rights
to partner for democracy delegations which have shown outstanding
results in achieving the goals of the partnership and participate
fully in the work of the Assembly. The decision of the Bureau shall
be ratified by the Assembly at the beginning of a new session (in
January) and shall be valid for the duration of the session (one
year), with the possibility or not of extension at each following
session depending on the results and according to the same procedure.
Such additional rights for the delegations and their members may
include:
65.7.a. the right to table motions
for recommendations and resolutions, subject to co-signature by
a member of the Assembly, with both names appearing as authors of
the motion;
65.7.b. the right to table amendments,
subject to co-signature by a member of the Assembly, with both names
appearing as authors of the amendment;
65.7.c. the right to request current
affairs debates and to be chosen to open such debates. If such a
request is made by an individual member of a partner for democracy
delegation, it should be subject to co-signature by a member of
the Assembly, with both names appearing as authors of the request,
and to having the support of 19 more members of the Assembly. If
a request is made by a partner for democracy delegation, it should
be supported by a political group, a national delegation or a committee,
as provided by Rule 54.2;
65.7.d. the right to table written
declarations, subject to co-signature by a member of the Assembly,
with both names appearing as authors of the written declaration;
65.7.e. the right to be appointed
as rapporteur for information reports which do not contain a draft
resolution and/or recommendation.
65.8. The
decision to grant, suspend or withdraw partner for democracy status
shall be taken by a resolution of the Assembly following a report
by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, with an opinion
by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and an opinion
by the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination and, where appropriate,
an opinion by any other relevant Assembly committee. These committees,
in the fields within their specific terms of reference, review the
progress achieved in fulfilling the undertakings made by the parliaments
concerned when they requested this status.
Rule 66 Representatives
of national or international organisations
66.1. The Assembly may, on the proposal
of the Bureau, invite national or international organisations to
present reports or communications.
Rule 67Co-operation with the European
Parliament
67.1. The Bureau of the Assembly
shall, in agreement with the relevant organ of the European Parliament
(Conference of Presidents), decide the arrangements for co-operation
of both institutions.
67.2. On the basis of these arrangements,
the Assembly’s bodies, particularly the committees, may co-operate
with their counterparts of the European Parliament in fields of
mutual interest.
