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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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Access to the Palais de l'Europe and use of offices

ii.Use of the Chamber and meeting rooms

Rules and criteria approved by the Bureau of the Assembly on 13 December 1968

1. Chamber
The Chamber shall not be used without the consent of the President. In giving his consent, the President shall bear in mind the following criteria which are not binding but should help him in taking his decision:
— use of the Chamber is granted only for meetings (not for lectures); during inter-sessions, visitors may be allowed into the Chamber if accompanied by a member of the Secretariat;
— these meetings must have an international and in particular a European character;
— preference is given:
a. to organisations having consultative status with the Council of Europe;
b. to meetings where the subject for discussion is on the Assembly’s register or otherwise falls within the scope of the Council of Europe;
— use of the Chamber is not granted for meetings where the subject for discussion could impair the good name or prejudice the impartiality of the Council of Europe or otherwise run counter to its fundamental objectives;
— no meetings of a commercial nature may be held in the Chamber.
2. Committee and other meeting rooms (including the facilities of the Directorate of Communication)
Between sessions, committee rooms are made available by the Secretary General, in accordance with the needs of the various organs of the Council of Europe.
During sessions, two categories of meetings should be distinguished:
— Official meetings
The Secretary General of the Assembly meets as a matter of routine – subject only to the availability of the accommodation – any request for a committee room emanating from either the President of the Assembly, Committee Chairmen, Chairmen of Sub-Committees, Chairmen of Political Groups, Leaders of National Delegations or the Council of Europe Secretariat, provided the request concerns the official meeting of a recognised organ of the Council.
Priority is given to meetings of Assembly bodies, though such bodies may not meet concurrently with a sitting of the Assembly without the express approval of the President.
— Unofficial meetings
The above-mentioned persons as well as any individual member of the Assembly can ask for a committee room in order to hold an unofficial meeting, provided its purpose is clearly stated. The responsibility for agreeing to such requests rests with the President of the Assembly who delegates his powers to the Secretary General of the Assembly, it being understood that the latter will refer to him personally in case of doubt.
The President or the Secretary General of the Assembly will agree to such requests on the basis of the criteria already given under paragraph I, points 2, 3 and 4, and of the general rule that such meetings should not be held concurrently with a sitting of the Assembly.
These criteria are not binding but designed to help the President and the Secretary General of the Assembly in taking a decision.
If, after examining the situation in the light of the above criteria, the President or the Secretary General of the Assembly decide to agree to a request from an individual member of the Assembly or a group of members, it shall be clearly understood that the member or members concerned bear the sole responsibility for all the proceedings of the meeting, and that the Council of Europe as such incurs no liability.
3. Financial implications
The financial regulations governing the use of the Chamber and of committee rooms are the responsibility of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe who decides what charges are to be made in accordance with the principles agreed by the Committee of Ministers.
These rules and criteria should not be regarded as in any way affecting either the special arrangements made with certain organisations, such as the European Parliament and the Western European Union, or existing practice with regard to the use of the Council Chamber of the Committee of Ministers.