Appointment of the Secretary-General and on the appointment and promotion of the officials on the Council of Europe staff

Recommendation 49 (1953)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

This Recommendation was adopted by the Assembly at its eighteenth Sitting, on 2lst September, 1953 (see Doc. 197, Report of the Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions).

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

Having appointed a Secretary-General, on the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers, in accordance with Article 36 of the Statute,

1. Wishes to express its earnest desire that the Secretariat of the Council of Europe should develop in a manner fully adequate for the discharge of its functions, which are of a strictly international character;

2. For this purpose, recommends to the Committee of Ministers:

a that, in future, before making recommendations concerning the appointment of the Secretary-General, it should consult the representatives of the Assembly on the Joint Committee the creation of which was approved by the Committee of Ministers in May, 1951;

b that no appointment to the Secretariat should be considered to be the prerogative of any particular Member State;

c that the Committee of Ministers should insert in the Administrative Regulations which it laid down on 8th August, 1949, a provision similar to Article IV, paragraph 4 of the Staff Regulations of.the United Nations and the Specialised Agencies [(1) Staff Regulations of the United Nations, Article IV, paragraph 4 (Appointment and Promotion): “Subject to the provisions of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter, and without prejudice to the recruitment of fresh talent at all levels, the fullest regard shall be had, in filling vacancies, to the requisite qualifications and experience of persons already in the service of the United Nations. This consideration shall also apply, on a reciprocal basis, to the Specialised Agencies, brought into relationship with the United Nations.”], to the effect that, in filling vacancies, the Secretary-General should take into consideration the qualifications and experience of persons already employed by the Council of Europe, insofar as this is compatible with the need to recruit fresh talent and to allocate appointments equitably among nationals of the Member Slates.