Reappointment of the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe

Recommendation 289 (1961)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 23rd September 1961 (12th Sitting) (see Doc. 1326, Report of the Political Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 23rd September 1961 (12th Sitting).

1. The Assembly,

2. Taking note, on the one hand, of the statements of the Secretary-General on pages 6 and 7 of Document SG (61) 1 and in Document SG (61) 2; and, on the other hand, of his wish to be enabled, for personal reasons, to hand over his duties to a successor nominated by the Committee of Ministers and the Assembly immediately after the meeting of the Committee of Ministers in December 1963 and of his wish to resign in any case at the latest by 1st May 1964;

3. Expressing its deep appreciation to the Secretary-General for the outstanding services rendered by him to the Council of Europe, and to be rendered up to the end of his term of office;

4. Considering that the regulations relating to the appointment of the Secretary-General, in providing under clause 8 only for the tacit reappointment of the Secretary-General for five years or his replacement by somebody else, are open to serious criticism, first because they establish the principle of tacit reappointment which is hardly compatible with the importance of the office of Secretary-General and is contrary to traditional usage concerning elections and appointments of a political character; and secondly, because they do not allow the Assembly to make a choice between replacing the Secretary-General in office and appointing, in full knowledge of the facts, another person having presented his candidature;

5. Considering that it is therefore appropriate to amend the regulations on this point,

6. Recommends the Committee of Ministers to amend, with the agreement of the Assembly, the regulations relating to the appointment of the Secretary-General and possibly of the Deputy Secretary-General and the Clerk of the Assembly with a view to eliminating the tacit reappointment of the Secretary-General and to enabling the Committee of Ministers and the Assembly to decide, six months before the end of his term, either to renew the appointment for a definite period or to appoint another person.