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Special guest status with the Parliamentary Assembly

Resolution 917 (1989)

Author(s):
Parliamentary Assembly
Origin
Assembly debate on 11 May 1989 (5th Sitting) (see Doc. 6036, report of the Committee on Relations with European Non-Member Countries, Rapporteur : Mr Sager). Text adopted by the Assembly on 11 May 1989 (5th Sitting).
Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Considering that relations between the Council of Europe and certain Central and East European states have improved and intensified over recent years, and that this trend should be duly taken into account in its reflections on the future role of the Council of Europe ;
2. Believing that it is desirable to promote co-operation with the national legislative assemblies of these states ;
3. Expressing the desire that representatives of these legislative assemblies attend its plenary sessions,
4. Decides to draw up a special guest status for the national legislative assemblies of Central and East European states who will be invited to take part in its sessions under the following conditions :
4.1 the Parliamentary Assembly may grant special guest status to national legislative assemblies of European non-member countries which have shown their interest and which apply and implement the Helsinki Final Act and the instruments adopted at the CSCE conferences, together with the 1966 United Nations International Covenants on civil and political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights ;
4.2 the invitation to benefit from this status will be extended to these assemblies by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, on the proposal of the Committee on Relations with European Non-Member Countries, with the opinion of the Political Affairs Committee and with the agreement of the Bureau enlarged to include the chairmen of the political groups ;
4.3 these assemblies will be invited to send delegations of their members, reflecting various currents of opinion within their assembly, to participate in the plenary sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly, as well as committee meetings upon invitation ;
4.4 the number of seats allocated to each ‘‘special guest'' shall be established by the Parliamentary Assembly, it being understood that it may not exceed eighteen members ;
4.5 the Parliamentary Assembly shall, at the opening of each session, decide on the renewal of the credentials of the delegations of assemblies enjoying special guest status, in the same way as for all delegations represented in the Parliamentary Assembly ;
5. Instructs its Committee on Rules of Procedure to submit to the Assembly a draft amendment to the Rules of Procedure on the basis of these guidelines.