See Doc. 6136Doc. 6136, report of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Rapporteur: Sir Geoffrey Finsberg. Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 16 November 1989.
Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Considering that under the current arrangements amendments to draft texts (opinions, recommendations, resolutions, orders) can be tabled so late that neither the Assembly committees concerned nor the political groups are in a position to examine them before the vote is taken;
2. Being anxious to ensure a better preparation of Assembly debates in committee and in the political groups, and to preserve the cohesion of the texts to be voted,
3. Decides:
a to amend paragraph 3 of Rule 28 of the Rules of Procedure as follows:"The texts shall be examined on the basis of the committee's draft. Such examination shall not take place sooner than forty-eight hours after the distributionNoteof the draft, save where Rule 48 below on urgent procedure or Rule 30, paragraph 9, on the reference of amendments and sub-amendments to committee is applied. The Bureau may grant exceptions to this deadline;
b that these new provisions shall come into force at the opening of the 42nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly (May 1990);
4. Consequently invites the Bureau of the Assembly to amend the provisions concerning the "time‑tabling of debates" (paragraph 6) so as to extend the deadline for tabling amendments to forty-eight hours before the opening of the debate, while retaining the flexibility needed for the opening sittings of a part-session and in the event ofthe order ofbusiness being changed during the session;
5. Instructs the Committee on Rules of Procedure to reconsider in two years' time the functioning ofthe new provisions.
