Creation of a reserve fund out of unused funds of the Parliamentary Assembly

Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 15118 | 18 June 2020

Signatories:

Mr Sergiy VLASENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Irakli BERAIA, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Algirdas BUTKEVIČIUS, Lithuania, SOC ; Sir Roger GALE, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Ms Marija GOLUBEVA, Latvia, ALDE ; Mr Artuss KAIMIŅŠ, Latvia, NR ; Mr Serhii KALCHENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Mr Irakli KOBAKHIDZE, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Kakhaber KUTCHAVA, Georgia, SOC ; Ms Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Dmytro LUBINETS, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Kęstutis MASIULIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Dmytro NATALUKHA, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Mr Beka ODISHARIA, Georgia, SOC ; Ms Linda OZOLA, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Ms Dana REIZNIECE-OZOLA, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhii SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr David SONGULASHVILI, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Aleksander STOKKEBØ, Norway, EPP/CD ; Ms Laurence TRASTOUR-ISNART, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Nino TSILOSANI, Georgia, SOC ; Ms Lesia VASYLENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed exceptional economic and financial challenges to Council of Europe member States. For example, the April 2020 part-session and committee meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly were cancelled due to the travel restrictions decided by member States, which lead to significant savings in the Assembly’s budget.

A reserve fund should be established out of the resources saved to cover additional requirements and deal with unintended budgetary shortages due to member States refusing to pay their annual contribution. The creation of a reserve fund would provide a safety cushion that would avoid destabilisating the Organisation and deprivating it of the resources needed to fulfil its statutory obligations.

The Assembly should call on the Committee of Ministers to determine the amount of saved funds and to establish such a reserve fund to ensure the continued and stable activity of the Organisation, and in particular of the Assembly, in a crisis situation.