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

Report | Doc. 197 | 20 September 1953

Committee

Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Rapporteur :

Mr James CROSBIE, Ireland

Origin

See 5th Session, 1953 : 18th Sitting, 21st September 1953 (Report debated and draft Recommendation adopted) and Recommendation 49. 1953 - 5th Session - Third part

Thesaurus

A Draft Recommendation

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. To this end, recommends to the Committee of Ministers :

a that in future, before making recommendations concerning the appointment of the Secretary-General or of a Deputy 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 States.

B Explanatory Memorandum

1

1. On the 15th September, 1953, the Standing Committee referred to the Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers on the appointment of the Secretary- General of the Council of Europe..

2. The Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions gave careful consideration to this question at meetings held on the 17th and 18th September, 1953.

3. The Committee took the view that the Assembly should proceed at once to the appointment of the Secretary-General.

4. The Committee took this as an occasion to review some of the problems connected with appointments and promotion in the Secretariat.