Rules of Procedure of the Assembly (January 2023)

(Resolution 1202 (1999) adopted on 4 November 1999) with subsequent modifications of the Rules of Procedure* 

• Rules of Procedure of the Assembly

  • I. Sessions of the AssemblyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 1 - Ordinary sessions

    Rule 2 - Extraordinary sessions

    Rule 3 - Place of meeting

    Rule 4 - Duration of sessions

  • II. Representatives and substitutesRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 5 - Provisional President

    Rule 6 - Credentials

    Rule 7 - Challenge of still unratified credentials on procedural grounds

    Rule 8 - Challenge of still unratified credentials on substantive grounds

    Rule 9 - Reconsideration of previously ratified credentials on substantive grounds

    Rule 10 - Decision of the Assembly on a challenge or reconsideration of credentials

    Rule 11 - Duration of term of office of representatives and substitutes

    Rule 12 - Substitutes

    Rule 13 - Code of conduct for members of the Assembly

  • III. Bureau, Presidential Committee and Standing CommitteeRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 14 - Bureau of the Assembly and Presidential Committee

    Rule 15 - Election of the President

    Rule 16 - Election of Vice-Presidents

    Rule 17 - Standing Committee

  • IV. National delegations and political groupsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 18 - National delegations

    Rule 19 - Political groups

  • V. Duties of the President, discipline and orderRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 20 - President and immediate past President

    Rule 21 - Vice-Presidents

    Rule 22 - Maintenance of order

    Rule 23 - Public order in the Chamber and galleries

  • VI. Organisation of Assembly businessRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 24 - Official documents

    Rule 25 - Tabling of motions for recommendations and resolutions

    Rule 26 - Reference to committee

    Rule 27 - Agenda

  • VII. Languages and recordsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 28 - Official and working languages

    Rule 29 - Interpretation in the Assembly

    Rule 30 - Interpretation in committees

    Rule 31 - Reports of debates

  • VIII. Conduct of proceedingsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 32 - Public sittings

    Rule 33 - Debate and consideration of texts

    Rule 34 - Amendments and sub-amendments

    Rule 35 - Right to speak

    Rule 36 - Points of order

    Rule 37 - Procedural motions

    Rule 38 - Organisation of debates

    Rule 39 - Free debate

  • IX. VotingRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 40 - Methods of voting

    Rule 41 - Majorities required

    Rule 42 - Quorum

    Rule 43 - Right to vote

  • X. Committees Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 44 - Appointment of committees

    Rule 45 - Competence of committees

    Rule 46 - Bureaux of committees

    Rule 47 - Procedure in committee

    Rule 48 - Meetings of committees

    Rule 49 - Sub-committees

    Rule 50 - Reports of committees

  • XI. Exceptional proceduresRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 51 - Urgent procedure in the Assembly

    Rule 52 - Urgent procedure in the Standing Committee

    Rule 53 - Current affairs debates

    Rule 54 - Procedure for dismissing the President and Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly

    Rule 55 - Procedure for dismissing chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of committees

  • XII. Written declarationsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 56 - Written declarations

  • XIII. Relations between the Committee of Ministers and the AssemblyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 57 - Access to the Assembly and committees

    Rule 58 - Joint Committee

    Rule 59 - Reports of the Committee of Ministers

    Rule 60 - Requests from the Committee of Ministers for opinion or further consideration

    Rule 61 - Questions to the Committee of Ministers

  • XIV. Special guests, observers, partners for democracy and other guestsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 62 - Special guests

    Rule 63 - Observers

    Rule 64 - Partners for democracy

    Rule 65 - Representatives of national or international organisations

    Rule 66 - Co-operation with the European Parliament

  • XV. Part-sessions of the Assembly and meetings of committees, the Bureau and the Standing Committee organised in a hybrid or remote mannerRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 67 - Hybrid or remote Assembly sessions

    Rule 68 - Hybrid or remote committee meetings

    Rule 69 - Hybrid or remote Bureau and Standing Committee meetings

    Rule 70 - Hybrid or remote Joint Committee meetings

  • XVI. PetitionsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 71 - Petitions to the Assembly

  • XVII. Secretariat of the Parliamentary AssemblyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 72 - Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly

  • XVIII. Miscellaneous provisionsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    Rule 73 - Waiver of the immunity of representatives and substitutes

    Rule 74 - Revision of the Rules of Procedure

• Complementary texts

  • I. Additional provisions relating to Assembly debatesRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Organisation of debates

    ii. - List of speakers

    iii. - Order of speakers

    iv. - Speaking time

    v. - Order No. 316

    vi. - Guidelines for questions to guest speakers

    vii. - Protection against attacks on a person's honour and reputation (Rule 22.6 of the Rules of Procedure) - right of reply

    viii. - Conduct of members of the Parliamentary Assembly during Assembly debates (Rule 22 of the Rules of Procedure)

  • II. Code of conduct for members of the Parliamentary Assembly Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • III. Code of conduct for rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • IV. Rules on voting by secret ballot in committeesRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • V. Guidelines for consideration of motions for resolutions and recommendationsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • VI. Guidelines for the adoption of declarationsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • VII. Terms of reference of Assembly committeesRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • VIII. Honouring of obligations and commitments by member states of the Council of EuropeRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Resolution 1115 (1997)

    ii. - Terms of reference of the Assembly Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee)

  • IX. Election of Assembly vice-presidentsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • X. Elections by the Parliamentary AssemblyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Procedure

    ii. - Election of the members of the European Court of Human Rights and of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture

    iii. - Election of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

    iv. - Modalities for the election procedure of judges to the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights

    v. - Candidates for the European Court of Human Rights

    vi. - Regulations relating to the appointment of the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and Secretary General of the Assembly

    vii. - Rules and procedures for the future elections of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe - Joint interpretative statement

    viii. - Procedure for election of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe - Competence framework

  • XI. Complementary electoral procedure Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Scope

    ii. - Individual electronic voting procedure in elections

    iii. - Postal voting in elections

  • XII. Budgetary texts Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Extract from the Resolution (53) 38 adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 13 December 1953 (Doc. 220)

    ii. - Extract from the Communication of the Committee of Ministers on the examination of the Budget by the Assembly (Doc. 342)

    iii. - Extract from the Progress Report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee concerning the preparation of the Assembly’s budget Doc. 3292 (1973)

    iv. - Extract from the reply of the Committee of Ministers to Recommendation 1344 (1997) of the Parliamentary Assembly on enlargement of the Council of Europe: the budgetary and administrative powers of the Assembly (Doc. 8080)

  • XIII. Observation of elections by the Parliamentary AssemblyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • XIV. External relations of the AssemblyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Guidelines on external relations of the Parliamentary Assembly

    ii. - Recommendation 1247 (1994) on the enlargement of the Council of Europe

    iii. - Draft Agreement on co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliament of a non-member state

    iv. - Special rules governing relations between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the parliamentary and inter-parliamentary assemblies of non-member states

    v. - Relations with the consultative interparliamentary Council of Benelux

    vi. - Relations with the Nordic Council

    vii. - Relations with the Inter-parliamentary Union

    viii. - Relations between the parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE

    ix. - Agreement on cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (9 June 1997)

    x. - Co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Pan African Parliament of the African Union (PAP) (11 April 2005)

    xi. - Cooperation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (7 October 2005)

    xii. - Agreement on the strengthening of co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament (28 November 2007)

    xiii. - Agreement on strengthening co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (23 June 2008)

    xiv. - Co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (5 December 2008)

    xv. - Agreement on co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan (27 April 2004)

    xvi. - Cooperation agreement concluded between the Council of Europe and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

    xvii. - Cooperation agreement concluded between the Parliamentary Assembly and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (26 June 1995)

    xviii. - Co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) (4 October 2004)

    xix. - Co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South Centre) (18 January 2005)

    xx. - Cooperation agreement concluded between the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Roma and Travellers Forum

  • XV. Rules of procedure for enlarged debates of the Parliamentary Assembly on the activities of OECDRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • XVI. Memorandum of understanding between the Council of Europe and the European Union Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • XVII. Access to the Palais de l'Europe and use of officesRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Rules on access to and movement and security within the Council of Europe during sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly and meetings of Assembly committees and sub-committees

    ii. - Use of the Chamber and meeting rooms

    iii. - Use of the offices of political groups by third parties

  • XVIII. Additional provisions relating to documentsRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Distribution and classification of Assembly and Committee documents

    ii. - Distribution of non-official documents

  • XIX. Special rules on honorary statusRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

    i. - Special rules on honorary association with the Parliamentary Assembly

    ii. - Special rules on the title and prerogatives of Honorary President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

    iii. - Special rules on the title and prerogatives of “Honorary Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly”

  • XX. Awarding medals to members of the AssemblyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • XXI. Ruling on meetings of Committees and Sub-Committees of the Assembly elsewhere than in Strasbourg or Paris Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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  • XXII. Exhibitions in the Assembly lobbyRetour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

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