Rules of Procedure of the Assembly (January 2023)

(Resolution 1202 (1999) adopted on 4 November 1999) with subsequent modifications of the Rules of Procedure* * Resolutions 1220 (2000), 1234 (2000), 1235 (2000), 1266 (2001), 1275 (2002), 1284 (2002), 1296 (2002), 1325 (2003), 1343 (2003), 1348 (2003), 1356 (2003), 1368 (2004), 1369 (2004), 1379 (2004), 1395 (2004), 1431 (2005), 1432 (2005), 1445 (2005), 1447 (2005), 1448 (2005), 1490 (2006), 1491 (2006), 1503 (2006), 1504 (2006), 1515 (2006), 1529 (2006), 1554 (2007), 1583 (2007), 1584 (2007), 1585 (2007), 1658 (2009), 1698 (2009), 1699 (2009), 1712 (2010), 1780 (2010), 1799 (2011), 1841 (2011), 1842 (2011), 1854 (2011), 1903 (2012), 1911 (2012), 1937 (2013), 1965 (2013), 2002 (2014), 2058 (2015), 2102 (2016), 2169 (2017), 2182 (2017), 2208 (2018), 2278 (2019), 2287 (2019), 2349 (2020), 2350 (2020), 2360 (2021), 2392 (2021), 2405 (2021)<br><br>Wherever used herein, the masculine form refers to both women and men, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The words "President", "Vice-President", "Secretary General", "Representative", "Substitute", "chairperson", etc. refer to persons of both sexes.

Rules of Procedure of the Assembly

Parts: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII.

Complementary texts

Parts: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII.

Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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    Special guests, observers, partners for democracy See also Order No. 316 (1971), on addresses by guest speakers at plenary sittings of the Assembly, {P: EN_CEGIHFGJ} below. and other guests Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant

      Rule 62 - Special guests

      62.1. The Bureau may grant special guest status to national parliaments of European non-member States which have applied for membership of the Council of Europe.
      62.2. Any formal request for special guest status shall be addressed to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly by the President of the parliament concerned.
      62.3. If the Bureau, having consulted the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, approves such a request, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly shall invite the parliament concerned to assume special guest status.
      62.4. The number of members of a special guest delegation, which shall not exceed eighteen, shall be the same (without substitutes) as the number of seats likely to be appropriate were the special guest state to become a full member of the Council of Europe. This number shall be fixed by the Bureau, on the proposal of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.
      62.5. In so far as the size of its delegation allows, a parliament with special guest status shall appoint members so as to ensure a fair representation of the political parties or groups in that parliament.
      62.6. The credentials of members of special guest delegations shall be sent to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly if possible not less than one week before the opening of the session. These credentials shall be submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly for ratification at the same time as those of representatives and substitutes. On 28 February 1994 the Bureau approved an opinion of the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Immunities relating to the duration of the term of office of special guests, according to which Article 25 of the Council of Europe’s Statute shall apply, by analogy, to special guests (see Progress Report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee, Doc. 7038). Credentials of members of special guest delegations may be contested on stated grounds based on paragraph 1 above. Contested credentials shall be referred without debate to a joint meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy and the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs, presided over by the chairperson of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs. These committees shall report to the Bureau as soon as possible.
      62.7. Members of special guest delegations may sit in the Assembly but without the right to vote. They shall have the right to speak with the authorisation of the President of the Assembly. See also Rule 35 .
      62.8. Members of special guest delegations may participate in committee meetings as provided in Rule 48.5. . They may submit to the committee chairperson proposals concerning the draft agenda of committee meetings and proposals for amendments to draft texts examined in these meetings. The committee chairperson shall decide on any further action. They may sign motions for resolutions and recommendations and written declarations. However, they shall not be taken into account for the number of signatures required. Members of special guest delegations may participate in the work of political groups according to the conditions established by the groups.
      62.9. The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, or at least twenty members, may request of the President that special guest status be suspended or withdrawn. The President shall immediately inform the Bureau of any such request. If the request was not made by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, the President shall forthwith seek that committee’s opinion which shall forward it to the Bureau.
      62.10. The members of the Bureau shall be informed of the consideration of such a matter at least two weeks before the meeting of the Bureau at which it will take place. The decision of the Bureau shall be taken by a two-thirds majority.
      62.11. Where special guest status has been withdrawn, the parliament concerned shall make a further formal request if it wishes to assume this status again. Suspension of special guest status may be lifted by the Bureau deciding by a two-thirds majority if it considers that the conditions having led to the suspension no longer exist.