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Progress report | Doc. 13750 Addendum I | 20 April 2015

Activities of the Assembly's Bureau and Standing Committee (20 April 2015)

Rapporteur : Mr Pedro AGRAMUNT, Spain, EPP/CD

1. Decisions of the Bureau of 20 April 2015 requiring ratification by the Assembly

1.1. Election observation

1.1.1. Turkey: parliamentary elections (7 June 2015)

The Bureau approved the composition of the ad hoc committee (see Appendix) and appointed Mr Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) as Chairperson.

1.2. References and transmissions to committees

1.2.1. References to committees

The Bureau considered and approved the following references:

  • Doc. 13697, motion for a resolution, Guaranteeing equal rights and protecting women against violence in the armed forces, reference to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for report;
  • Doc. 13706, motion for a resolution, Human rights education in schools, reference to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media to be taken into account in the preparation of the report “Towards a European framework of competences for democratic citizenship, human rights and intercultural dialogue”;
  • Doc. 13707, motion for a resolution, The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reference to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons for report and to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for opinion;
  • Doc. 13708, motion for a resolution, The handling of international public health emergencies, reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report;
  • Doc. 13709, motion for a resolution, Ensuring the right of Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev to a fair trial: reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy to be taken into account in the preparation of the report on “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan”;
  • Doc. 13710, motion for a resolution, The need to eradicate statelessness of children, reference to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons for report and to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for opinion;
  • Bureau decision, request for an opinion from the Committee of Ministers, Additional protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, reference to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report.

1.2.2. Modification of a reference

  • Doc. 13691, motion for a resolution, Human rights compatibility of investor–State arbitration in international investment protection agreements, reference to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report and to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for opinion.

The Assembly is invited to ratify the above proposals made by the Bureau.

2. Decisions of the Bureau of 20 April 2015 presented for ratification by the Assembly separately

2.1. Composition of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs

On the basis of a proposal from the Socialist Group, the Bureau nominated Mrs Gabriela Heinrich (Germany). (see document Commission 4 addendum 1).

3. Other decisions of the Bureau

3.1. Second part-session of 2015 (20 to 24 April)

3.1.1. Draft agenda

The Bureau updated the draft agenda.

3.1.2. Request for debate under urgent procedure

The Bureau decided to propose to the Assembly to hold a debate under urgent procedure on the Assembly’s Opinion on the Draft Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism on Thursday 23 April in the morning.

It also decided to propose to the Assembly to hold a second debate under urgent procedure on The Human Tragedy in the Mediterranean: Immediate Action Needed on Thursday 23 April in the morning and referred the matter to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons for report.

3.1.3. Request for a current affairs debate

The Bureau decided to propose to the Assembly to hold a current affairs debate on The political and security situation in Ukraine and its implication on Wednesday 22 April in the morning, and appointed Mr Jordi Xuclà (Spain, ALDE) as the introductory speaker.

3.1.4. Joint Committee (Strasbourg, 22 April 2015 from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm)

The Bureau took note of the candidature of Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni as the only candidate for the post of Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe and decided to invite her for an interview at its next meeting in Sarajevo on 21 May 2015.

3.1.5. Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Andorra, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Liechtenstein and Monaco

The Bureau took note of the report drawn up by the Sub-Committee on the election of judges following interviews with candidates for the posts of judges to the Court in respect of these countries. This report had been already declassified by the Sub-Committee and submitted to the attention of all members of the Assembly (Doc. 13750 Addendum II).

3.2. References and transmissions to committees

3.2.1. Extension of references

  • Doc. 13273, Motion for a resolution, How to prevent inappropriate restrictions on NGO activities in Europe?, extension until 31 December 2015;
  • Doc. 13122, motion for a resolution, Media responsibility and media ethics in a changing media environment, extension until 30 June 2015.

3.2.2. Reply after consultation

  • Doc. 13678, motion for a resolution, For evenly balanced regions in Europe, no further action.

3.3. Issues raised by committees

3.3.1. Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons

The Bureau took note of the letter concerning the committee’s decision not to elaborate a report on “The implementation of the Hirsi judgment: have push backs come to an end?” (Doc. 13629, Reference 4094 of 26.01.2015) but to consider it in the framework of the preparation of the reports on “The Mediterranean Sea: a front door to irregular migration (Rapporteur; Ms Daphné Dumery, Belgium, NR) and “Countries of transit: meeting new migration and asylum challenges” (Rapporteur: Ms Tineke Strik, Netherlands, SOC).

It also took note of the letter concerning the decision of the committee not to carry out the visit of the Ad hoc Sub-Committee to Ukrainian refugee camps in the Russian Federation, following the Russian delegation’s decision to suspend all institutional contacts with the Parliamentary Assembly. Instead, the Committee decided to organise together with the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy a joint hearing on “Ukraine: prospects for peace and humanitarian challenges” to be held during the April part-session.

3.4. Appointment of an Assembly representative for an official activity

The Bureau appointed Mr Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) to participate in a follow-up meeting of the 2014 Lisbon Forum entitled “Financing of electoral campaigns: a challenge for the electoral processes in the countries of the Southern Mediterranean”, organised by the North-South Centre on 27-28 April 2015 in Tunis, Tunisia.

3.5. Meetings elsewhere than Strasbourg and Paris

The Bureau authorised:

  • the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development to meet in Chisinau on 18-20 May 2015;
  • the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy to meet in Rome on 4-5 June 2015.

Appendix - Ad Hoc Committee for the observation of the parliamentary elections in Turkey (7 June 2015)

(open)

List of members

Chairperson

  • Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL

Socialist Group (SOC)

  • Maryvonne BLONDIN, France
  • Paolo CORSINI, Italy
  • Arcadio DÍAZ TEJERA, Spain
  • Andreas GROSS, Switzerland
  • Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden
  • Tadeusz IWIŃSKI, Poland
  • Marit MAIJ, Netherlands
  • Melita MULIĆ*, Croatia
  • Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria
  • Yanaki STOILOV, Bulgaria
  • John TOMLINSON, United Kingdom

Substitutes

  • Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania
  • Predrag SEKULIĆ, Montenegro
  • Ingrid ANTIČEVIĆ MARINOVIĆ, Croatia
  • Philippe BLANCHART, Belgium
  • Ermira MEHMETI DEVAJA, “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”

Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CD)

  • Volodymyr ARIEV*, Ukraine
  • Corneliu Mugurel COZMANCIUC, Romania
  • Nicole DURANTON, France
  • Bernd FABRITIUS, Germany
  • Anže LOGAR, Slovenia
  • Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI, “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
  • Catherine NOONE, Ireland
  • Jan RZYMEŁKA, Poland
  • Attila TILKI, Hungary
  • Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania

Substitutes

  • Viorel Riceard BADEA, Romania
  • Yves POZZO DI BORGO, France
  • Andrej ŠIRCELJ, Slovenia

European Conservatives Group (EC)

  • Richard BALFE, United Kingdom
  • Krzysztof SZCZERSKI, Poland
  • Morton WOLD, Norway

Substitutes

  • Ingebjørg GODSKESEN*, Norway
  • Arkadiusz MULARCZYK, Poland

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)

  • Hendrik DAEMS, Belgium
  • Terry LEYDEN, Ireland
  • Kerstin LUNDGREN, Sweden
  • Andrea RIGONI*, Italy

Substitutes

  • André BUGNON, Switzerland
  • Luis Alberto ORELLANA, Italy
  • Alfred HEER, Switzerland
  • Cӑtӑlin Daniel FENECHIU, Romania

Group of the Unified European Left (UEL)

  • Tiny KOX, Netherlands

Rapporteur AS/MON (ex-officio)

  • Josette DURRIEU, France

Secretariat

  • Bogdan TORCĂTORIU, Administrative Officer, Election observation and Interparliamentary cooperation Division
  • Franck DAESCHLER, Principal administrative assistant, Election observation and Interparliamentary cooperation Division
  • Anne GODFREY, Assistant, Election observation and Interparliamentary cooperation Division

* members of the pre-election delegation