Parliamentary questions | Doc. 13814 | 22 June 2015

Parliamentary questions to the Chairperson-in-Office of the Committee of Ministers

Author(s): Sir Roger GALE, United Kingdom, EC ; Mr Pieter OMTZIGT, Netherlands, EPP/CD

Question from Sir Roger GALE

Does the Committee of Ministers plan to insist on the execution of 22 December 2009 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Sejdić and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina before the next general and presidential elections in 2018?

Reply by the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers

The Committee of Ministers examined the execution of the above judgment at its 1230th meeting (9-11 June 2015) (DH) and adopted the following decisions:

“The Deputies

1. noted with satisfaction the written commitment to devote special attention to the execution of the Sejdić and Finci group of cases adopted by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was signed by the leaders of the major political parties and endorsed by Parliament on 23 February 2015;

2. encouraged the authorities and political leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure that this written commitment leads to concrete results and, consequently, invited them again to intensify their efforts to reach rapidly a consensus on the content of the constitutional and legislative amendments required to execute these judgments and to ensure that the necessary amendments are adopted as a matter of priority;

3. invited the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide regularly information on the concrete steps taken, together with an indicative time-table, to execute these judgments.”

Question from Mr Pieter OMTZIGT

On 17 June 2014, Ukrainian citizen and army pilot Nadiia Savchenko was captured on the territory of Ukraine by pro-Russian separatist groups in the East of Ukraine. She was subsequently transferred to Russia.

On 8 October 2014, I tabled written question 665 on her case and kindly requested an answer within a month.

On 29 January 2015, I tabled written question 678 on her case.

At that point she had been elected a Ukrainian MP as well as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly. The Assembly has repeatedly called for her release, in particular in Resolution 2034 (2015).

As of 15 June none of the questions have been answered and the Committee of Ministers has not even given a reason for its delay,

Mr Omtzigt,

To ask the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers:

• if he acknowledges that the Committee of Ministers has not observed its own procedures by not providing timely answers to these urgent questions?
• how often and when have these questions been discussed in the Committee of Ministers?
• is he willing to insist that the Committee of Ministers provides a substantive reply to these questions within one month from now? Is he prepared to support the adoption of a substantive reply by qualified majority, even if the Russian Federation is not part of that qualified majority?

Reply by the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers

It is recalled that, in accordance with its rules of procedure, the Committee of Ministers should reply to written questions addressed to it by parliamentarians within three months whenever possible. The rules of procedure also provide that replies to written questions require consensus.

– Regarding Written Question No 665: “Ms Savchenko, who was taken prisoner in Ukraine and transferred to Russia”:

Written Question No 665, tabled by Mr Omtzigt on 8 October 2014, was placed on the agenda of the 1210th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 24 October 2014. On that occasion, in accordance with the agreed procedure, the Ministers’ Deputies held an exchange of views on this question. Owing to a lack of consensus, they instructed their Chair to inform the President of the Assembly that it has not been possible to adopt a reply. By a letter dated 29 October 2014, the Chair of the Ministers’ Deputies informed the President of the Assembly accordingly.

– Regarding Written Question No 678: “Release of Ms Savchenko”:

Written Question No 678, tabled by Mr Omtzigt on 29 January 2015, was placed on the agenda of the 1220th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 18 February 2015. On that occasion, in accordance with the agreed procedure, the Ministers’ Deputies held an exchange of views on this question. Following the exchange of views, they invited their Chair to hold informal consultations in order to explore the possibility of arriving at a consensual reply. Consultations have been initiated and are still on-going.