Motion for a resolution | Doc. 12754 | 05 October 2011

Strengthening the mechanism for the disclosure of conflicts of interest in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Author(s): several Assembly members

Signatories: Mr Davit HARUTYUNYAN, Armenia, EDG ; Mr Konstantinos AIVALIOTIS, Greece, EDG ; Mr Miloš ALIGRUDIĆ, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Denis BADRÉ, France, ALDE ; Mr Italo BOCCHINO, Italy, NR ; Mr Mladen BOSIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EDG ; Lord Tim BOSWELL, United Kingdom, EDG ; Ms Anne BRASSEUR, Luxembourg, ALDE ; Mr Igor CHERNYSHENKO, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Christopher CHOPE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr James CLAPPISON, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Telmo CORREIA, Portugal, EDG ; Mr Paata DAVITAIA, Georgia, EDG ; Mr Karl DONABAUER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Alexander [The Earl of] DUNDEE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Lady Diana ECCLES, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Hans FRANKEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Sir Roger GALE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Serhiy HOLOVATY, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Jim HOOD, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Johannes HÜBNER, Austria, NR ; Mr Zmago JELINČIČ PLEMENITI, Slovenia, EDG ; Mr Tomáš JIRSA, Czech Republic, EDG ; Mr Mats JOHANSSON, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Charles KENNEDY, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Konstantin KOSACHEV, Russian Federation, EDG ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Ms Kerstin LUNDGREN, Sweden, ALDE ; Mr Saša MAGAZINOVIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SOC ; Mr Theo MAISSEN, Switzerland, EPP/CD ; Mr Dick MARTY, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Pirkko MATTILA, Finland, NR ; Mr Edgar MAYER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Sir Alan MEALE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Hermine NAGHDALYAN, Armenia, ALDE ; Baroness Emma NICHOLSON, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Alexander POCHINOK, Russian Federation, EDG ; Ms Zaruhi POSTANJYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr John PRESCOTT, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Armen RUSTAMYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Mr Kimmo SASI, Finland, EPP/CD ; Mr Jim SHERIDAN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Ismo SOUKOLA, Finland, NR ; Mr Boško TOMIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SOC ; Lord John E. TOMLINSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Latchezar TOSHEV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Parliamentary Assembly is a European organisation which leads the way in the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, both within and beyond its member states. Promotion of these fundamental values is not just an internal matter for member states, for it has become a shared and collective responsibility.

While performing their duties, members of the Assembly should adhere strictly to the principles of transparency and accountability, which are vital to good governance, integrity, confidence and trust in the Organisation, and particularly relevant in relation to the Assembly’s considerable impact on domestic policies and on member states’ political environment, especially in the context of its monitoring procedure.

One of the key strategies for ensuring transparency and credibility is the use of viable mechanisms for the disclosure of conflicts of interest. Such mechanisms already exist at domestic level in a number of member states, and these could serve as models.

Despite the relevant provisions of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure and the documents dealing with transparency and members’ declaration of interests, namely Resolution 1554 (2007) on Conflict of interest, Recommendation 1908 (2010) on Lobbying in a democratic society and the CM’s reply thereto, indications of potentially questionable activities by Assembly members in positions of trust clearly show that the problem of conflicts of interest still exists within the Assembly.

Paragraph 11.3 of Recommendation 1908, stating that “rules applicable to politicians, civil servants, members of pressure groups and businesses should be laid down, including the principle of potential conflicts of interest and the period of time after leaving office during which carrying out lobbying activities should be banned”, should therefore  be fully incorporated into the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.

In order to achieve this, it is imperative for the Assembly to consider revising its Rules of Procedure with a view to using a feasible mechanism for the disclosure of conflicts of interest.