Progress report | Doc. 12126 Part I | 23 January 2010

Progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and of the Standing Committee (2 October 2009-25 January 2010)

Author(s): Bureau of the Assembly

Rapporteur : Mr Lluís Maria de PUIG i OLIVE, Spain, SOC

A. Introduction

1. The Bureau met on 2 October in Strasbourg, on 19 November in Bern and on 14 December in Paris. The Standing Committee met on 20 November in Bern.

B. Functioning of the Assembly

I. Progress Report of the Bureau of the Assembly and of the Standing Committee (2 October 2009-25 January 2010)

2. On 19 November, the Bureau appointed Mr de Puig (Spain, SOC) as rapporteur.

II. Follow-up to the 2009 Fourth ordinary part-Session of the Assembly (Strasbourg, 28 September-2 October 2009)

3. On 2 October, the Bureau:

i. Resolution 1683 (2009) “The war between Georgia and Russia: one year after”: in accordance with paragraph 13, referred the follow-up to this resolution to the Monitoring Committee for report;

ii. Resolution 1687 (2009) “Reconsideration on substantive grounds of previously ratified credentials of the Russian delegation (Rule 9 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly)”: in accordance with paragraph 8, asked the Monitoring Committee to present the Bureau with proposals as to the implementation of this paragraph;

iii. Resolution 1689 (2009) “The future of the Council of Europe in the light of its 60 years of experience”: referred paragraphs 28.8 and 28.11 of the resolution to the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs to be taken into account when considering proposals for changes to the Rules of Procedure;

iv. Follow-up to the current affairs debate on “Current affairs debate: The situation of human rights defenders in the North Caucasus region”: referred this matter to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights to be taken into account in the preparation of the report on the “legal remedies for human rights violations in the North Caucasus Region”.

III. Standing Committee (Bern, 20 November 2009)

i. Draft agenda

4. On 2 October, the Bureau took note of the draft agenda.

5. On 19 November, the Bureau took note of the changes made to the draft agenda.

ii. Meeting of the Standing Committee

6. On 20 November, the Standing Committee:

a. heard a welcome address by Mrs Chiara Simoneschi-Cortesi, President of the National Council of the Swiss Confederation;

b. held an exchange of views with Mrs Micheline Calmy-Rey, Federal Councillor, Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe;

c. held an exchange of views with Mr João Soares, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE;

d. ratified the credentials of new members of the Assembly submitted by the delegations of Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Norway and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”;

e. ratified the changes in the composition of Assembly committees in respect of the delegations of Armenia, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Spain, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Turkey, and in the composition of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) with regard to the SOC political group, as well as of the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs with regard to the ALDE political group;

f. took note of the draft agenda of the first part-session of the Assembly (25-29 January 2010);

g. adopted a Declaration addressed to the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen (7-18 December 2009) (see the Assembly website);

h. postponed consideration of the following reports:

Freedom of religion and other human rights for non-Muslim minorities in Turkey and for the Muslim minority in Thrace (Eastern Greece) (Doc. 11860);

15 years since the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (Doc. 11992);

The social impact of the economic crisis (Doc. 12026).

IV. Adopted texts

7. On 20 November, the Standing Committee adopted, on behalf of the Assembly, the following texts:

Recommendation 1889 (2009): Improving the quality and consistency of asylum decisions in the Council of Europe member states

Recommendation 1890 (2009): Engaging European diasporas: the need for governmental and intergovernmental responses

Recommendation 1891 (2009: Migrant women: at particular risk from domestic violence

Recommendation 1892 (2009): The contribution of the Council of Europe in the development of the European Higher Education Area

Recommendation 1893 (2009): The future of the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity («North-South Centre»)

Resolution 1695 (2009): Improving the quality and consistency of asylum decisions in the Council of Europe member states

Resolution 1696 (2009): Engaging European diasporas: the need for governmental and intergovernmental responses

Resolution 1697 (2009): Migrant women: at particular risk from domestic violence

Resolution 1698 (2009): Amendments of various provisions of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Rules of Procedure

Resolution 1699 (2009): Procedural implications of Assembly Resolution 1600 (2008) on “The Council of Europe and its observer states: the current situation and a way forward” and related Assembly texts

V. Resolution 1698 (2009) “Amendment of various provisions of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Rules of Procedure”

8. On 14 December, the Bureau, in accordance with paragraph 7, asked the Secretariat to prepare an amended version of the “Guidelines for the observation of elections by the Parliamentary Assembly”.

VI. Resolution 1699 (2009) “Procedural implications of Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 1600 (2008) on the Council of Europe and its observer states – the current situation and a way forward, and related Assembly texts”

9. On 14 December, the Bureau in accordance with paragraph 8, asked the Secretary General of the Assembly to transmit this text to parliamentary observer delegations.

VII. 1st ordinary part-Session of 2010 (Strasbourg, 25-29 January 2010)

i. Draft agenda

10. On 2 October, the Bureau held a first exchange of views on the preliminary draft agenda and gave its provisional approval on the understanding that the document could be subject to modifications.

11. On 19 November, the Bureau drew up the preliminary draft agenda for the part-session and decided to reconsider this item at its next meeting;

12. On 14 December, the Bureau drew up the draft agenda.

ii. Requests for urgent debate:

13. On 14 December, the Bureau:

a. “Faked Pandemics – a threat for health” (submitted by the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee): decided to recommend to the Assembly not to hold a debate under urgent procedure on this matter;

b. declared itself to be in favour of the holding of a debate under urgent procedure on the consequences of the world financial crisis, subject to a formal request for such a debate be submitted.

VIII. References and transmissions to committees

14. On, 2 October, the Bureau approved the following references and modifications of references, which were ratified the same day by the Assembly:

i. references to committees

a. Doc. 11973, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Boswell and others, Human rights and fight against terrorism, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report and to the Political Affairs Committee for opinion

b. Doc. 11975, Motion for a resolution presented by Mrs Coleiro-Preca and others, The challenges faced by small national economies, to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development forreport

c. Doc. 11976, Motion for a resolution presented by Mrs Bemelmans-Videc and others, Ad hoc judges: a problem for the legitimacy of the European Court of Human Rights, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report and to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men for opinion

d. Doc. 11978, Motion for a recommendation presented by Mrs Jonker and others, Preventing harm to refugees and migrants in extradition and expulsion cases: Rule 39 indications by the European Court of Human Rights, to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for report and to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for opinion

e. Doc. 11979, Motion for a resolution presented by Mrs Jonker and others, The impact of the global economic crisis on migration in Europe, to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for report and to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development for opinion

f. Doc. 11981, Motion for a recommendation presented by Mrs Marland-Militello and others, The right of everyone to take part in cultural life, to the Committee on Culture, Science and Education for report

g. Doc. 11982, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Lotman and others, Population transfer as a human rights violation, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report and to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for opinion

h. Doc. 11983, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Lotman and others, Need to assess progress in implementation of the Bern Convention, to the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs for report at the Standing Committee

i. Doc. 11984, Motion for a recommendation presented by Mr Kaikkonen and others, Convention on Youth Rights, Committee on Culture, Science and Education for report

j. Doc. 12021, Motion for a recommendation presented by Mrs Rihter and others, Privacy and the management of private information on the Internet and other online media, to the Committee on Culture, Science and Education for report

k. Doc. 12022, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Cilevičs and others, The Declaration of Principles on Equality and activities of the Council of Europe, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report

l. Doc. 12023, Motion for a resolution presented by Mrs McCafferty and others, Promoting volunteering in Europe as engine of democratic citizenship and social inclusion, to the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee for report

m. Follow-up to current affairs debate, The situation of human rights defenders and the increasing violence in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights to take it into account in the preparation of the report on “Legal remedies for human rights violations in the North-Caucasus region”

n. Bureau decision, Follow-up to Resolution 1683 (2009) on the war between Georgia and Russia: one year after, to the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) for report

o. Bureau decision, Paragraphs 28.8 and 28.11 of Resolution 1689 (2009) on The future of the Council of Europe in the light of its 60 years of experience, to the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs for modification of the Rules of Procedure

ii. no further action

a. Doc. 11946, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Lecoq and others, The human rights situation in Western Sahara, no further action

iii. modification of a reference

a. Doc. 11558, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Margelov and others, Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia in Europe, to the Committee on Culture, Science and Education for report, to the Political Affairs Committee for opinion and to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men for opinion

15. On 20 November, the Standing Committee approved the following references and modifications to references:

i. references to committees

a. Doc. 12049, Motion for a recommendation presented by Mrs Marin and others, Preventing natural disasters, to the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs for report at the Standing Committee

b. Draft Protocol amending the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (ETS No. 127) , Request for an opinion by the Committee of Ministers, to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development for report

c. Doc. 11922, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Agramunt and others, The definition of political prisoners, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report

d. Doc. 11897, Motion for a recommendation presented by Mr Frunda and others, Drafting an additional protocol to the European Convention for Human Rights: basic standards for national minorities, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report

e. Doc. 11903, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Gross and others,The inadmissibility of restrictions on freedom of movement as punishment for political positions, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report

ii. transmission for information

a. Doc. 12036, Motion for a resolution presented by Mrs Keleş and others, Implementation of the fundamental principle of the rule of law, to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for information

b. Doc. 12047, Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Volonte' and others, Combating selective abortion, to the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee and to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men for information

c. Doc. 12048, Motion for a resolution presented by Mrs Marin and others, The milk crisis and its impact on farming, to the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs for information

iii. modification of a reference

a. Bureau decision, Situation in Belarus, to the Political Affairs Committee for report and to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for opinion

IX. Parliamentary Assembly Human Rights Prize

16. On 19 November, the Bureau changed the regulations for the Prize (see Appendix I).

X. Debate on the state of democracy in Europe in June 2010

17. On 2 October, the Bureau asked the Political Affairs Committee to submit proposals for themes for this debate.

18. On 14 December, the Bureau noted its agreement in principle with the proposal made by the Political Affairs Committee on the theme “extra-institutional sources of power in the democratic system” to be the subject of a joint debate with the report on “the economic crisis and the legitimacy of democracy in Europe”.

XI. The consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia

i. Ad hoc Committee of the Bureau on promoting dialogue between the Georgian and Russian Assembly delegations

19. On 14 December, the Bureau was informed by the President of his intention to consult the Georgian and Russian delegations to the Assembly prior to the January 2010 part-session regarding the continuation of the work of this committee.

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

20. On 14 December, the Bureau was informed by the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee on the follow-up given to this issue as well as the intention of the committee to present a report during the April 2010 part-session.

XII. Credentials

21. On 2 October, following a discussion concerning the debates regarding the credentials of the Moldovan and Russian delegations and in accordance with Rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure, the Bureau asked the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs to consider the possibility of revising Rules 6 to 9 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.

XIII. Code of conduct for rapporteurs on the honouring of obligations and commitments by member states of the Council of Europe

22. On 2 October, the Bureau asked the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs to examine the possibility of incorporating elements from this code of conduct into the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.

XIV. Ad Hoc Committee on the implementation of Resolution 1416 (2005) on the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference

23. On 14 December, the Bureau held an exchange of views with regard to the continuation of the work of this committee and decided to return to this question at one of its meetings during the part-session of January 2010.

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

24. On 2 October, the Bureau approved the list of members as proposed by political groups for ratification by the Assembly.

25. On 19 November, the Bureau approved the changes in the list of members of each committee.

XVI. Meetings elsewhere than in Strasbourg and Paris

26. On 2 October, the Bureau authorised the following meetings:

a. Political Affairs Committee, Brussels (Belgium), 17 November 2009;

b. Sub-committee on Migration (of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population), Antalya (Turkey), 12-13 November 2009;

c. Sub-committee on Sustainable Development (of the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs), Copenhagen (Denmark), 15-16 December 2009;

d. Committee on Economic Affairs and Development, London (United Kingdom), 21-22 January 2010;

27. On 19 November, the Bureau authorised the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs to meet in London on 7 December 2009.

XVII. Modification of the rule on meetings of Committees and Sub-Committees of the Assembly elsewhere than in Strasbourg or Paris

28. On 19 November, the Bureau held an exchange of views on this issue and decided to come back to this item at its next meeting.

XVIII. Appointments of Assembly representatives for official activities

29. On 2 October, in reply to formal invitations, the Bureau took the following decisions:

a. Mr Mota Amaral (Portugal, EPP/CD): Seminar organised by the European Association of Former Members of Parliament of the Member States of the Council of Europe, Lisbon (Portugal), 22-25 October 2009 (at no cost to the Assembly);

b. Mr Çavuşoğlu (Turkey, EDG): Fourth plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, Istanbul (Turkey), 23-24 October 2009 (at no cost to the Assembly);

c. Mrs Ohlsson (Sweden, SOC), Nordic Council, Pre-session conference on climate change policies, Stockholm (Sweden) 26 October 2009 (at no cost to the Assembly);

d. Mr Badré (France, ALDE), Awareness-raising seminar on the activities of the Council of Europe, Rabat (Morocco), 26-27 October 2009;

e. Earl of Dundee (United Kingdom, EDG), International Summit on Transnational Crime, Paris (France), 12-13 November 2009;

f. Mr Korkeaoja (Finland, ALDE), parliamentary meeting preceding the World Summit on Food Security, Rome (Italy), 13 November 2009;

g. Mr Sudarenkov (Russian Federation, SOC), 34th PABSEC Plenary Session, Moscow (Russian Federation), 23-24 November 2009 (at no cost to the Assembly).

30. On 19 November, in reply to formal invitations, the Bureau took the following decisions:

a. Mr Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD): 28th session of the Baltic Assembly and 15th session of the Baltic Council, Vilnius (Lithuania), 26-28 November 2009 (without cost for the Assembly);

b. Mr Sasi (Finland, EPP/CD): enlarged session of the steering committee of the parliamentary conference of the World Trade Organisation, Geneva (Switzerland), 1 December 2009 (without cost for the Assembly).

XIX. Visits by rapporteurs

31. On 2 October, the Bureau:

a. authorised Mr Pourgourides (Cyprus, EPP/CD), Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, to participate in the Belarusian European Forum to be held in Minsk (Belarus) on 14 November 2009;

b. authorised Mr McIntosh (United Kingdom, SOC) Chairperson of the Sub-committee on the Media of the Committee on Culture, Science and Education to attend the United Nations Internet Governance Forum to be held in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) from 15-18 November 2009.

C. Relations with other bodies of the Council of Europe

I. Committee of Ministers

i. Joint Committee (Thursday, 28 January 2010 at 6.30 pm)

32. On 14 December, the Bureau agreed to propose to the Committee of Ministers that the following items be included on the agenda:

a. Enhancing dialogue and cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers;

b. Future of the European Court of Human Rights.

II. European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)

33. On 2 October, the Bureau approved the lists of candidates to the CPT in respect of Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Luxembourg, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and the United Kingdom, to be transmitted to the Committee of Ministers.

D. Relations with non-member states

I. Request for observer status with the Assembly by the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan

34. On 2 October, the Bureau took note of an information report by the Political Affairs Committee (Rapporteur: Mr Iwinski (Poland, SOC)).

E. Elections

I. Parliamentary elections in Bulgaria (5 July 2009)

35. On 2 October, the Bureau held an exchange of views with the Chairperson of the Bulgarian delegation.

II. Presidential election in Ukraine (17 January 2010)

36. On 2 October, the Bureau:

a. set up an ad hoc committee for the observation of these elections, composed of 40 members (according to the “d’Hondt” system), and left it to the President to appoint the Chairperson;

b. authorised a pre-electoral mission composed of eleven members (3 EPP/CD, 3 SOC, 2 ALDE, 2 EDG, 1 UEL), to take place about six weeks before the election.

37. On 19 November, the Bureau:

a. took note of the letter from the Ukrainian authorities inviting the Assembly to observe this election;

b. approved the composition of the ad hoc committee to observe the election and took note of the appointment by the President of the Assembly of Mr Eörsi (Hungary, ALDE) as Chairperson;

38. On 14 December, the Bureau took note of the report and press release on the pre-electoral mission (Chairperson of the ad hoc committee: Mr Eörsi, Hungary, ALDE) which took place from 24 to 26 November 2009.

III. Elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council and for the Presidency Authority (24 January 2010, subject to confirmation)

39. On 19 November, the Bureau:

a. decided to observe these elections, subject to receipt of an invitation;

b. set up an ad hoc committee to observe these elections, composed of 11 members: (3 EPP/CD; 3 SOC; 2 EDG; 2 ALDE; 1 UEL) and left it up to President of the Assembly to appoint the Chairperson of the ad hoc committee;

c. authorised a pre-electoral mission consisting of five members – one from each political group who were also members of the ad hoc Committee – on the understanding that it should take place about one month ahead of the elections.

IV. Schedule of elections in 2010

40. On 2 October, the Bureau took note of the dates of elections scheduled during 2010.

F. Other business

I. Forums

i. Forum on Early Warning in Conflict Prevention (Strasbourg, 24-25 September 2009)

41. On 2 October, in the absence of Mr Wilshire (United Kingdom, EDG), Chairperson of the ad hoc committee of the Bureau on early warning systems and conflict prevention in Europe, the Bureau decided to postpone this item until its next meeting.

42. On 19 November, the Bureau heard an account by Mr Wilshire, Chairperson of the ad hoc committee of the Bureau on the Forum, regarding the conclusions of the Forum and asked the Political Affairs Committee to follow-up these conclusions by setting-up a sub-committee if this was thought to be necessary.

ii. Forum for the Future of Democracy (Kyiv, 21-23 October 2009)

43. On 2 October, the Bureau took note of the programme for the Conference.

44. On 19 November, the Bureau took note of the conclusions of the Forum and asked the Secretary General of the Assembly to prepare a document, in time for the next meeting, with proposals for the follow-up to these conclusions by the Assembly’s committees.

45. On 14 December, the Bureau approved the proposals set out in the document [AS/Bur (2009) 109], on the follow-up to be given to the Forum by the relevant Assembly committees.

II. Conferences

i. Joint Parliamentary Meeting (European Parliament and the Swedish Riksdag) on “The Parliamentary dimension of a European area of freedom, security and justice”, (Brussels, 16-17 November 2009)

46. On 2 October the Bureau, subject to receipt of an invitation, set up an ad hoc committee of the Bureau to participate in this meeting, composed of 10 members (five from the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population and five from the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights).

ii Joint Conference Assembly/Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on “migration and violence against women in Europe” (Paris, 10-11 December 2009)

47. On 2 October, the Bureau set up an ad hoc committee of the Bureau to participate in this conference comprised of the members of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and the contact parliamentarians committed to combating violence against women, including domestic violence.

48. On 19 November, the Bureau approved the composition of the ad hoc committee of the Bureau to participate in this conference and appointed Mr Wille (Belgium, ALDE) as Chairperson.

iii. European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments (Cyprus, 10-12 June 2010)

49. On 2 October, the Bureau took note of the themes for the Conference.

III. Assembly Honorary President

50. On 14 December, the Bureau decided to grant the title of Honorary President of the Assembly on Mr Van der Linden.

IV. Communications

51. On 2 October, the Bureau took note of the written communications of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe and of the Secretary General of the Assembly.

52. On 19 November, the Bureau took note of the communications by the President, the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe as well as the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly.

53. On 14 December, the Bureau:

a. took note of the communications of the President, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and of the Secretary General of the Assembly;

b. held an exchange of views with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Appendix 1 – Regulations for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Human Rights Prize

(open)

Article 1: The Prize

The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Human Rights Prize shall be awarded on the occasion of the Parliamentary Assembly’s biennial debate on “The State of Human Rights in Europe”, in order to reward outstanding civil society action in the defence of human rights in Europe.

Article 2: Nature

The Prize shall consist of a sum of ten thousand euros, which may be subject to periodic adjustment by the Bureau, a plaque and a diploma commending the Prizewinner’s outstanding contribution to the cause of human rights.

Article 3: Eligibility

Individual members of civil society or non-governmental organisations or institutions who are active in the defence of human rights in Europe may be eligible for consideration.

Article 4: Nominations

1. Nominations for the Prize must reach the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly by 30 September each year. They shall be signed by at least five sponsors, other than the nominee, on the special form appended to these Regulations.

2. Nominations shall provide details of the nominee’s action(s) in the defence of human rights and specify the reasons why the nominee’s action(s) can be considered to be outstanding. All relevant supporting documents shall be provided.

3. Nominations may be submitted in one of the two official languages of the Parliamentary Assembly: English or French.

Article 5: Selection Panel

1. A selection panel comprising the President of the Assembly, the Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee and four independent persons with recognised moral standing in the field of human rights shall examine the nominations and make a recommendation to the Bureau as to the Prizewinner for the year in question.

2. The four independent experts referred to in the preceding paragraph shall not be current members of the Assembly. They shall be appointed by the Bureau for a five-year period, renewable once. In order to ensure a reasonable rotation and continuity, the term of two of the experts shall be limited to three years on the occasion of the first appointment made by the Bureau. The names of the experts concerned shall be drawn by lot by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly.

3. The selection panel shall be chaired by the President of the Assembly.

4. In the event that the selection panel considers that none of the nominations put forward is sufficiently outstanding, it shall inform the Bureau accordingly.

Article 6: Decision on the Prizewinner

1. The decision on the Prizewinner shall be taken by the Bureau by an absolute majority of the votes cast.

2. The Bureau’s decision on the Prizewinner shall be subject to the endorsement of the Parliamentary Assembly by means of the Bureau’s progress report.

Article 7: Award Ceremony

1. The Prize shall be awarded at a ceremony which shall take place in principle during the part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly following the Assembly’s endorsement of the Prizewinner.

2. The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly shall approve the modalities of the ceremony.

Appendix 2 – References and modifications of references

(open)

On, 14 December the Bureau approved the following references and modifications of references, subject to ratification by the Assembly:

i. references to committees

a. Doc. 12050

The European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Evans and others, to the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs to be taken into account in the preparation of the report on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy

b. Doc. 12060

Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Lindblad and others

Abuse of the criminal justice system in Armenia, to the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) to be taken into account in the preparation of the report onthe Assembly's monitoring procedure on Armenia

c. Doc. 12062

Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Rochebloine and others

Measures to be taken to ensure the preservation of the fundamental values of sport, to the Committee on Culture, Science and Education for information

d. Doc. 12063

Motion for a resolution presented by Earl of Dundee and others

The impact of the world economic crisis on local and regional authorities within member states of the Council of Europe, to the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs for report

e. Doc. 12064

Motion for a resolution presented by Mrs Yazdanfar and others

Promoting the development of microcredit, to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development for report

f. Doc. 12066

Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Zingeris and others

The economic crisis and the legitimacy of democracy in Europe, to the Political Affairs Committee for report and to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development for opinion

g. Doc. 12073

Motion for a recommendation presented by Mrs Memecan and others

Roma asylum seekers in Council of Europe member states, to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for report

h. Doc. 12077

Motion for a recommendation presented by Mrs Fiala and others

Access to and protection of the audiovisual cultural heritage, to the Committee on Culture, Science and Education for report

i. Decision by the Bureau

Extra-institutional sources of power in the democratic system, to the Political Affairs Committee for report

j. Decision by the Bureau

Measures to improve the democratic character of elections in Council of Europe member states, to the Political Affairs committee for report and to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Committee on Culture, Science and Education, the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population for opinion

ii. modifications to references

a. Doc. 12022

The Declaration of Principles on Equality and activities of the Council of Europe

Motion for a resolution presented by Mr Cilevičs and others, to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men for opinion