FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BUREAU OF THE ASSEMBLY
Secretariat of the Assembly
Synopsis No. 2000 / 164
10 November 2000
The Bureau of the Assembly, meeting on 8 November 2000 in Strasbourg with Lord Russell-Johnston, and then Mr Gjellerod, in the Chair,
- updated the draft agenda of the Standing Committee (Strasbourg, 9 November) and proposed, subject to the approval by the Standing Committee, to hold an urgent debate on the situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and a current affairs debate on the situation in the Middle-East;
- held an exchange of views on the follow-up to Resolution 1227 (2000) and to Recommendation 1478 (2000) on the conflict in the Chechen Republic and took note that a delegation of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography would visit the region from 20 to 24 November and that the Rapporteurs of the Political Affairs Committee and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights have planned to go to Russia from 8 to 12 December 2000;
- took note of the draft agenda of the Joint Committee (Strasbourg, 9 November);
- held an exchange of views on the parliamentary elections in Belarus (15 October 2000);
- took note and declassified the report on the municipal elections in Kosovo (28 October 2000);
- held an exchange of views on the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan (5 November 2000);
- decided to set up an ad hoc committee composed of 10 members to observe the elections in the Republic of Serbia (23 December 2000);
- adopted the draft agenda and drew up the preliminary draft order of business of the first part of the 2001 Ordinary Session of the Assembly (22-26 January);
- appointed Mr Behrendt (Germany, SOC) Rapporteur on the progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly;
- took note and adopted the dates of the part sessions of the Assembly and of the meetings of the Standing Committee (2001-2003), subject to ratification by the Assembly;
- approved, subject to the approval by the Standing Committee, following references, transmissions and modifications in references to committees:
Motion for an order on the situation in Montenegro (Doc. 8851): to the Political Affairs Committee, for information in the framework of the report on the situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;
Motion for a resolution on violation of the right of self-identification of the Bolgars of Volga in Russia (Doc. 8853): to the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee), for information;
Motion for a recommendation on culture and co-operation in the Mediterranean basin (Doc. 8854): to the Committee on Culture and Education;
Motion for an order on Armenian culture – in Armenia and in the diaspora (Doc. 8855): to the Committee on Culture and Education, for information;
Motion for a recommendation on the promotion of art history in Europe (Doc. 8857): to the Committee on Culture and Education (for report to the Standing Committee);
Motion for a resolution on the Elgin Marbles: sculptures from the Parthenon (Doc. 8858): to the Committee on Culture and Education, for information;
Motion for a recommendation on the adoption of a charter of intent against clandestine migration (Doc. 8859): to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography;
Motion for a resolution on religious freedom and religious minorities in France (Doc. 8860): to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and, for opinion, to the Committee on Culture and Education;
Motion for a resolution on the receiving conditions and capacities in European seaports for asylum seekers (Doc. 8861): to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography;
Motion for a recommendation on financing the European Court of Human Rights (Doc. 8862): to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development (for report to the Standing Committee);
Motion for a recommendation on German as an official language of the Council of Europe (Doc. 8863): to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development and, for opinion, to the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Immunities (for report to the Standing Committee);
Motion for an order on the democratic process in Yugoslavia (Doc. 8864): to the Political Affairs Committee, for information;
Motion for a recommendation on European women’s participation in decision-making (Doc. 8866): to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (for report to the Standing Committee);
Motion for a recommendation on equal representation in the public administration (Doc. 8874): to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men;
Request for an opinion from the Committee of Ministers on the draft Convention on Cyber-crime (Doc. 8875): to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights;
Motion for a recommendation on the conditions of detention in member States of the Council of Europe (Doc. 8884): to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights;
Motion for a resolution on the need to understand better the impact on society of the “new economy” and to ensure a better sharing of its benefits (Doc. 8885): to the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development;
Motion for a recommendation on racism and xenophobia in cyberspace (Doc. 8886): to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights;
- decided to ask for the opinion of the Political Affairs Committee on the Request for special guest status by the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;
- decided to consult the Political Affairs Committee concerning the follow-up to be given to the motion for a recommendation on a more effective policy on sanctions (Doc. 8852);
- decided to consult the Political Affairs Committee concerning the follow-up to be given to the motion for a recommendation on the drafting of a charter defining Europe’s “common values” (Doc. 8856);
- decided to consult the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights concerning the follow-up to be given to the motion for an order on the establishment of an ad hoc committee on crimes connected to paedophilia (Doc. 8865);
- decided to consult the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Immunities on the proposal contained in the letter by Mrs Degn, Chairperson of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development, to allow for the appointment of more than one Rapporteur for one report;
- gave its approval to the proposal by the Political Affairs Committee to limit to Tunisia the report to be drawn up under Reference No. 2506 on Increasing dialogue with the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean (Doc. 8719);
- approved the following meetings outside Strasbourg and Paris:
. Sub-committee on food (of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development) in Alençon (France) on 24-25 November 2000;
. Committee on Economic Affairs and Development in London on 17-18 January 2001;
- authorised Mrs Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD) to visit the United States in the framework of the preparation of her report on the abolition of the death penalty in Council of Europe observer states;
- took note of the conclusions of the European Conference against Racism and Intolerance: “All different, all equal: from principle to practice” (Strasbourg, 11-13 October 2000);
- took note of the report by Mr Gjellerod (Denmark, SOC) on the 104th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (Jakarta, 15-21 October 2000);
- decided to hold its next meetings as follows:
. Paris, Thursday 14 December 2000 at 3 pm
. Paris, Monday 8 January 2001 at 9.30 am
. Strasbourg, Monday 22 January 2001 at 8.30 am
. Strasbourg, Friday 26 January 2001 at 8.30 am
. Paris, Tuesday 13 March 2001 at 3 pm.
Horst Schade / Agnès Nollinger