For debate in the Standing Committee — see Rule 15 of the Rules of Procedure

Doc. 10491

7 April 2005

Deadline for tabling amendments

Report

Committee on Rules of Procedure and Immunities

Rapporteur: Mr Giuseppe Mulas, Italy, European Democrat Group

Summary

To facilitate the tabling of amendments during part-sessions, it is proposed to prolong the deadline by half an hour. At the same time, it is proposed to group together in a single rule (Rule 34.5) the different deadlines relating to the tabling of amendments.

I.       Draft resolution

1.       The Parliamentary Assembly considers that the tabling of amendments by members would be facilitated if the deadline for tabling amendments to draft texts contained in reports to be debated on the third and the following days of a Part-Session and fixed in Rule 34.5 was extended by 30 minutes. Furthermore, the Assembly considers it appropriate to include in the wording of Rule 34.5 the deadlines which have until now been contained in the additional provisions relating to Assembly debates

2.       Consequently the Assembly decides

i.       to replace the second sentence of Rule 34.5 by the following text:

- for the first day of a Part-Session starting at 3 p.m, at the latest by 12 noon;

ii.       that this change shall enter into force on the adoption of the present resolution.

II.        Explanatory memorandum by the Rapporteur, Mr Mulas

1.       At its meeting on 13 December 2004 the Bureau of the Assembly decided to ask the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Immunities to draw up (under Rule 65.2) a report on the amendment of Rule 34.5 with respect to the deadline for tabling amendments. At the same time the Bureau decided on an ad hoc basis and in accordance with Rule 34.5, that until the committee had submitted its report, the deadline for amendments should be modified. The new deadline would be twenty-three and a half hours before the beginning of debates held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of a part-session (i.e. 10.30 a.m. and 3.30. p.m.), except urgent debates. The Assembly was notified of this provisional measure through the Progress Report of the Bureau.

2.       Currently Rule 34.5, 2nd sentence, of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure stipulates:

A footnote to this Rule refers to paragraph 2 of the additional provisions relating to Assembly debates, part (i.) (organisation of debates). This paragraph is worded as follows:

3.       It is to be noted that for debates under urgent procedure a special deadline is usually set by the Bureau on a case-by-case basis.

4.       At the meeting held by the Bureau of the Assembly on 8 October 2004 a member pointed out that the deadlines of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. which corresponded to the opening times of the Assembly’s morning and afternoon sittings, coincided with the end of committee meetings or, in the case of Wednesday morning, with the end of meetings of the Assembly’s political groups. It was therefore suggested that the deadline fixed in Rule 34.5 could be extended by 30 minutes.

5.       In practice, the problem only arises for reports that will be debated on the Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of a part-session. It does not arise for debates on Monday (deadline Monday at 12 noon), Tuesday (deadline Monday at 4 p.m.) or, as already indicated, urgent debates.

6.       The Rapporteur fully agrees that the proposed extension of the deadline fixed in Rule 34.5 by 30 minutes would make it easier for members participating in committee and political group meetings to table amendments. This would allow them in particular to take into account the outcome of such meetings for their decision to table an amendment or not.

7.       As the implementation of this proposal requires a change of Rule 34.5, the Rapporteur proposes to take this opportunity to include in this provision the substance of the footnote referred to above. Consequently, the second sentence of Rule 34.5. should be replaced by the following text:

Concluding remark

8.       The revised Rule 34.5 should enter into force on the adoption of the draft resolution. This would also imply a modification of paragraph 2 of part (i.) (organisation of debates) of the additional provisions relating to Assembly debates.

Committee responsible for the report: Committee on Rules of Procedure and Immunities

Reference to committee: Bureau decision of 13 December 2004

Draft resolution unanimously adopted on 17 March 2005

Members of the committee : Mr Andreas Gross, (Chairperson), Mr Andrea Manzella, Mrs Ganka Samoilovska-Cvetanova, Mrs Lene Garsdal (Vice-Chairpersons), Mr Sándor Albert, Mr Gulumhuseyn Alibeyli, Mr Ioannis Bougas, Mrs Anne Brasseur, Mr Aslan Cebeci, Mr Jonas Cekuolis, Mr Manlio Collavini (alternate: Mr Giuseppe Mulas), Mrs Helen D'Amato, Mrs Krystyna Doktorowicz, Mr Miljenko Dorić, Mr Vangjel Dule, Mr Mats Einarsson, Mr Herbert Frankenhauser, Mr Tihomir Gligorić, Mrs Arlette Grosskost, Mr Gerd Höfer, Mr Serhiy Holovaty, Mr Tomáš Jirsa, Mr Armand Jung, Mr Erik Jurgens, Mrs Mojca Kucler-Dolinar, Mr Markku Laukkanen, Mr Per Erik Monsen, Mrs Nóra Nagy, Mr Ionel Olteanu, Mr Alexey Ostrovsky, Mr Julio Padilla, Mr Ivan Pavlov, Mrs Sólveig Pétursdóttir, Mr Christos Pourgourides, Mrs Valentina Radulović Šćepanovic, Mr Armen Rustamyan, Mr Fernando Santos Pereira, Mr Peter Schieder, Mr Yuri Sharandin (alternate: Mr Valeriy Fedorov), Mr Christophe Spiliotis-Saquet, Mr Victor Stepaniuc, Mr Karim van Overmeire, Mr Rudolf Vis, Mr David Wilshire, Mr G.V. Wright.

NB: The names of those members present at the meeting are printed in bold.

Secretary of the committee: Mr Mario Heinrich.

1

i.e. normally 10.30 a.m and 3.30 p.m.