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Doc. 10600
21 June 2005
Budgetary Powers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Motion for a recommendation
presented by Mr Rigoni and others
This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it |
1. The Assembly considers that the time has come for it to assume budgetary powers corresponding to its status as the Council of Europe’s parliamentary and political body and as normally exercised by parliamentary assemblies. The Assembly regrets that current arrangements are not satisfactory since they do not allow it to influence either the overall amount or implementation of the budget of the Council of Europe. It considers its present subordinate position incompatible with the principles of a genuine parliamentary democracy.
2. By focusing on expected results, the new results-based budgeting method should give the Assembly the information it would need to assess the validity and outcome of the Council’s various activities and make any necessary recommendations on improving, rectifying, redirecting or even discarding some of them, for the purpose of ensuring that the programme fully meets the needs and expectations of member states, in keeping with the aims of the Organisation. The Assembly should also proceed with evaluation of its own activities and establish the function of parliamentary “questeurs” in charge of controlling the Assembly’s expenditure.
3. Therefore, the Assembly recommends to the Committee of Ministers:
i. that it be given co-decision-making power to determine its operating budget;
ii. to ensure that there is genuine consultation when the budget of the Council of Europe is being prepared, in particular that it should be consulted on the ceiling for the next financial year;
iii. based on Article 41.d of the Council of Europe’s Statute, to add to Article 38 of the Statute, after paragraph c, a new paragraph, worded as follows:
“The Assembly shall determine the amount of its expenditure, the annual increase being agreed between the Committee of Ministers and the Assembly.”
Signed (see overleaf)
Signed 1:
RIGONI, Andrea, Italy, EPP/CD
AZZOLINI, Claudio, Italy, EPP/CD
de PUIG, Lluís Maria, Spain, SOC
EINARSSON, Mats, Sweden, UEL
EÖRSI, Mátyás, Hungary, LDR
GARDETTO, Jean-Charles, Monaco, EPP/CD
GLESENER, Marcel, Luxembourg, EPP/CD
KOSACHEV, Konstantin, Russia, EDG
MARGELOV, Mikhail, Russia, EDG
Van den BRANDE, Luc, Belgium, EPP/CD
1 SOC: Socialist Group
EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
EDG: European Democratic Group
UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
NR: not registered in a group