Doc. 12356

10 September 2010

Appointment to the post of Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly

Communication from the Committee of Ministers

I.       Letter from the Chairman of the Ministers’ Deputies to the President of the Assembly, dated 12 July 2010

Mr President,

I have the honour to refer to the procedure for the appointment to the post of Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly and to inform you that the Ministers’ Deputies, at their 1090^th meeting on 7 July 2010, adopted the enclosed Resolution submitting to the Assembly the following candidatures in alphabetical order:

- Mr Jan Kleijssen;

- Mr Wojciech Sawicki

for the post of Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly.

...

Signed: Vladimir Ristovski

Chairman of the Ministers’ Deputies

II.       Resolution CM/Res(2010)4 on the appointment to the post of Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly (adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 7 July 2010 at the 1090^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)

The Committee of Ministers, under the Regulations relating to the appointment of the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and Secretary General of the Assembly having the rank of Deputy Secretary General;

Having taken note of the letters addressed to the Secretary General by ten representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly and by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, proposing the election of Mr Jan Kleijssen as Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly;

Having taken note of the letters addressed to the Secretary General by ten representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly and by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland, proposing the election of Mr Wojciech Sawicki as Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly;

Having interviewed the two candidates;

Having consulted the representatives of the Assembly at the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 24 June 2010,

Decides to submit to the Assembly, for appointment to the post of Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly, for a five-year term starting on 1 February 2011, the following candidatures in alphabetical order:

- Mr Jan Kleijssen;

- Mr Wojciech Sawicki.

III.       Candidatures

Candidature of Mr Jan KLEIJSSEN

On 5 May 2010, the Secretary General forwarded to the Committee of Ministers the candidature of Mr Jan Kleijssen, currently Director of Standard-Setting at the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs.

The Secretary General appended to that communication a copy of a letter addressed to him on 30 April 2010 by the following members of the Assembly (in alphabetical order) in which they proposed the candidature of Mr Kleijssen:

-       Mrs Doris BARNETT, Germany, Socialist Group (SOC)

-       Mrs Marie-Louise BEMELMANS-VIDEC, the Netherlands, Group of the European People's Party        (EPP/CD)

-       Earl of Alexander DUNDEE, United Kingdom, European Democrat Group (EDG)

-       Mr Juha KORKEAOJA, Finland, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)

-       Mr Pietro MARCENARO, Italy, Socialist Group (SOC)

-       Mr Andrew McINTOSH, United Kingdom, Socialist Group (SOC)

-       Mr José MENDES BOTA, Portugal, Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)

-       Mrs Elsa PAPADIMITRIOU, Greece, Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)

-       Mr Cezar Florin PREDA, Romania, Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)

-       Mr Luigi VITALI, Italy, Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD).

By letter dated 19 May 2010, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands informed the Secretary General that his government will sponsor the candidature of Mr Kleijssen for the post (see attached letter).

Curriculum vitae

Jan KLEIJSSEN

Born 28 January 1958, Almelo (The Netherlands)

Married, three children

Current position

• Director of Standard-Setting, Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs, Council of Europe, Since May 2007

Previous employment

• Director of Directorate II, Directorate General of Human Rights, 2006-2007

• Special Adviser to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 2005-2006

• Director, Interparliamentary and Institutional Relations, Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 2004-2006

• Director of Private Office of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, 1999- 2004

• Secretary of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 1990-1999

• Secretary of the Ad hoc Committee on the CSCE (OSCE) of the Bureau of the Assembly, 1990-1999

• Executive Assistant to the Clerk of the Parliamentary Assembly, 1989-1993

• Co-Secretary of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography, 1987- 1990

• Co-Secretary of the Committee on Social, Health and Family Affairs, 1987-1989

• Lawyer with the European Commission of Human Rights, 1983-1987

• Visiting professor of human rights, Syracuse University, Strasbourg: lecturer of human rights courses, 1983-1987

Education

• Master’s Degree in International Affairs (MA), Carleton University Ottawa, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, 1981-1982

• Master’s Degree in International Law (LLM), Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht (Utrecht State University), 1976-1981

Languages

Dutch, English, German, French and Italian

Military Service

• Sub-Lieutenant, Royal Dutch Navy, 1983

Publications

• “No Peace without Human Rights: The Council of Europe and Conflict Prevention”, in: “The European Union and Conflict Prevention”, by T.M.C. Asser Press (Editors V. Kronenberger and J. Wouters) October 2004

• “International Human Rights Monitoring Mechanisms” Essays in honour of Jakob Th. Möller, The Raoul Wallenberg Institute Human Rights Library, volume 7 (2001)

• “Political monitoring of obligations within the Council of Europe”, Netherlands Magazine for Human Rights/NJCM Bulletin, July/August 1997

• Regular contributions (5-6 times per year) to ‘Nederlands Juristenblad’ (Netherlands Law Gazette) on Commission case-law (1983-1987)

• “International security and national interests: a conceptual analysis”, ‘International Spectator’, June 1983, vol XXXVIII, n° 6

Professional Activities

• Fellow, Salzburg American Seminar and Wilton Park Conference (United Kingdom)

• Founder member, URIOS (Utrecht International Law Study Association)

• Member, International Commission of Jurists (NJCM – Dutch section)

Awards

• 'Cavaliere Ufficiale' in the Order of St Agatha,  San Marino 2003

• Hugo Grotius Scholarship 1981

Candidature of Mr Wojciech SAWICKI

On 5 May 2010, the Secretary General forwarded to the Committee of Ministers the candidature of Mr Wojciech Sawicki, currently Director General at the Secretariat of the Assembly.

The Secretary General appended to that communication a copy of a letter addressed to him on 30 April 2010 by the following members of the Assembly (in alphabetical order) in which they proposed the candidature of Mr Sawicki:

-       Ms Anne BRASSEUR, Luxembourg, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)

-       Ms Anna ČURDOVÀ, Czech Republic, Socialist Group (SOC)

-       Mr John GREENWAY, United Kingdom, European Democrat Group (EDG)

-       Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, Socialist Group (SOC)

-       Mr Dariusz LIPIŃSKI, Poland, Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)

-       Mr Jean-Claude MIGNON, France, Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)

-       Mr Christos POURGOURIDES, Cyprus, Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)

-       Mr Lluís Maria de PUIG i OLIVE, Spain, Socialist Group (SOC)

-       Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, Socialist Group (SOC)

-       Mr Paul WILLE, Belgium, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

By letter dated 17 May 2010, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland informed the Secretary General that his government would like to present the candidature of Mr Sawicki for the post (see attached letter).

Curriculum vitae

Wojciech SAWICKI

Director General - Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

May 2006 – to present:

Director General, Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (deputizing for the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly)

1 November 2009 – 31 March 2010:

Acting Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

October 1996 to present:

Co-director of the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD)

June 1996 – April 2006:

Director (Deputy Clerk) – Head of the General Services Department of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

-       giving assistance to the Secretary General (Clerk) of the Parliamentary Assembly in all his tasks, and replacing him as needed;

-       responsible for the Interparliamentary Cooperation Work Programme;

-       responsible for the coordination of Committees’ activities;

-       responsible for management of the Staff of the Secretariat, Administration and Finance.

February 1990 – May 1996:

Secretary General of the Polish Senate

-       responsible for establishing and managing all aspects of the Upper House (Senate) of the Polish Parliament’s day–to-day activities;

-       providing political, legal and procedural advice to all statutory organs of the Senate;

-       responsible for maintaining contact with the Secretariats of other Parliaments;

-       Co-ordinator on the Polish side for the implementation of long-term assistance programmes by a number of Western Parliaments.

October 1977 – January 1990:

Programmer and Head of Department in the Power Industry Computer Centre – Warsaw, Poland

-       responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining computer operating systems.

1979 – 1986:

Outside lecturer for the Polish Academy of Sciences – Warsaw

Miscellaneous:

1990 to present:

Association of Secretaries General of Parliament

Member (since 1990); Member of the Executive Committee (1992-1996); Vice-President (1995-1996);

Honorary Member (since 1996)

1979 – 1996: Member of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw Club of Catholic Intellectuals; 1981-1984: Vice-president of the Club; 1984-1990: Treasurer of the Club.

1980 – 1981: Chairman of the “Solidarność” Trade Union Section at the Power Industry Computer Centre – Warsaw.

1981 – 1987: Member of the Church Committee to Assist (Political) Prisoners and their Families (established following the imposition of martial law in December 1981); Head of the Registry and Information Office of the Committee, responsible for setting up and managing the information system of the Committee, with more than 18,000 entries.

Distinctions:

2002: Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)

Education:

Warsaw University, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences – M. Sc. In Computer Sciences, specializing in operating systems (1978)

Languages:

Polish, English, French and Russian

Nationality: Polish | Date of birth: 20 March 1955 | Married, 3 children