Progress report | Doc. 15036 | 22 January 2020

Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (4 October 2019-26 January 2020)

Bureau of the Assembly

Rapporteur : Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL

1. Introduction

At its meeting on 4 October 2019, the Bureau appointed me as rapporteur for this report, which covers its activities over the period from the last Bureau meeting of the fourth part-session of 2019 (Friday 4 October) to the first Bureau meeting of the first part-session of 2020 (Monday 27 January) including the Bureau meetings held in Strasbourg on 28 November and in Paris on 13 December 2019.

Chapter 2 presents a list of activities and decisions which do not require ratification. Chapter 3 presents decisions which have already been ratified by the Assembly on 4 October and by the Standing Committee on 29 November. Chapter 4 presents decisions to be ratified by the Assembly on Monday 27 January 2020.

An addendum to this report will be issued after the Bureau meeting of 27 January, which will also include decisions to be ratified on the same day. Another addendum will be issued after the Bureau meeting of 31 January. It will include only the decisions to be ratified by the Assembly on the same day, notably the references and transmissions, which will have been approved by the Bureau.

The Bureau will hold its next meetings in Strasbourg on Friday 31 January at 8.30 am and then on Thursday 5 March in Paris. The next meeting of the Standing Committee will also be held in Paris on Friday 6 March.

2. Activities of the Bureau since the last part-session and decisions not requiring ratification by the Assembly

2.1. Fourth part-session of 2019 (Strasbourg, 30 September-4 October)

On 4 October, the Bureau held an exchange of views on the fourth part-session.

2.2. Standing Committee meeting in Strasbourg (29 November 2019)

On 4 October and on 28 November, the Bureau took note of the draft agenda.

2.3. First part-session of 2020 (Strasbourg, 27-31 January)

On 4 October, the Bureau drew up the preliminary draft agenda. On 28 November, it updated the preliminary draft agenda.

On 13 December, the Bureau drew up the draft agenda.

2.4. Dates of the April 2020 Assembly’s part-session

On 28 November, the Bureau considered the request by the Serbian delegation to modify the dates and invited the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly to submit proposals at the next meeting of the Bureau.

On 13 December, the Bureau considered the document prepared by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly and decided to modify the organisation of this part-session (Appendix 1).

2.5. Communications

On 28 November, the Bureau took note of the communications by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the communications by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

2.6. Election of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

On 28 November, the Bureau considered the memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly, approved the timetable of the election and asked the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly to transmit it to the Committee of Ministers.

2.7. External relations of the Parliamentary Assembly

On 28 November, the Bureau:

. considered the memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly;

. asked the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy to reflect upon:

• the relations with the OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly, as well as with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly;
• the special guest and observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly.

2.8. Election observation

2.8.1. Belarus: early parliamentary elections (17 November 2019)

On 4 October, the Bureau approved the list of members of the ad hoc committee and appointed Lord Blencathra (United Kingdom, EC/DA) as its Chairperson (Appendix 2).

On 28 November, the Bureau took note of the press release of the ad hoc committee.

On 13 December, the Bureau approved the report of the ad hoc committee.

2.8.2. Uzbekistan: parliamentary elections (22 December 2019)

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the invitation received and decided not to observe these elections.

2.8.3. Azerbaijan: early parliamentary elections (9 February 2020)

On 19 December, via a written consultation, the Bureau appointed Mr Frank Schwabe (Germany, SOC) as Chairperson of the ad hoc committee to observe these elections.

2.8.4. Schedule of elections for 2020

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the list of elections to be observed by the Assembly in 2020.

2.9. References and transmissions to committees

On 4 October, the Bureau considered and approved the following requests for extension of references:

• Doc. 14101, Motion for a resolution, The need to enable the Committee of Ministers to give answers to the Assembly even in the absence of a consensus (Reference 4236 of 14 October 2016 (extended on 12 October 2018)) – validity: 4 October 2019: extension until 5 October 2020.
• Doc. 14365, Motion for a resolution, Threats to academic freedom and autonomy of universities in Europe (Reference 4324 of 13 October 2017) – validity: 13 October 2019: extension until 31 May 2020.
• Doc. 14382, Motion for a resolution, The continuing need to restore human rights and the rule of law in the North Caucasus region (Reference 4333 of 13 October 2017) – validity: 13 October 2019: extension until 31 March 2020.
• Bureau decision,Guidelines on the scope of the parliamentary immunities enjoyed by members of the Parliamentary Assembly (Reference 4338 of 13 October 2017) – validity: 13 October 2019: extension until 5 October 2020.
• Doc. 14417, Motion for a resolution, Missing refugee and migrant children in Europe (reference 4343 of 24 November 2017) – validity: 24 November 2019: extension until 31 January 2020.
• Doc. 14447, Motion for a resolution, Football governance and ethics: business or values? (Reference 4357 of 22 January 2018) – validity: 22 January 2020: extension until 31 December 2020.

2.10. Expenditure of the Parliamentary Assembly for the 2020 financial year

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the memorandum by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly.

2.11. Parliamentary co-operation activities: work plan 2020

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the information provided in the document.

2.12. Issues raised by committees

Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

On 13 December, the Bureau authorised Mr Olivier Becht (France, ALDE) to carry out a fact-finding visit to California (United States), in February 2020, in the framework of the preparation of his report on The Brain-computer interface: new rights or new threats to fundamental freedoms.

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

On 4 October, the Bureau approved the list of candidates in respect of Albania, Latvia and Portugal to be forwarded to the Committee of Ministers.

2.14. 2019 World Forum for Democracy (Strasbourg, 6-8 November)

On 4 October, the Bureau approved the final composition of the ad hoc committee of the Bureau to participate in the Forum (Appendix 3).

2.15. OECD Global Parliamentary Network (Paris, 10-11 0ctober 2019)

On 4 October, the Bureau approved the final composition of the ad hoc committee of the Bureau to participate in the OECD Global Parliamentary Network (Appendix 4).

2.16. Co-operation with the European Parliament and other European Union institutions

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly.

2.17. Apportionment of the allocation to political groups for 2020

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Parliament Assembly and approved the proposal for the apportionment of the allocation.

2.18. Meetings elsewhere than Strasbourg and Paris

On 28 November, the Bureau decided to authorise the sub-committee on External Relations of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy to meet in Rovaniemi (Finland) on 16 December 2019.

On 13 December, the Bureau authorised:

• the Sub-Committee on Gender Equality of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination to meet in the UN Headquarters in New York (United States), on the occasion of the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64), on 9-11 March 2020;
• the Monitoring Committee to meet in Ankara, on 26-27 March 2020.

2.19. Follow-up to Resolution 2274 (2019) on Promoting parliaments free of sexism and sexual harassment

On 28 November, the Bureau took note of the information document.

2.20. 2020 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize

On 13 December, the Bureau took note of the calendar of the 2020 edition of the Prize.

2.21. Activities of the Standing Committee (Strasbourg, 29 November 2019)

The Standing Committee:

• held an exchange of views with Mr David Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe;
• ratified the credentials of new members of the Assembly submitted by the delegations of Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Netherlands and Slovenia;
• approved changes in the composition of Assembly committees;
• took note of the draft agenda of the first part-session of the Assembly (27-31 January 2020);
• ratified the references proposed by the Bureau;
• adopted the following texts on behalf of the Assembly:

Resolution 2311 (2019)	Human rights and business – What follow-up to Committee of Ministers recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3?
Recommendation 2166 (2019)	Human rights and business – What follow-up to Committee of Ministers recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3?
Resolution 2312 (2019)	The societal impact of the platform economy
Resolution 2313 (2019)	Role of education in the digital era: from “digital natives” to “digital citizens”
Recommendation 2167 (2019)	Role of education in the digital era: from “digital natives” to “digital citizens”
Resolution 2314 (2019)	Media education in the new media environment
Resolution 2315 (2019)	Interpol reform and extradition proceedings: building trust by fighting abuse

• decided to hold its next meeting in Paris on 6 March 2020.

3. Decisions taken by the Bureau at its meetings on 4 October and on 28 November, and subsequently ratified by the Assembly on 4 October or the Standing Committee on 29 November

3.1. Bureau meeting on 4 October

Decisions taken by the Bureau at its meeting on 4 October 2019 which were subsequently ratified by the Assembly on 4 October can be found in Doc 14968 Add. 3 (see appendix 5).

3.2. References and transmissions to committees

On 28 November, the Bureau approved the following references and transmissions, ratified by the Standing Committee on the following day:

• Doc. 14972, Motion for a resolution, Climate change and the rule of law: baseline study: reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report and to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for opinion;
• Doc. 14975, Motion for a resolution, Evaluation of the partnership for democracy in respect of the Parliament of Jordan: reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report;
• Doc. 14976, Motion for a resolution, The activities of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report;
• Doc. 15007, Motion for a recommendation, New complementary procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly in response to the lack of compliance by a member State with its statutory obligations: reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report.

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

On 28 November, on the basis of a proposal by the SOC Group, the Bureau appointed Ms Marina Berlinghieri (Italy).

4. Decisions taken by the Bureau at its meetings on 28 November and 13 December requiring ratification by the Assembly on Monday 27 January through the Progress report

4.1. External relations of the Parliamentary Assembly

On 28 November, the Bureau approved the guidelines on external relations of the Parliamentary Assembly as set out in Appendix 6.

4.2. References and transmissions to committees

On 13 December, the Bureau approved the references and transmissions as set out in Appendix 7.

4.3. Election observation

Azerbaijan: early parliamentary elections (9 February 2020)

On 13 December, the Bureau decided to observe these elections and constituted an ad hoc committee for this purpose composed of 30 members (EPP/CD: 10; SOC: 9; ALDE: 5; EC/DA: 4; UEL: 2 – in accordance with the D’Hondt system) as well as of the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee and authorised the conduct of a pre-electoral mission.

5. Gender equality in the functioning of the Assembly [(1) The figures provided represent the situation on 5 December 2019. The figures concerning rapporteurs refer to the debates that were held in 2019.]

1. Since 2012, following a Bureau decision, statistics on the gender breakdown of Assembly positions are prepared every year and included in the Progress report on the activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee presented during the January part-session. They provide a picture of the situation as of December of any given year. The publication of this information aims at enhancing transparency and raising awareness.

2. In 2019, the total number of women members of the Assembly represented 34% as in 2018 and 37% in 2017. It should be noted that according to data collected by the Inter-parliamentary Union [(2) http://archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/arc/world011019.htm.], the total share of women members of parliament in the Council of Europe member States as of December 2019 saw an increase to 29% compared to the 24% in 2018. This shows that the provisions laid down in Rule 6.2 a. of the Assembly’s Rules of procedure, namely that ‘national delegations should include members of the under-represented sex at least in the same percentage as in their national parliaments’ have had a positive impact, since in many cases the national delegations to the Assembly have a higher representation rate of women than national parliaments.

3. In 2019, the Assembly’s presidency was held by a woman, Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier. The percentage of women as Vice-Presidents of the Assembly increased from 33% to 41% while the percentage of women Bureau members decreased from 47% to 42%. This reflects the decrease in the number of women as Chairpersons of committees (4 out of 9 compared to 6 out of 9 in 2018).

4. As regards the composition of committees, an overall of 34 % of full members in 2019 were women down from 35% in 2018. The alternates counted for 36%, an increase from 33% in 2018. In 6 out of 9 committees, women’s representation as full members is below the average of 32%, including in the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs (17%), the Monitoring Committee (24%), the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (29%), the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (30%), the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (30%), the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (31%).

5. On average, the representation of women as Rapporteurs for report slightly decreased from 37% in 2018 to 36% in 2019. It also remains very low in some committees and is as low as 8% in the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and 20% in the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media. The representation of women as Rapporteurs for opinion overall decreased from to 62% last year to 46% this year. It is worth noting that the representation of rapporteurs for opinion is very disbalanced moving from 100% women to 0% from one year to the other and the other way around. The only committee that had a slightly more diverse representation is the Committee on Equality and non-Discrimination (75 % of the rapporteurs for opinion in 2019 were women).

OVERVIEW ASSEMBLY
Position	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men		Percentage of women
				2018	2019	2018	2019
President	0	1	1	0%	0%	100%	100%
Vice-Presidents	10	7	17	67%	59%	33%	41%
Presidential Committee	6	1	7	75%	86%	25%	14%
Assembly Bureau	21	15	36	53%	58%	47%	42%

COMMITTEES	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men		Percentage of women
				2018	2019	2018	2019
Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy
Full Members	57	24	81	69%	70%	31%	30%
Alternates	61	17	78	74%	78%	26%	22%
Chairperson	0	1	1	0%	0%	100%	100%
Vice-Chairpersons	3	0	3	67%	100%	33%	0%
Rapporteurs for report	5	3	8	75%	63%	25%	37%
Rapporteurs for opinion	0	2	2	100%	0%	0%	100%
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Full Members	57	24	81	75%	70%	25%	30%
Alternates	53	25	78	74%	68%	26%	32%
Chairperson	0	1	1	0%	0%	100%	100%
Vice-Chairpersons	2	0	2	67%	100%	33%	0%
Rapporteurs for report	11	1	12	86%	92%	14%	8%
Rapporteurs for opinion	3	0	3	40%	100%	60%	0%
Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights
Full Members	10	4	14	65%	71%	35%	29%
Alternates	13	3	16	88%	81%	12%	19%
Chairperson	1	0	1	100%	100%	0%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons	3	0	3	100%	100%	0%	0%
Rapporteurs for report	0	0	0	100%	-	0%	-
Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Full Members	46	35	81	57%	57%	43%	43%
Alternates	39	29	68	52%	57%	48%	43%
Chairperson	1	0	1	100%	100%	0%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons	2	1	3	100%	67%	0%	33%
Rapporteurs for report	3	6	9	56%	33%	44%	67%
Rapporteurs for opinion	0	1	1	33%	0%	67%	100%
Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Full Members	55	25	80	65%	69%	35%	31%
Alternates	49	24	73	66%	67%	34%	33%
Chairperson	0	1	1	0%	0%	100%	100%
Vice-Chairpersons	2	1	3	67%	67%	33%	33%
Rapporteurs for report	3	4	7	50%	43%	50%	57%
Rapporteurs for opinion	-	-	-	0%	-	100%	-
Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media
Full Members	51	29	80	68%	64%	32%	36%
Alternates	51	22	73	78%	70%	22%	30%
Chairperson	1	0	1	0%	100%	100%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons	1	1	2	100%	50%	0%	50%
Rapporteurs for report	8	2	10	50%	80%	50%	20%
Rapporteurs for opinion	1	0	1	100%	100%	0%	0%
Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination
Full Members	39	41	80	52%	49%	48%	51%
Alternates	26	44	70	53%	37%	47%	63%
Chairperson	0	1	1	0%	0%	100%	100%
Vice-Chairpersons	2	1	3	67%	67%	33%	33%
Rapporteurs for report	4	5	9	44%	44%	56%	56%
Rapporteurs for opinion	1	3	4	0%	25%	100%	75%
Committee on Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States (Monitoring Committee)
Members	50	16	66	68%	76%	32%	24%
Chairperson	1	0	1	100%	100%	0%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons	3	0	3	50%	100%	50%	0%
Rapporteurs for report	9	3	12	100%	75%	0%	25%
Rapporteurs for opinion	1	0	1	-	100%	-	0%
Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
Members	20	4	24	79%	83%	21%	17%
Chairperson	1	0	1	0%	100%	100%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons	1	2	3	67%	33%	33%	67%
Rapporteurs for report	3	2	5	0%	60%	100%	40%
Rapporteurs for opinion	1	0	1	-	100%	-	0%

OVERVIEW COMMITTEES
Position	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men		Percentage of women
				2018	2019	2018	2019
Members	385	202	587	65%	66%	35%	34%
Alternates	292	164	456	67%	64%	33%	36%
Committee Chairpersons	5	4	9	33%	56%	67%	44%
Committee Vice‑Chairpersons	19	6	25	76%	76%	24%	24%
Rapporteurs for report	46	26	72	63%	64%	37%	36%
Rapporteurs for opinion	7	6	13	38%	54%	62%	46%

GENDER BREAKDOWN, BUREAUX OF SUB-COMMITTEES
Committees	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men		Percentage of women
				2018	2019	2018	2019
Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	1	0	1	50%	100%	50%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	2	0	2	67%	100%	33%	0%
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	1	1	2	50%	50%	50%	50%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	2	1	3	67%	67%	33%	33%
Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	2	0	2	25%	100%	75%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	2	1	3	50%	67%	50%	33%
Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	2	0	2	100%	100%	0%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	2	1	3	100%	67%	0%	33%
Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	0	2	2	67%	0%	33%	100%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	2	0	2	33%	100%	67%	0%
Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	1	2	3	100%	67%	0%	33%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	1	0	1	100%	100%	0%	0%
Committee on Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States (Monitoring Committee)
Sub-Committee Chairperson	1	0	1	100%	100%	0%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	0	1	1	0%	0%	100%	100%
Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
Sub-Committee Chairperson	1	0	1	100%	100%	0%	0%
Vice-Chairpersons of Sub-Committees	0	0	0	-	-	-	-

OVERVIEW – SUB-COMMITTEES
Position	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of men		Percentage of women
				2018	2019	2018	2019
Sub-Committee Chairpersons	9	5	14	65%	64%	35%	36%
Sub-Committee Vice-Chairpersons	11	4	15	63%	73%	37%	27%

GENDER BREAKDOWN – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS
National Delegations (Representatives and Substitutes)	Total	Men	Women	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Albania	8	4	4	50%	50%
Andorra	4	2	2	50%	50%
Armenia	8	6	2	75%	25%
Austria	12	8	4	67%	33%
Azerbaijan	12	8	4	67%	33%
Belgium	14	8	6	57%	43%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	0	0	-	-
Bulgaria	12	8	4	67%	33%
Croatia	10	8	2	80%	20%
Cyprus	3	2	1	67%	33%
Czech Republic	14	11	3	79%	21%
Denmark	10	6	4	60%	40%
Estonia	5	4	1	80%	20%
Finland	10	4	6	40%	60%
France	36	20	16	56%	44%
Georgia	10	5	5	50%	50%
Germany	36	23	13	64%	36%
Greece	14	9	5	64%	36%
Hungary	14	9	5	64%	36%
Iceland	6	3	3	50%	50%
Ireland	8	6	2	75%	25%
Italy	36	25	11	69%	31%
Latvia	6	3	3	50%	50%
Liechtenstein	4	3	1	75%	25%
Lithuania	8	6	2	75%	25%
Luxembourg	6	3	3	50%	50%
Malta	6	5	1	83%	17%
Republic of Moldova	8	6	2	75%	25%
Monaco	4	3	1	75%	25%
Montenegro	5	3	2	60%	40%
Netherlands	12	6	6	50%	50%
North Macedonia	6	4	2	67%	33%
Norway	10	5	5	50%	50%
Poland	24	20	4	83%	17%
Portugal	14	9	5	64%	36%
Romania	20	16	4	80%	20%
Russian Federation	36	26	10	72%	28%
San Marino	4	3	1	75%	25%
Serbia	14	5	9	36%	64%
Slovak Republic	10	8	2	80%	20%
Slovenia	6	1	5	17%	83%
Spain	24	14	10	58%	42%
Sweden	12	7	5	58%	42%
Switzerland	12	9	3	75%	25%
Turkey	35	25	10	71%	29%
Ukraine	0	0	0	-	-
United Kingdom	33	25	8	76%	24%
Total	601	394	207	66%	34%

GENDER BREAKDOWN – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS (REPRESENTATIVES ONLY)
National Delegations (representatives)	Total	Men	Women	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Albania	4	2	2	50%	50%
Andorra	2	1	1	50%	50%
Armenia	4	3	1	75%	25%
Austria	6	5	1	83%	17%
Azerbaijan	6	3	3	50%	50%
Belgium	7	6	1	86%	14%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	0	0	-	-
Bulgaria	6	3	3	50%	50%
Croatia	5	4	1	80%	20%
Cyprus	1	1	0	100%	0%
Czech Republic	7	5	2	71%	29%
Denmark	5	3	2	60%	40%
Estonia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Finland	5	2	3	40%	60%
France	18	11	7	61%	39%
Georgia	5	2	3	40%	60%
Germany	18	12	6	67%	33%
Greece	7	4	3	57%	43%
Hungary	7	5	2	71%	29%
Iceland	3	1	2	33%	67%
Ireland	4	3	1	75%	25%
Italy	18	13	5	72%	28%
Latvia	3	1	2	33%	67%
Liechtenstein	2	1	1	50%	50%
Lithuania	4	3	1	75%	25%
Luxembourg	3	2	1	67%	33%
Malta	3	2	1	67%	33%
Republic of Moldova	4	3	1	75%	25%
Monaco	2	1	1	50%	50%
Montenegro	3	2	1	67%	33%
Netherlands	6	3	3	50%	50%
North Macedonia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Norway	5	2	3	40%	60%
Poland	12	9	3	75%	25%
Portugal	7	5	2	71%	29%
Romania	10	8	2	80%	20%
Russian Federation	18	13	5	72%	28%
San Marino	2	1	1	50%	50%
Serbia	7	2	5	29%	71%
Slovak Republic	5	4	1	80%	20%
Slovenia	3	1	2	33%	67%
Spain	12	8	4	67%	33%
Sweden	6	3	3	50%	50%
Switzerland	6	4	2	67%	33%
Turkey	18	13	5	72%	28%
Ukraine	0	0	0	-	-
United Kingdom	18	11	7	61%	39%
Total	303	195	108	64%	36%

GENDER BREAKDOWN – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS (SUBSTITUTES ONLY)
National Delegations (substitutes)	Total	Men	Women	Percentage of men	Percentage of women
Albania	4	2	2	50%	50%
Andorra	2	1	1	50%	50%
Armenia	4	3	1	75%	25%
Austria	6	3	3	50%	50%
Azerbaijan	6	5	1	83%	17%
Belgium	7	2	5	29%	71%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	0	0	-	-
Bulgaria	6	5	1	83%	17%
Croatia	5	4	1	80%	20%
Cyprus	2	1	1	50%	50%
Czech Republic	7	6	1	86%	14%
Denmark	5	3	2	60%	40%
Estonia	2	2	0	100%	0%
Finland	5	2	3	40%	60%
France	18	9	9	50%	50%
Georgia	5	3	2	60%	40%
Germany	18	11	7	61%	39%
Greece	7	5	2	71%	29%
Hungary	7	4	3	57%	43%
Iceland	3	2	1	67%	33%
Ireland	4	3	1	75%	25%
Italy	18	12	6	67%	33%
Latvia	3	2	1	67%	33%
Liechtenstein	2	2	0	100%	0%
Lithuania	4	3	1	75%	25%
Luxembourg	3	1	2	33%	67%
Malta	3	3	0	100%	0%
Republic of Moldova	4	3	1	75%	25%
Monaco	2	2	0	100%	0%
Montenegro	2	1	1	50%	50%
Netherlands	6	3	3	50%	50%
Norway	3	2	1	67%	33%
North Macedonia	5	3	2	60%	40%
Poland	12	11	1	92%	8%
Portugal	7	4	3	57%	43%
Romania	10	8	2	80%	20%
Russian Federation	18	13	5	72%	28%
San Marino	2	2	0	100%	0%
Serbia	7	3	4	43%	57%
Slovak Republic	5	4	1	80%	20%
Slovenia	3	0	3	0%	100%
Spain	12	6	6	50%	50%
Sweden	6	4	2	67%	33%
Switzerland	6	5	1	83%	17%
Turkey	17	12	5	71%	29%
Ukraine	0	0	0	-	-
United Kingdom	15	14	1	93%	7%
Total	298	199	99	67%	33%

OVERVIEW – NATIONAL DELEGATIONS
National Delegations	Total	Men	Women	Percentage of men		Percentage of women
				2018	2019	2018	2019
Total	601	394	207	66%	66%	34%	34%
Representatives	303	195	108	64%	64%	36%	36%
Substitutes	298	199	99	68%	67%	32%	33%

Appendix 1 – April 2020 part-session (20-24 April)

Monday 20 April	Tuesday 21 April	Wednesday 22 April	Thursday 23 April	Friday 24 April
11.00 – Bureau	08:30 – Committees 10.00 – Assembly Debate 12 noon – Mr Giorgi Gakharia Prime Minister of Georgia 13.00 – End of sitting	08.30 – Political groups 10.00 – Assembly Debate 12 noon – Ms Zuzana Čaputová President of the Slovak Republic 13.00 – End of sitting	08.30 – Committees 10.00 – Assembly Urgent or current affairs debate Debate 12.00 – End of sitting 12.00 – Joint Committee	08.30 – Bureau 10.00 – Assembly 2 Debates + Free debate 13.00 – End of part-session
14.00 – Political Groups 14.00 – Secretaries of delegations 16.00 – Assembly – Progress Report – CM communication 18.30 – End of sitting 18.30 – Committees 19.30 – End of Committees 20.00 – Dinners Political Groups	14.00 – Committees 15.30 – Political groups 17.00 – Assembly 2 debates 20.30 – End of sitting 21.00 – Museum Prize Ceremony	14.00 – Committees 15.30 – Assembly – Questions SG 16.00 – Commissioner HR 17.00 – 2 Debates 20.30 – End of sitting	14.00 – Committees 15.30 – Assembly 2 Debates 20.00 – End of sitting

Appendix 2 – List of members of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Bureau for the observation of the early parliamentary elections in Belarus (17 November 2019)

Chairperson / Président: Lord David BLENCATHRA, United Kingdom (EC/DA) / Royaume-Uni (CE/AD)

Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CD) / Groupe du Parti populaire européen (PPE/DC)

• Ms / Mme Dubravka FILIPOVSKI, Serbia / Serbie
• Mr / M. Aleksander POCIEJ, Poland / Pologne
• Mr / M. Birgir THÓRARINSSON, Iceland / Islande
• Mr / M. Attila TILKI, Hungary / Hongrie
• Ms / Mme Laurence TRASTOUR-ISNART, France
• ……
• .......

Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group / Groupe des socialistes, démocrates et verts (SOC)

• Ms / Mme Maria Luisa BUSTINDUY, Spain / Espagne*
• Mr / M. Kimmo KILJUNEN, Finland / Finlande
• Ms / Mme Edite ESTRELLA, Portugal
• Mr / M. Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria / Autriche
• Mr / M. Sos AVETISYAN, Armenia / Arménie
• Mr / M. Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ, Switzerland / Suisse

Substitutes / Suppléant·e·s

• Mr / M. Adrian CANDU, Republic of Moldova / République de Moldova
• Mr / M. José CEPEDA, Spain / Espagne
• Ms / Mme Esther PEÑA, Spain / Espagne*
• Mr / M. Predrag SEKULIĆ, Montenegro / Monténégro
• Mr / M. Ervin BUSHATI, Albania / Albanie

European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance (EC/DA) / Groupe des conservateurs européens et Alliance démocratique (CE/AD)

• Lord David BLENCATHRA, United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni
• Ms / Mme Nino GOGUADZE, Georgia / Géorgie
• Ms / Mme Sahiba GAFAROVA, Azerbaijan / Azerbaïdjan

Substitutes / Suppléants

• Lord Simon RUSSELL, United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni
• Lord Richard BALFE, United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni
• Mr / M. Mikayel MELKUMYAN, Armenia / Arménie

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) / Alliance des démocrates et des libéraux pour l’Europe (ADLE)

• Mr / M. Hovhannes IGITYAN, Armenia / Arménie
• Mr / M. Jacques LE NAY, France
• Ms / Mme Emilie Enger MEHL, Norway / Norvège

Substitutes / Suppléants

• Mr / M. Zeki Hakan SIDALI, Turkey / Turquie
• Mr / M. Edmon MARUKYAN, Armenia / Arménie
• Mr / M. Georges-Louis BOUCHEZ, Belgium / Belgique*

Group of the Unified European Left (UEL) / Groupe pour la gauche unitaire européenne (GUE)

• Mr / M. Antón GÓMEZ-REINO, Spain / Espagne*

Substitutes / Suppléants

• Mr / M. George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus / Chypre

Venice Commission / Commission de Venise

• Ms / Mme Katharina PABEL, Austria / Autriche, substitute member / membre suppléant
• Mr / M. Michael JANSSEN, Legal advisor / Conseiller juridique

* Subject to the submission of the declaration of interests for the year 2019 by 31.10.2019 / sous réserve du dépôt de la déclaration d’intérêts au titre de l’année 2019 d’ici au 31 octobre 2019.

Appendix 3 – List of members of the Ad Hoc Committee to participate in the World Forum for Democracy on 6-8 November 2019 in Strasbourg

Chairperson / Présidente

• Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier – President of the Parliamentary Assembly / Présidente de l’Assemblée parlementaire

Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy / Commission des questions politiques et de la démocratie

• Mr Georgios Katrougkalos (Greece, UEL / Grèce, GUE)
• Mr Akif Çağatay Kiliç (Turkey, NR / Turquie, NI)
• Mr Betian Kitev (North Macedonia, SOC / Macédoine du Nord, SOC)
• Mr Simon Moutquin (Belgium, SOC / Belgique, SOC)
• Mr George Papandreou (Greece, SOC / Grèce, SOC)

Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights / Commission des questions juridiques et des droits de l’homme

• Mr Ziya Altunyaldız (Turkey, NR / Turquie, NI)
• Mr Norbert Kleinwaechter (Germany, NR / Allemagne, NI)

Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) / Commission pour le respect des obligations et engagements des Etats membres du Conseil de l’Europe (Commission de suivi)

• Mr Edmon Marukyan (Armenia, ALDE / Arménie, ADLE)
• Mr Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC / Autriche, SOC)

Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media / Commission de la culture, de la science, de l’éducation et des médias

• Mr Sos Avetisyan (Armenia, SOC / Arménie, SOC)
• Mr Roland Rino Büchel (Switzerland, ALDE / Suisse, ADLE)
• Mr José Cepeda (Spain, SOC / Espagne, SOC)
• Mr Rafael Comte (Switzerland, ALDE / Suisse, ADLE)
• Lord George Foulkes (United Kingdom, SOC / Royaume-Uni, SOC)
• Mr Hovhannes Igityan (Armenia, ALDE / Arménie, ADLE)
• Mr Roberto Rampi (Italy, SOC / Italie, SOC)

Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination / Commission sur l’égalité et sur la non-discrimination

• Ms Petra Bayr (Austria, SOC / Autriche, SOC)
• Ms Jette Christensen (Norway, SOC / Norvège, SOC)
• Mr Jean-Pierre Grin (Switzerland, ALDE / Suisse, ADLE)
• Mr Momodou Malcolm Jallow (Sweden, UEL / Suède, GUE)
• Mr Robert Troy (Ireland, ALDE / Irlande, ADLE)

Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons / Commission des migrations, des réfugiés et des personnes déplacées

• Ms Tatevik Hayrapetyan (Armenia, EPP/CD / Arménie, PPE/DC)

Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs / Commission du Règlement, des immunités et des affaires institutionnelles

• Mr Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/CD / Lituanie, PPE/DC)

Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Developement / Commission des questions sociales, de la santé et du développement durable

• Mr Joseph O’Reilly (Ireland, EPP/CD / Irlande, PPE/DC)
• Ms Selin Sayek Boke (Turkey, SOC / Turquie, SOC)

Appendix 4 – List of members of the Ad Hoc Committee to participate in the OECD Global Parliamentary Network, Paris on 10-11 October 2019

Chairperson / Présidente

• Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier – President of the Parliamentary Assembly / Présidente de l’Assemblée parlementaire

Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy / Commission des questions politiques et de la démocratie

• Ms Ria Oomen-Ruijten (Netherlands, EPP/CD / Pays-Bas, PPE/DC)
• Ms Theodora Bakoyannis (Greece, EPP/CD / Grèce, PPE/DC)
• Ms Deborah Bergamini (Italy, EPP/CD / Italie, PPE/DC)
• Mr Mugurel Cozmanciuc (Romania, EPP/CD / Roumanie, PPE/DC)
• Ms Marietta Karamanli (France, SOC)
• Mr Georgios Katrougkalos (Greece, UEL / Grèce, GUE)
• Mr Akif Çağatay Kiliç (Turkey, NR / Turquie, NI)

Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights / Commission des questions juridiques et des droits de l’homme

• Mr Ziya Altunyaldız (Turkey, NR / Turquie, NI)
• Mr Olivier Becht (France, ALDE/ADLE)

Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development / Commission des questions sociales, de la santé et du développement durable

• Ms Jennifer De Temmerman (France, ALDE / ADLE)
• Baroness Doreen E. Massey (United Kingdom, SOC / Royaume-Uni, SOC)
• Ms Selin Sayek Böke (Turkey, SOC / Turquie, SOC)
• Mr Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC / Autriche, SOC)

Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media / Commission de la culture, de la science, de l’éducation et des médias

• Mr José Cepeda (Spain, SOC / Espagne, SOC)
• Mr Rafael Comte (Switzerland, ALDE / Suisse, ADLE)
• Mr Hovhannes Igityan (Armenia, ALDE / Arménie, ADLE)
• Mr Roberto Rampi (Italy, SOC / Italie, SOC)

Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination / Commission sur l’égalité et sur la non-discrimination

• Ms Petra Bayr (Austria, SOC / Autriche, SOC)
• Mr Jean-Pierre Grin (Switzerland, ALDE / Suisse, ADLE)
• Ms Zita Gurmai (Hungary, SOC / Hongrie, SOC)

Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons / Commission des migrations, des réfugiés et des personnes déplacées

• Ms Tatevik Hayrapetyan (Armenia, EPP/CD / Arménie, PPE/DC)
• Ms Anne-Mari Virolainen (Finland, EPP/CD / Finlande, PPE/DC)

Appendix 5 – Decisions taken by the Bureau at its meeting on 4 October 2019, and subsequently ratified by the Assembly on 4 October 2019

Doc. 14968 Add. 3

04 October 2019

Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (4 October 2019)

Progress report

Bureau of the Assembly

Rapporteur: Ms Nicole TRISSE, France, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

1. Decisions of the Bureau of 4 October 2019 requiring ratification by the Assembly

1.1. Composition of the Monitoring Committee and of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights

1.1.1. Monitoring Committee

The Bureau, on the basis of a proposal by the SOC Group, appointed Mr Betian Kitev (North Macedonia).

1.1.2. Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights

The Bureau, on the basis of a proposal by the EPP/CD Group, appointed Mr Vladimir Vardanyan (Armenia). The Bureau, on the basis of a proposal by the ALDE Group, appointed Mr Dimitri Houbron (France).

Appendix 6 – Guidelines on external relations of the Parliamentary Assembly

The following guidelines apply to the external relations of the Parliamentary Assembly.

i. General goals pursued by external relations

The main objectives pursued by the external relations of the Assembly [(3) See Resolution 1506 (2006) on External relations of the Council of Europe.], are:

• to promote fundamental values which the Assembly considers to be universal;
• to make the work of the Assembly and its positions on key international issues better known, understood and accepted;
• to promote Council of Europe instruments and tools available, or serving as inspiration, to external players;
• to promote signature and ratification of Council of Europe Conventions open to non-member states;
• to seek co-operation, synergies and complementarity with external partners;
• to strengthen parliamentarism, parliamentary institutions in non-member States and parliamentary dimension in international Organisations.

Finally, the Assembly’s external relations pursue one more goal, which is specific and limited in scope and has now nearly been achieved: accession to the Council of Europe.

The Assembly should only consider establishing relations with external partners when these relations can serve to develop and promote the three core values of the Council of Europe: human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

ii. Scope

External relations of the Assembly comprise relations with:

• national Parliaments of non-member States;
• international parliamentary Organisations/Assemblies;
• (inter-governmental) international Organisations.

The following should not be considered as part of “institutional” external relations as such:

• relations with national Parliaments of Council of Europe member States;
• relations with Council of Europe bodies/entities (eg. Venice Commission, North-South Centre, etc.);
• relations with international non-governmental Organisations.

iii. Competencies

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly

The President, in the context of his/her relations with non-member States, can take initiatives and give political impetus to prepare the establishment of potential new relations or the development of existing co-operation with external partners.

The Presidential Committee

The Presidential Committee, as a consultative body, provides advice and guidelines to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly and to the Bureau in matters of external relations.

The Bureau

Rule 14 of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Rules of Procedure states that the Bureau “guides the external relations of the Assembly”. According to the Special Rules of 2 July 1970 contained in the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, the Bureau is also responsible for relations with the parliamentary and inter-parliamentary Assemblies of non-member States.

The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy

The Bureau’s responsibility is complemented by the work of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy which, in line with its terms of reference, shall inter alia:

• consider requests for membership of the Council of Europe; requests for granting Observer status with the Council of Europe and with the Parliamentary Assembly; requests for special guest status with the Parliamentary Assembly; requests for partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly, and its evaluation to review the progress achieved in fulfilling the undertakings made by the parliaments concerned when they requested this status;
• consider the situation in States which are not member States of the Council of Europe in the light of the fundamental values upheld by the Council of Europe, make proposals and, subject to the approval by the Bureau, take political action to promote these values;
• prepare reports on the activities of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). For the preparation of the reports and the debates in the Assembly, the committee maintains relations with the OECD and the EBRD, and with parliaments of non-member States participating in these debates.

According to Assembly Order 500 (1994) on Relations between the Council of Europe and the United Nations, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy draws up a report on the political challenges facing the United Nations and its necessary restructuring; establishes regular dialogue with the Director General of the United Nations Office in Geneva and holds a meeting of its relevant Sub-Committee in principle once a year in New York on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly. The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights is to establish regular contacts with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In addition, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy “may propose to the Bureau the conclusion of co-operation agreements, or other ways of stepping up co-operation, with parliaments of non-member states and international interparliamentary institutions”.

Furthermore, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy can set up Sub-Committees dealing with one or several aspects of the Assembly’s external relations (for instance, Sub-Committee on External Relations, Sub-Committee on the Middle East and the Arab world).

Other Committees

Other Assembly Committees, as appropriate, can also have a role to play in external relations, in line with their respective terms of reference.

The Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly

The Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly has regular contacts with external institutions and other Assemblies. In the framewok of these contacts, he/she seeks to reinforce co-operation and to enhance co-ordination in areas falling within the field of compentencies of the Assembly as well as to make its work better known, understood and accepted. The Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly is a member of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP). He/she regularly participates in joint meetings with the Secretary Generals of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to ensure better co-ordination and exchange of information on the work of the three Parliamentary Assemblies.

iv. Relations with national Parliaments of non-member States

The Assembly has established three distinct categories of institutional relations with national Parliaments of non-member States: Special Guests, Partners for Democracy (as established by Resolution 1680 (2009)) and Observers (as established by Resolution 195 (1961)).

Relevant General Rules:

• Rule 14 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure
• Special Rules governing relations between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the parliamentary and inter-parliamentary assemblies of non-member States

Special guest status

Aim of this status: to facilitate the process of accession of the European countries which are not yet members of the Council of Europe.

Eligibility: The status is open to parliaments whose member States have applied for membership to the Council of Europe.

Relevant Rule: Rule 62 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure

Procedure: Upon formal request addressed by the President of the parliament concerned to the President of the Assembly, the Bureau of the Assembly may grant special guest status, after consultation of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.

Partner for democracy status

Aim of this status: This status aims at developing co-operation with parliaments of non-member States of neighbouring regions as a means of consolidating democratic transformations and promoting stability, good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law. This advanced co-operation status with the Assembly is accompanied by a number of rights in the Assembly as well as by political commitments undertaken by the Partners and followed-up by the Assembly.

Eligibility: The national parliaments of all southern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries participating in the Union for the Mediterranean-Barcelona Process (including the Palestinian Legislative Council) and of central Asian countries participating in the OSCE (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) are eligible to request partner for democracy status with the Assembly. This geographical scope of eligibility has been defined by the Assembly in Resolution 1680 (2009), however the Assembly also states that “requests from parliaments of other States may also be considered if the Bureau of the Assembly so decides.”

Relevant Rule: Rule 64 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure

Procedure: Any formal request for partner for democracy status shall be addressed to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly by the President or Speaker of the parliament concerned. The decision to grant, suspend or withdraw partner for democracy status shall be taken by a resolution of the Assembly following a report by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, with an opinion by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and an opinion by the Committee on Equality and Non-discrimination and, where appropriate, an opinion by any other relevant Assembly Committee. These Committees, in the fields within their specific terms of reference, review the progress achieved in fulfilling the undertakings made by the parliaments concerned when they requested this status.

Observer status

Aim of this status: the main objective is to bring to the Observers’ attention the Assembly’s work and to provide the Assembly with information on action taken in national parliaments on issues related to the Council of Europe.

Eligibility: Observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly is meant for parliaments of non-European States which are considered to be established democracies which are willing to contribute (including financially) to democratic transformations in Europe.

Relevant Rule: Rule 63 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure

Procedure: The Assembly may, on the proposal of the Bureau, grant observer status to national parliaments of non-member States of the Council of Europe which meet the conditions set out in § 1 of Statutory Resolution (93) 26 of the Committee of Ministers on observer status. Any request for observer status shall be referred to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report and to other relevant Committees for opinion.

Any new applications for observer status may only be considered in light of Resolution 1600 (2008) on The Council of Europe and its observer states – the current situation and a way forward.

Co-operation agreements with parliaments from non-member States

Aim: Exceptionnaly, the Assembly may, upon the proposal of the Bureau, decide to enter into co-operation agreements with parliaments from non-member States to establish a political dialogue with a view to promoting, in the country concerned, the principles of parliamentary democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights as well as fundamental freedoms.

Eligibility: Such agreements should only be formalised if they have a measurable added value for the work of the Assembly.

Relevant Rules: Rule 14 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure + Terms of reference of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy

v. Relations with parliamentary Organisations/Assemblies

Aim: to develop parliamentary diplomacy and to promote the parliamentary dimension of international organisations.

Relevant Rules: Rule 14 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure + Terms of reference of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy +. Rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly which states that the arrangements for co-operation with the European Parliament are decided by the Bureau.

Eligibility: In the exercice of its competencies, the Bureau should limit the conclusion of written co-operation agreements to cases where such an agreement presents a measurable added value for the work of the Assembly.

The absence of a written co-operation agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly and another parliamentary organisation/assembly should not per se impede their potential co-operation, to be decided by the Bureau.

vi. Relations with international Organisations

The Assembly establishes relations with several international Organisations who “are actively involved in promoting their values through outside activities, especially in areas bordering the territories of Council of Europe member states” (Resolution 1506 (2006)).

Aim: to reinforce co-ordination and to avoid duplications of efforts with the Council of Europe’s main institutional partners, in particular the European Union, the OSCE and the UN and its specialised agencies, whose activities are often amongst the field of expertise of the Council of Europe.

Relevant Rules:

• Rule 65 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure states that the Assembly may, on the proposal of the Bureau, invite national or international organisations to present reports or communications.

vii. The European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments

The European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments is organised under the auspices of the Parliamentary Assembly. The Conference normally meets every two years. The venue of its meetings alternates in principle between Strasbourg and a capital of a Council of Europe member State.

The Conference is composed of the Speakers and Presidents of parliaments of the member States of the Council of Europe as well as of the Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. The Speakers and Presidents of parliaments having special guests, observer or partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly are invited as Observers. Other parliamentary assemblies may be invited by the Host country or Assembly to attend as observers. The Parliamentary Assembly systematically invites Presidents of international parliamentary bodies with whom the Assembly has signed co-operation agreements to attend the Conference as observers.

Relevant Rules: Rules of the Conference

Appendix 7 – References and transmissions to committees

A. References to committees

• Doc. 14973, Motion for a resolution, The role of culture and education in a new technological era: no further action
• Doc. 14974, Motion for a resolution, Transmission of traditional crafts and heritage related skills: no further action
• Doc. 14980, Motion for a recommendation, Ratification of the Istanbul convention by the United Kingdom: no further action
• Doc. 14985, Motion for a resolution, Socio-economic inequalities in Europe: time to restore social trust by strengthening social rights: reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report
• Doc. 14986, Motion for a resolution, Tackling discrimination based on social origins: reference to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for report
• Doc. 14987, Motion for a resolution, The fight for a level playing field – ending discrimination against women in the world of sport: reference to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for report
• Doc. 14988, Motion for a resolution, Parliamentary Assembly contribution to the establishment of an observatory of history to promote the common values of Greater Europe and peace: reference to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media for report
• Doc. 14989, Motion for a resolution, Strengthening the parliamentary dialogue with Turkey concerning the situation of Turkish academics: reference to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media to be taken into account in the framework of the report on Threats to academic freedom and autonomy of universities in Europe
• Doc. 14990, Motion for a resolution, Are anti-speciesism and humanism reconcilable?: no further action
• Doc. 14991, Motion for a resolution, Strengthening the role of the Council of Europe as a cornerstone of the European political architecture: reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report
• Doc. 14992, Motion for a resolution, The Parliamentary Assembly must contribute to restoring peace in Ukraine: reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report

B. Request for a modification of reference

• Doc. 14494, Motion for a resolution, Strengthening the role of young people in the prevention and resolution of conflicts: reference to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media for report and to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for opinion