Doc. 8252

29 October 1998

Issue of Council of Europe service cards to members of the Parliamentary Assembly

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

to Written Question No. 376

by Lord Kirkhill

I.       Written Question No. 376 (18 July 1997)

      Lord Kirkhill,

      Considering that work has been going on under the responsibility of the Committee of Ministers in view of the establishment of a service card for members of the Parliamentary Assembly which would facilitate the obtention of visas and their travelling and identification when on official journeys abroad;

      Considering also that there have been initiatives to issue a service card for Council of Europe staff,

      To ask the Committee of Ministers to provide information on the progress made in view of the establishment of such service cards.

II.       Reply from the Committee of Ministers (18 October 1998)

      The Council of Europe currently issues a service card to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly. This card does not in itself confer any automatic right to be granted a visa free of charge on the spot. A number of members of the Parliamentary Assembly have noted problems associated with the issue of visas on the territory of member States in carrying out their duties.

      Similar problems have been encountered by Council of Europe staff. The current situation in this area for Council of Europe staff is as follows. Firstly, at their 587th meeting (April 1997, item 3.1), the Deputies took note of the Secretary General's intention to introduce a service card for Council of Europe staff. The introduction of such a card is still being studied by the Directorate of Administration from the points of view of the methods of implementation and administrative follow-up.

      Secondly, at this same meeting, the Deputies invited their Governments to consider taking one or more of the following measures, in conformity with their national legislation, to ensure that Council of Europe staff on official journeys benefit by full entry facilities on the territory of member States:

i)        according priority to or at least speedy treatment of requests for visas from Council of Europe staff in connection with their official duties, in particular when supported by a Council of Europe service card;

ii)        granting long-term multiple entry visas whenever possible;

iii)        when the granting of long-term multiple entry visas is not possible, according priority to the speedy processing of requests for single entry visas;

iv)        authorising authorities at ports of entry, in cases of urgency when it has not been possible for the member of the Parliamentary Assembly to obtain a visa prior to departing on an official journey, and when notified of such impossibility by the appropriate domestic authorities, to grant the appropriate visa exceptionally at the port of entry;

v)        granting visas free of charge wherever possible.

      At their 645th meeting (October 1998, item 10.3a), the Deputies agreed to proceed in the same fashion for the members of the Parliamentary Assembly and invited their Governments to consider taking one or more of the same measures as those proposed for Council of Europe staff in order to ensure that the members of the Parliamentary Assembly benefit by full entry facilities on the territory of member States.