Progress report | Doc. 13813 Addendum I | 22 June 2015
Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (22 June 2015)
1. Decisions of the Bureau of 22 June 2015 requiring ratification by the Assembly
1.1. Election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Azerbaijan
The Bureau took note of the report drawn up by the Committee on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights which has assessed the qualifications of the three candidates to the post of judge to the Court in respect of Azerbaijan. The committee recommended that the list be rejected. This position shall be endorsed by the Assembly (see Doc. 13813 Addendum II).
1.2. References and transmissions to committees
1.2.1. References to committees
The Bureau considered and approved the following references:
- Doc. 13775, motion for a resolution, New methods of political influence over independent journalism, reference to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media for report;
- Doc. 13776, motion for a resolution, Situation in Lebanon and challenges for regional stability and European security: reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report;
- Doc. 13777, motion for a resolution, The over-sexualisation of children: reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report;
- Doc. 13778, motion for a resolution, Preventing the radicalisation of children by fighting the root causes: reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report and to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media and to the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for opinion;
- Doc. 13779, motion for a recommendation, The situation of the deported Meskhetian Turks: reference to the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) to be taken into account in the preparation of the report on “Honouring of obligations and commitments by Georgia”;
- Doc. 13780, motion for a resolution, Attacks against journalists and media freedom in Europe: reference to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media for report;
- Doc. 13781, motion for a resolution, Securing access of detainees to lawyers: reference to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report.
1.2.2. Modification of a reference
Doc. 13573, motion for a resolution, The fate of critically ill prisoners in Turkish prisons, reference to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for report and to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for opinion.
1.3. General Rapporteurs
The Bureau approved the revised terms of reference of the General Rapporteur on Local and Regional Authorities and the General Rapporteur on Children (Appendix).
The Assembly is invited to ratify the above proposals made by the Bureau.
2. Decisions of the Bureau of 22 June 2015 presented for ratification by the Assembly separately
2.1. Composition of the Monitoring Committee
On the basis of a proposal from the UEL Group, the Bureau nominated Ms Athanasia Anagnostopoulou (Greece) in replacement of Mr Matjaž Hanžek (Slovenia) (see document Commission 06 addendum 1).
2.2. Composition of the Committee on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights
On the basis of a proposal from the UEL Group, the Bureau nominated Mr Matjaž Hanžek (Slovenia) as alternate in replacement of Mr Ögmundur Jónasson (Iceland) (see document Commission 06 addendum 1).
3. Other decisions of the Bureau
3.1. Third part-session of 2015 (22 to 26 June)
3.1.1. Draft agenda
The Bureau updated the draft agenda.
3.1.2. Request for a current affairs debate (under Rule 53 of the Rules of Procedure)
The Bureau decided to propose to the Assembly to hold a current affairs debate on The need for a common European response to migration challenges on 25 June in the morning, and designated Mr Reha Denemeç (Turkey, EC) as first speaker.
3.1.3. Joint Committee (Strasbourg, 25 June 2015 from 3.30 pm to 4 pm)
The Bureau took note of the revised draft agenda.
3.1.4. Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Armenia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Monaco
The Bureau took note of the report drawn up by the Committee on the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights following interviews with candidates for the posts of judges to the Court in respect of these countries. This report had been already declassified by the committee and submitted to the attention of all members of the Assembly (Doc. 13813 Addendum II).
3.2. Election observation
3.2.1. Turkey: parliamentary elections (7 June 2015)
The Bureau approved the report of the ad hoc committee (Doc. 13822).
3.2.2. Belarus: presidential election (11 October 2015, to be confirmed)
Subject to receiving an invitation, the Bureau decided to observe this election and constituted an ad hoc committee for this purpose composed of 11 members (SOC: 3; EPP/CD: 3; ALDE: 2, EC: 2, UEL: 1 – in accordance with the D’Hondt system) and the rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on “The situation in Belarus”. It also authorised a pre-electoral mission.
3.2.3. Azerbaijan: parliamentary elections (1 November 2015)
The Bureau decided to observe these elections and constituted an ad hoc committee for this purpose composed of 30 members (SOC: 11; EPP/CD: 10; ALDE: 4, EC: 3, UEL: 2 – in accordance with the D’Hondt system) and the co-rapporteurs of the monitoring committee. It also authorised a pre-electoral mission.
3.2.4. Kyrgyzstan: parliamentary elections (8 November 2015, to be confirmed)
Subject to receiving an invitation, the Bureau decided to observe these elections and constituted an ad hoc committee for this purpose composed of 20 members (SOC: 7; EPP/CD: 7; ALDE: 3, EC: 2, UEL: 1 – in accordance with the D’Hondt system) and the rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on “Evaluation of the Partnership for democracy in respect of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic”. It also authorised a pre-electoral mission.
3.2.5. Schedule of elections for 2015
The Bureau took note of the elections calendar for 2015 as presented in the memorandum prepared by the Secretary General of the Assembly.
3.3. Ad hoc committee of the Bureau on large scale arrival of refugees to Turkey
The Bureau took note of the report of the President of the Assembly (see Doc. 13813 Addendum III).
3.4. References and transmissions to committees
The Bureau took note of the letter of the Chairperson of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development concerning the merge of two motions for a resolution on “The ’Turin process’ for the European Social Charter” and “Drafting social indicators and issuing an annual report on social report”.
3.5. Other Business
3.5.1. The allocation of seats in the Parliamentary Assembly with respect to Turkey
The Bureau took note of the changes in the Statute of the Council of Europe as regards the allocation of seats in the Parliamentary Assembly with respect to Turkey (18 seats).
Appendix – Updated terms of reference for General Rapporteurs
(open)A. General Rapporteur on Children
General rapporteur on children of the Parliamentary Assembly (of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development)
Denomination: general rapporteur on children
Term of office: one year renewable, subject to a maximum of two years
Subject: It is the duty of the general rapporteur on children to intervene in the area of children’s rights, particularly concerning issues of child protection, child development and child participation in different contexts (educational institutions, family, leisure, others). He or she shall report periodically to the committee on the information collected and the action taken.
Responsibilities:
The role of the general rapporteur is to:
- follow activities and maintain working relations with the Children’s Rights Division of the Council of Europe and represent the Committee and the Parliamentary Assembly at any meetings of the expert and advisory groups coordinated by it, in particular those related to the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child;
- follow activities and represent the Committee and the Assembly within the Committee of the Parties of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“Lanzarote Convention”);
- follow activities related to children’s rights undertaken by other bodies of the Council of Europe, notably the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Commissioner of Human Rights;
- follow activities and maintain working relations with bodies and agencies of the United Nations (Unicef, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children), the European Commission and Parliament, the Interparliamentary Union (IPU), and international non-governmental organisations working in this field (Save the Children, ECPAT and others);
- follow- up on relevant texts adopted by the Assembly, in particular Resolution 1995 (2014) and Recommendation 2044 (2014) on Ending child poverty in Europe, Resolution 2010 (2014) on Child-friendly juvenile justice: from rhetoric to reality, Recommendation 2045 (2014) on Combating sexual violence against children: towards a successful conclusion of the ONE in FIVE Campaign, as well as Resolution 2049 (2015) and Recommendation 2068 (2015) on Social services in Europe: legislation and practice of the removal of children from their families in Council of Europe member States, and continue to promote the Assembly’s decisions which appear in these texts.
B. General Rapporteur on Local and Regional Authorities
General rapporteur on local and regional authorities of the Parliamentary Assembly (of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development)
Denomination: general rapporteur on local and regional authorities
Term of office: one year renewable, subject to a maximum of two years
Subject: It is the duty of the general rapporteur on local and regional authorities to intervene in the area of local and regional democracy, particularly concerning issues of good governance at local and regional level, citizen participation, local and regional finances and human rights at local level. He or she shall report periodically to the committee on the information collected and the action taken.
Responsibilities:
The role of the general rapporteur is to:
- systematically follow activities and maintain working relations with the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG), the Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM), and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities,
- follow activities by the European Commission and Parliament, and where appropriate follow and maintain working relations with European and national associations of local and regional authorities,
- represent the Committee on behalf of the Assembly at the meetings of any of the above mentioned bodies where appropriate.