Rules of Procedure of the Assembly (January 2023)

(Resolution 1202 (1999) adopted on 4 November 1999) with subsequent modifications of the Rules of Procedure* 

Rules of procedure for enlarged debates of the Parliamentary Assembly on the activities of OECD Retour au sommaire Atteindre l'élement suivant Atteindre l'élement précédent

Rules of procedure for enlarged debates of the Parliamentary Assembly on the activities of OECD

adopted by the enlarged Parliamentary Assembly at its session of 2 October 1992 in Strasbourg and amended by it at its session of 6 October 1994 and by Resolution 1467 (2005), appendix, Resolution 1629 (2008), appendix, Resolution 1758 (2010) and Resolution 1899 (2012)

I. General principles

1. Parliamentary debates on the activities of OECD shall be held on the basis of an agreement between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the national parliaments of OECD member States which are not members of the Council of Europe and with the approval of the OECD Council.
2. These debates shall be public and shall usually take place once a year on the occasion of a part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly.

II. Participants

1. The following may participate in the debates:

i. the delegations of Council of Europe member states to the Parliamentary Assembly;

ii. delegations of the national parliaments of OECD member States which are not members of the Council of Europe;

iii. a delegation from the European Parliament;

iv. the Secretary General of OECD, who shall present a report on the activities of his Organisation and shall reply to questions.

2. The number of seats to which the various delegations are entitled shall be determined in accordance with Appendix 1. The delegations shall reflect the different currents of opinion represented within their parliaments and take account as far as possible of the need for gender balance.

III. Chair

1. The President or a Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe shall open the debates.
2. The occupant of the Chair shall be responsible for ensuring the orderly conduct of the proceedings as well as for maintaining public order in the chamber and galleries. He or she shall also decide whether speakers are in order.

IV. Use of languages and documents

1. Simultaneous interpretation of speeches made in the Assembly shall be provided by the Council of Europe in English, French, German and Italian. For any other language, the cost of simultaneous interpretation shall be payable by the delegation concerned. That delegation shall also supply a translation of statements made in that language into one of the official languages of the Council of Europe so that they can be published in extenso in the final report.
2. The Secretariat of the Council of Europe shall distribute the discussion documents and other working papers in English and French.
3. The Secretariat of the Council of Europe shall draw up a report of the debates in English and French for distribution as early as possible.
4. The English and French versions of these reports shall contain the full texts of speeches made in those languages and a summary of speeches made in other languages.
5. Full texts of speeches made in German and Italian shall also be distributed.

V. Right to speak

1. No member may speak unless invited to do so by the occupant of the Chair.
2. Members wishing to speak shall enter their names in a register as early as possible and at the latest at 7 p.m. the day before the debate.
3. The list of speakers shall be established taking into account the need to ensure a balanced representation of national delegations and of committees of the Parliamentary Assembly directly concerned in the debate.
4. Each committee directly concerned may appoint a member, who shall speak on its behalf at some stage in the debate. Such committees may present written contributions.
5. Speakers in a debate may speak for not more than 4 minutes. The rapporteur shall have 13 minutes to introduce the report and to reply to the debate. The persons speaking on behalf of committees shall have 3 minutes. However, if circumstances so require, the occupant of the Chair may reduce these speaking times.
6. The occupant of the Chair

— may, in order to ensure a political and geographical balance among the speakers, depart from the order in which members are listed to speak;

— may interrupt a debate and go on to the vote in order to keep to the agreed time-table

VI. Amendments and sub-amendments

1. Members may propose in writing amendments and sub-amendments to texts submitted for adoption. Amendments shall relate directly to the text they are intended to alter and may be tabled only in respect of texts submitted for adoption.
2. Sub-amendments shall relate to an amendment previously tabled and shall be admissible insofar as they do not contradict the sense of the amendment. They may not themselves be further amended.
3. The President of the Parliamentary Assembly shall decide on the admissibility of amendments and sub-amendments, which must be signed by at least five members and tabled in accordance with the deadlines set out in Rule 34.6. of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.
4. The occupant of the Chair may decide, by way of an exception, to accept an oral amendment or sub-amendment of a stylistic nature.
5. When an amendment or sub-amendment is called, one of its authors or another member speaking in its favour shall be allowed a maximum of thirty seconds for the purpose of moving it.
6. When an amendment is being considered, only one of its authors or another member speaking in its favour, one speaker against, and the rapporteur or chairperson of the committee concerned shall be heard.

VII. Points of order

A member shall have a prior right to speak if he or she asks leave to raise a point of order, which may relate only to procedure and to which only the occupant of the Chair shall reply. The raising of a point of order may not take more than thirty seconds.

VIII. Voting

1. Voting shall be by a show of hands and, in cases of doubt, by sitting and standing. Members of the European Parliament’s delegation do not have the right to vote.
2. If a delegation of a non-European OECD member country would otherwise be under-represented, each of its members present may cast up to five votes.
3. A relative majority of the votes cast shall be required for the adoption of a resolution. Amendments and procedural questions shall also be decided by a relative majority.

IX. Procedure in committee and examination of the report in reply to the OECD activity report

1. The Parliamentary Assembly committee responsible for preparing a report on the activities of the OECD may hold meetings with the representatives of the delegations of non-European OECD member countries to examine the OECD activity report and the texts in reply thereto. During such discussions these representatives and the delegates of the European Parliament shall have the same rights as the members of the Parliamentary Assembly. However, members of the European Parliament shall not vote.
2. At meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly committee in question, delegations of the national parliaments of the OECD member States which are not members of the Council of Europe shall be allocated the following number of votes:

— United States of America, Japan and Mexico: 4 votes

— Canada and Republic of Korea: 3 votes

— Australia and Chile: 2 votes

— New Zealand and Israel: 1 vote.

3. The report in reply to the OECD activity report shall contain an explanatory memorandum and one or more texts which shall normally take the form of draft resolutions. Only these texts shall be voted upon in committee and shall then be put to the vote in plenary sitting.
4. Voting in committee shall be by show of hands.
5. The examination of texts in plenary sitting shall be based on the draft adopted in committee.
6. When the examination of and voting on the whole of a text are over, and the results announced, any members who did not speak in the debate may speak for not more than one minute in order to explain their votes.

X. Special guests, parliamentary observers and partners for democracy

1. The delegations of parliaments of non-Council of Europe member States which hold special guest, parliamentary observer or partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly may speak in the debate.
2. Special guests, parliamentary observers and partners for democracy shall not table amendments or take part in voting.

XI. Application of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliamentary Assembly

1. In all cases where no specific provisions have been laid down, and in so far as they are not incompatible with these Rules, the provisions in force in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe shall apply.
2. Any contestation concerning the application of these Rules shall be decided upon by the occupant of the Chair.

Appendix - Apportionment of seats and votes

1. Under Article 26 of the Statute of the Council of Europe, the parliaments of Council of Europe member states are entitled to the following numbers of seats and votes:
Albania 4
Andorra 2
Armenia 4
Austria 6
Azerbaijan 6
Belgium 7
Bosnia and Herzegovina 5
Bulgaria 6
Croatia 5
Cyprus 3
Czech Republic 7
Denmark 5
Estonia 3
Finland 5
France 18
Georgia 5
Germany 18
Greece 7
Hungary 7
Iceland 3
Ireland 4
Italy 18
Latvia 3
Liechtenstein 2
Lithuania 4
Luxembourg 3
Malta 3
Moldova 5
Monaco 2
Montenegro 3
Netherlands 7
North Macedonia 3
Norway 5
Poland 12
Portugal 7
Romania 10
San Marino 2
Serbia 7
Slovak Republic 5
Slovenia 3
Spain 12
Sweden 6
Switzerland 6
Türkiye 18
Ukraine 12
United Kingdom 18
2. The Parliaments of the following states shall have the number of seats and votes specified below (maximum 18):
Australia 8
Canada1 12
Chile 7
Israel1 3
Japan 18
Republic of Korea 12
Mexico 18
New Zealand 4
United States of America 18
3. As for the European Parliament 12 seats are allocated to it (it is understood that this number may increase in accordance with the enlargement of the European Union).
4. The parliaments of Council of Europe non-member states enjoying special guest, observer or partner for democracy status with the Parliamentary Assembly and which are covered by item X of the above rules have the following number of seats:
Morocco: 3
Palestine: 1
Kyrgyzstan: 1
Jordan: 1.