DRAFT RULES OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES^[1]

 

CONSTITUTION - COMPOSITION - SESSIONS

 

 

RULE 1

 

            In accordance with Articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Statutes, the Assembly shall establish the number of Standing Committees which shall be able to address all issues within the competence of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

 

In accordance with Rule 4.2(c) the Bureau shall establish the  terms of reference of Standing Committees.

 

 

RULE 2

 

1.         The Members of the Assembly shall be represented on each Standing Committee by at least one member

 

 

RULE 3

 

1.         Representatives of international organisations or experts may be invited by the Assembly to follow the work of the Standing Committees as observers.  Representatives of other bodies to which observer status has been accorded by the General Assembly of the United Nations may also be invited by the Bureau as observers.

 

2.         Observers may only speak with the permission of the President.

 

 

RULE 4

 

            The Members of the Assembly may designate former parliamentarians to follow the work of the Standing Committees as Honorary members of their delegation.

 

 

RULE 5

 

            The convocations of the Standing Committees shall be drawn up in consultation with their President by the Executive Secretary who shall give effect to the relevant decisions taken by the Assembly.

 

 

TERMS OF REFERENCE

 

 

RULE 6 (cf. Statutes, Art. 19; Rule 18)

 

1.         Standing Committees shall normally debate and prepare reports and draft resolutions on their respective subject items placed on the agenda of the Assembly 

 

2.         They may also be instructed by the Assembly to study an item included in the latter's agenda and make a report.

OFFICERS

 

 

RULE 7

 

1.         A Committee officer shall not be eligible for re-election to the same post after four years in office.

 

2.         When a Committee officer has served for four consecutive years, two years must elapse before that person may again be elected to the post held previously.

 

 

RULE 8

 

1.         In order to ensure as far as possible a fair distribution of these posts among the Members of the Assembly, representatives of a Member Parliament shall not simultaneously hold more than one post as President..

 

 

RULE 9

 

2.         In case of resignation, loss of parliamentary mandate or death of the President of a Standing Committee, the President's duties shall be exercised by a Vice-President of the Bureau of the Assembly, until such time as the Committee holds its next elections. 

 

RULE 10

 

1.         The President shall open, suspend and close sittings, direct the work of the Committee, see that the Rules are observed, call upon the speakers, put questions to the vote, make known the results of voting and declare the sessions closed.  The President's decisions on these matters shall be final and shall be accepted without discussion.

 

2.         The President shall decide on all matters not covered by these Rules, after having taken the advice of the Bureau and the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean if necessary.

 

 

RAPPORTEURS

 

 

RULE 11

 

1.         The Assembly shall appoint two rapporteurs, one from the northern and one from the southern Mediterranean, for each Standing Committee who will prepare a  draft resolution, accompanied by a brief explanatory note, on the subject to be debated in their Committee, which the Secretariat shall send to the Members in advance of the session.  Members may propose amendments to the draft resolution until one week before the opening of the Assembly. 

 

 

AGENDA - ORDER OF DEBATES - REPORTS

 

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RULE 12

 

            The agenda of the Standing Committees shall be communicated to all Members by the Executive Secretary who shall give effect to the decisions taken by the Assembly.

 

RULE 13

 

            A Standing Committee which is requested by the Assembly to undertake preliminary consideration of a question may, on the proposal of its President or one of its members, make such procedural arrangements as are necessary to ensure the efficient organisation of the debate, taking into account the time available.

 

 

RULE 14

 

1.         The President of a Standing Committee may, if necessary, set up a drafting committee.

 

2.         The number of members of a drafting committee shall not normally exceed eleven.  Its composition shall take into account equitable geographical distribution and political and gender balance.  The rapporteurs who have prepared the report and the draft resolution on the item placed on the Committee's agenda shall take part in the proceedings of the drafting committee as members or advisers.

 

3.         Only the members of a drafting committee or, in the event of their prolonged absence, their substitutes, and the rapporteurs shall have the right to speak.

 

 

RULE 15

 

1.         The President of each Standing Committee shall act as its Rapporteur before the Assembly.

 

2.         These Rapporteurs shall give an objective account of the Committee's work, taking into consideration the views of the majority and minority, and shall present any draft resolutions proposed by the Standing Committee.

 

 

AMENDMENTS

 

 

RULE 16

 

            Any member of a Committee may submit amendments to a draft resolution or a motion under consideration by that Committee, and may also submit sub-amendments.

 

 

RULE 17

 

1.         Amendments and sub-amendments shall relate directly to the text. They may only envisage an addition, a deletion or an alteration with regard to the initial draft without having the effect of changing its scope or nature.

 

2.         The President shall determine whether or not amendments or sub-amendments are in order.

 

 

RULE 18

 

1.         Amendments shall be discussed before the text to which they relate.  They shall likewise be voted on before the text itself.

 

2.         Sub-amendments shall be discussed at the same time as the amendments to which they relate.  They shall be voted on before the amendments concerned.

 

 

RULE 19

 

1.         If two or more amendments apply to the same words in a draft resolution, that which is furthest from the text under consideration shall have priority over the others and shall be put to the vote first.

 

2.         If two or more amendments relating to the same words are mutually exclusive, the adoption of the first shall involve the rejection of the other amendment or amendments.  If the first amendment is rejected the next amendment in order of priority shall be put to the vote; the same procedure shall be applied for each of the following amendments.

 

3.         In case of doubt regarding priority, the President shall decide.

 

 

RULE 20

 

            Unless the President decides otherwise, the only speakers to be heard in discussing an amendment shall be its author and a member holding a contrary opinion and, if need be, the Rapporteur of the Standing Committee.

 

 

RIGHT TO SPEAK - ORDER - PROCEDURAL MOTIONS

 

 

RULE 21

 

            No member of a Standing Committee may speak without the consent of the President.

 

 

RULE 22

 

1.         Unless the President decides otherwise, members shall speak in the order in which they register.

 

2.         Speakers may only be interrupted by other members on a point of order.  They may, nevertheless, with the President's authorization, yield the floor so as to allow other members' requests for clarification.

 

3.         The President shall rule immediately and without debate on all points of order.

 

 

RULE 23

 

            On the proposal of the President, or at the request of one of its members, the Standing Committee may decide to limit the speaking time allowed to each delegation and/or the number of times on which delegates may take the floor in the discussion of a particular item on the agenda.

 

 

RULE 24

 

            The President shall call a speaker to order when the latter does not keep to the subject under discussion or prejudices the debate by using abusive language.  The President may, if necessary, withdraw permission to speak and may have the objectionable words struck from the record.

 

 

RULE 25

 

            The President shall deal immediately with any incident which may arise during the sitting.  If necessary, the President shall take all measures required to restore the normal functioning of the Committee's debates.

 

 

RULE 26

 

1.         Priority to speak shall be given to members wishing to propose:

(a)          Adjournment of the debate sine die;

(b)          Adjournment of the debate;

(c)          Closure of the list of speakers;

(d)          Closure or adjournment of the meeting;

(e)          Any other motion bearing on the conduct of the meeting.

 

2.         These procedural motions shall have priority over the substantive questions; debate on the latter shall be suspended while the former are considered.

 

3.         The mover shall make a brief presentation of the motion without entering into the substance of the question under debate.

 

4.         In debate on procedural motions, only the mover of the proposal and one delegate holding a contrary opinion shall be heard, after which the Committee shall decide.

 

5.         No proposal for an adjournment sine die shall be allowed on questions which the Standing Committee has been instructed to consider and report on to the Assembly.

 

RULE 27

 

            Standing Committee meetings shall be public.  They shall be held in private only if the Committee itself so decides by a majority of the votes cast.

 

 

VOTING - QUORUM - MAJORITIES

 

 

RULE 28

 

1.         The right to vote shall be exercised by the titular members or, in their absence, by their substitutes .

 

2.         The Presidency shall not entitle its holder to an additional or casting vote.  The President's right to vote shall be exercised by the President's substitute.  The President may, however, vote if the substitute is absent from the room.

 

 

RULE 29

 

1.         Standing Committee decisions, with the exception of elections which are held in conformity with the provisions of Rule 7, shall be taken either by show of hands or by roll call.

 

2.         The President shall in each case decide on the method of voting to be followed.

 

3.         Results of votes by secret ballot shall be ascertained by two Tellers appointed by the Standing Committee on the President's proposal.

 

 

RULE 30

 

            Subject to the special provisions relating to amendments (cf. Rule 19) and procedural motions (cf. Rule 27), the Standing Committee shall vote on proposals in the order in which they are submitted.  After each vote, the Standing Committee may decide whether or not it will vote on the next proposal.

 

 

RULE 31

 

1.         Any member may request that parts, or each paragraph, of a text submitted to the Standing Committee be put to the vote separately.

 

2.         If any objection is raised to this motion for division, the request shall be voted on without debate.

 

3.         If the proposal for division is accepted, the different parts or paragraphs of the whole text thus divided shall be voted on separately; the parts or paragraphs adopted shall subsequently be put to the vote as a whole.  However, if all the paragraphs of the text are rejected, the text shall be considered as rejected in toto.

 

 

RULE 32

 

1.         Nobody may interrupt a vote once it has commenced, except to request clarification on the manner in which the voting is being conducted.

 

2.         Members who wish to explain their vote briefly may be authorized to do so by the President, after voting has taken place.

 

3.         No explanation of vote shall be admissible on amendments and procedural motions.

 

 

RULE 33

 

1.         A Standing Committee may meet and deliberate whatever the number of members present.  However, a vote may take place only if at least half of the Members participating in the Assembly are represented in the Standing Committee.  The quorum shall be determined by the Executive Secretary at the opening of each Assembly.

 

2.         The quorum shall be considered as attained and a vote taken by a Standing Committee as valid, whatever the number of members present or participating therein if, before the voting, the President has not verified whether there is a quorum and/or has not been called upon to do so by a member of the Standing Committee.

 

3.         When, before the vote, the presence of a quorum has been noted, that vote shall be considered as valid whatever the number of members participating therein.

 

 

RULE 34

 

1.         Decisions shall be taken by a majority of the votes cast, except as stipulated in Rule 7.2 of these Rules.

 

2.         In calculating the number of votes cast, only affirmative and negative votes shall be taken into account.

 

3.         If the votes are equally divided, the proposal under consideration shall be considered as rejected.

 

 

SECRETARIAT

 

 

RULE 35

 

1.         The Executive Secretary or the Executive Secretary's representative shall assist the President in directing the work of the Standing Committee.

 

2.         The Executive Secretary or the Executive Secretary's representative may be invited by the President to speak on any question under consideration.

 

 

RULE 36

 

1.         The Secretariat shall receive the documents, reports and draft resolutions and distribute them in English and French.  It shall ensure the simultaneous interpretation of the debates in these two languages, as well as in Arabic..

 

2.         It shall prepare the provisional summary record of the meetings which shall be circulated to all Members before the following session of the Standing Committee, when it will be submitted for approval at the opening sitting.

 

 

ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT OF THE RULES

 

 

RULE 37

 

1.         The Bureau  shall adopt and amend the Standing Committees' Rules.

 

2.         Proposals for amending the Standing Committees' Rules shall be formulated in writing and sent to the Secretariat at least three months before the next meeting of the Assembly.  The Secretariat shall communicate such proposals immediately to all Members.  It shall communicate any proposals for sub-amendments at least one month before the meeting of the Assembly.