Motion for a resolution | Doc. 11751 | 13 October 2008

Term of office of co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee

Signatories: Mr Aleksandër BIBERAJ, Albania ; Mr John AUSTIN, United Kingdom ; Mr József BERÉNYI, Slovak Republic ; Ms Ingrida CIRCENE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Charles GARDETTO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Marcel GLESENER, Luxembourg ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Joachim HÖRSTER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Raffi HOVANNISIAN, Armenia ; Ms Corien W.A. JONKER, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Göran LINDBLAD, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Claude MIGNON, France, EPP/CD ; Mr João Bosco MOTA AMARAL, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Kristiina OJULAND, Estonia ; Mr Ivan POPESCU, Ukraine, SOC ; Mr Christos POURGOURIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr John PRESCOTT, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr David WILSHIRE, United Kingdom, EDG

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee carry out an important and politically sensitive mandate. They usually do so over a long period of time.

The term of office of rapporteurs for reports of other committees is usually limited to two years as those reports need to be prepared within this space of time under Rule 25.3 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.

No such limit exists for co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee as their mandate is governed by Assembly Resolution 1115 (1997) as modified by Resolution 1431 (2005) and Resolution 1515 (2006).

While some measure of continuity in the work of the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee is desirable, there is the danger of a lack of independence and impartiality if such a term of office extends for too long (for example for more than four years).

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe should therefore invite its relevant committee to look into a limit of the term of office of co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee.