OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2012-13
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 27
Offentligt

AS (13) PPI

OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

PRACTICAL & PROCEDURAL

INFORMATION

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

CONTENTS

Overview……………………………………………………………… 2

General Committees…………………………………………….. 2

Plenary Session………………………………………………….. 2

List of Speakers for the General Debate …………...…………. 2

Election of the Officers of the Assembly……………………………. 2 - 4

President of the Parliamentary Assembly………………………

Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly……………….

Treasurer…………………………………………………………

Election of the General Committee Officers……………………

Voting……………………………………………………………..

Voting cards………………………………………………………

Documents…………………………………………………………….. 5 - 8

Supplementary Items…………………………………………….

Amendments……………………………………………………...

Compromise Amendments………………………………………

Questions of Urgency……………………………………………

Validation of Signatures…………………………………………

Submission of Documents……………………………………….

Officers of the Assembly…………………………………………….. 9

Important dates……………………………………………………… 10

This document seeks to give a brief and basic guide to the procedures of the OSCE Parliamentary

Assembly and the practical arrangements in view of the 22

Annual Session to be held in Istanbul

from 29 June to 3 July 2013. This document is not exhaustive, and should be read in conjunction

with the Rules of Procedure (25 March 2011).

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

OVERVIEW

General Committees

The Rapporteur of each General Committee will present a report which will form the basis of the

debate in the General Committee. The text of the report is the responsibility of the Rapporteur, and

should be prepared or approved by him or her.

The Rapporteur will also present a draft resolution based on the report. The draft resolution, but not

the report, is subject to amendment by Members of the Assembly in accordance with the provisions

of Rule 22, paragraph 1 of the Rules of Procedure. Amendments should, therefore, relate only to the

subjects addressed by the Rapporteur in the Draft Resolution.

Plenary Session

The draft Final Document to be debated and considered at the Plenary Session on

Wednesday, 3 July

2013

will be, in principle, a composite of the three resolutions of the three General Committees. In

the event of incompatibilities between the texts adopted by the General Committees, a Drafting

Committee composed of representatives of the three General Committees and others appointed by the

President will seek to reconcile them (Rule 39, paragraph 3).

List of Speakers for General Debate

Members wishing to speak in the general debate in the Plenary Session on

Tuesday, 2 July 2013

should enter their names in a register provided for that purpose in the Table Office

before the

opening of the sitting, at the latest.

In all cases, the Chair shall determine the order in which

Members shall be called to speak. Unless the Chair decides to grant additional time, no Member may

speak for more than five minutes or for no more than one minute on a point of order in the debate

(Rule 27, paragraph 7).

In the event that a large number of speakers have signed up, the Chair will divide the number of time

by the number of speakers.

ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS OF THE ASSEMBLY

(Current list of Officers of the Assembly can be found on page 9)

Election of the President, Vice-Presidents and Treasurer will be held in Plenary on the last day of the

Annual Session,

3 July 2013.

These Officers will be elected by secret ballot (Rule 5, paragraphs 1-4).

In considering proposed candidates the Assembly shall take into account the national

composition of the Assembly

(Rule 4, paragraph 9).

Under Rule 4, paragraph 5 candidates for the offices of President and Vice-President must be

sponsored in writing by twenty-five (25) or more Members of the Assembly. Nomination papers

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

should be handed in at

the Table Office no later than 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday, 2 July 2013.

accordance with Rule 4, paragraph 5 the Bureau will verify the candidatures prior to submission to

the Assembly.

The election will be held on

Wednesday, 3 July 2013 between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Details

regarding distribution of ballot papers and the organisation of the election will be announced during

the Istanbul Session. Proxy voting is not allowed. Each voting member shall cast their ballot in

person.

In accordance with Rule 31, paragraph 3 “a Member who has an unavoidable obligation to leave the

Annual Session before the day of the election of a President, Vice-President and a Treasurer has the

right to vote earlier, provided that he or she has notified the Assembly President accordingly in

writing. Early voting shall start only when all candidates have been duly nominated”.

In the event of a second ballot, any members who have left the Annual Session will be unable to vote.

In accordance with Rule 32, paragraph 4 the Chair will appoint three tellers to supervise the elections

and count the ballots. All verified candidates or those that represent them have the right to monitor

voting procedure, the counting of the ballot papers and the tabulation of the votes in all polling

places.

If the number of the candidates nominated is less or equal to the number of the positions to be filled,

the candidates shall be declared elected by acclamation.

President of the Parliamentary Assembly

The President will be elected for a period of one year, until the closure of the 2014 Annual Session

(Rule 4, paragraph 6). The President may be re-elected only once to the same office (Rule 5,

paragraph 6).

In accordance with Rule 5, paragraph 1 “The President shall be elected by secret ballot and each

Member entitled to vote may cast one vote. If, on the first ballot, no candidate has obtained an

absolute majority of the votes cast, a second ballot shall be held between the two candidates who

obtain the most votes in the first ballot. The candidate who, on the second ballot, obtains the most

votes shall be elected. In the event of a tie, the issue shall be decided by lot.”

Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly

In Istanbul there will be elections for three Vice-Presidents who will serve for three years until

the end of the 2016 Annual Session and for one Vice-President who will serve for two years

until the end of the 2015 Annual Session.



Vice-President Isabel POZUELO (Spain): elected in Vilnius in 2009 and re-elected in Oslo in

2010 is eligible for re-election.

Vice-President Alain NERI (France): elected in Monaco in 2012 is eligible for re-election.

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013



Vice-President Uta ZAPF (Germany): elected in Monaco in 2012 is eligible for re-election.

Vice-President Jean-Charles GARDETTO (Monaco): is no longer a Member of the

Assembly. In accordance with Rule 5, paragraph 2 a Vice-President will have to be elected to

fill the rest of his term expiring at the end of the 2015 Annual Session.

The Vice-Presidents may be re-elected once to the same office (Rule 5, paragraph 6). A Vice-

President who has served less than two three year terms is eligible for re-election (Rule 5, paragraph

7). The Assembly will vote on all three positions of Vice-Presidents simultaneously. The three

candidates obtaining the greatest number of votes will serve for three years until the end of the 2016

Annual Session (Rule 4, paragraph 7), and the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes

shall be elected to fill the remaining unexpired term of the fourth Vice-President (Rule 5, Paragraph

2).

Treasurer

In Istanbul there will be an election for the Treasurer.

The Treasurer shall hold office from the close of the Annual Session in which he or she is elected to

the close of the second Annual Session thereafter (Rule 4, paragraph 8). The Treasurer may be re-

elected twice to the same office (Rule 5, paragraph 6).



Mr. Roberto BATTELLI (Slovenia): elected in Vilnius in 2009 and re-elected in Belgrade in

2011 is therefore eligible for re-election for one more term at the Annual Session in Istanbul.

Election of General Committee Officers

General Committees shall elect a Chair, a Vice-Chair and a General Rapporteur, who are the Officers

of General Committees, at the close of the sitting at each Annual Session for the following year (Rule

36, paragraph 5). Candidates shall be proposed in writing. Unless the General Committee decides

otherwise, they shall be nominated before the opening of the last scheduled meeting of the General

Committee during the Annual Session.

The General Committee Officers shall be elected by a majority of votes cast in a secret ballot. If no

candidate has obtained a majority, a second ballot shall be held between the two candidates having

obtained the highest number of votes in the first ballot. In the event of a tie, the issue shall be decided

by lot. If there is only one candidate nominated for an office, the candidate shall be declared elected

by acclamation. In the event of a vacancy arising during the course of the year, the Standing

Committee may appoint a substitute (Rule 36, paragraph 5).

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

Voting

Under Rule 32, paragraph 1 the Assembly shall vote by a show of hands except in cases where a roll-

call vote or secret ballot is required. Only affirmative and negative votes shall count in calculating the

number of votes cast. The number of abstentions shall be recorded.

Where the Assembly's accounts show that a Member country has not made its due contribution for a

period of 9 months, Members of its delegation shall not be allowed to vote until the contribution has

been received (Rule 41, paragraph 5).

Voting Cards

Each delegation will receive colour-coded voting cards for the three General Committees and for the

plenaries.

The voting cards for the three General Committees will be distributed according to Rule 36,

paragraphs 2 and 4. The OSCE PA International Secretariat will distribute the voting cards divided

equally, to the extent possible, among the General Committees. The difference between voting cards

distributed for each committee shall not exceed one.

DOCUMENTS

Please pay special attention to the Rules of Procedure and the document deadlines (page 10)

regarding the submission of

Supplementary Items, Amendments, Compromise Amendments

and

Questions of Urgency.

Supplementary Items

Rule 21 of the Rules of Procedure states:

1. The agenda of the Annual Session may be supplemented by an item or a motion on any matter

within the competence of the OSCE, which does not relate directly to subjects proposed by

the General Rapporteurs to the three General Committees. Such a supplementary item shall be

in the form of a draft resolution with signatures of

at least twenty Members

representing

least four different countries.

The first signatory of a supplementary item will be its

principal sponsor.

A supplementary item must be received by the Secretariat after the

General Rapporteurs have submitted their reports, but at least 35 days before the

opening of the first plenary session.

The Standing Committee shall decide by a two-thirds

majority of the votes cast whether to include a supplementary item on the agenda of the

Annual Session. The Standing Committee shall then decide by a majority of votes cast

whether to refer a supplementary item to the competent Committee or to submit it to the

plenary.

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

2. If more than one supplementary item is presented on the same issue, the President may ask the

principal sponsors of the draft resolutions on the same issue to hold consultations in order to

present a compromise draft resolution. If such a compromise draft resolution is received at the

Secretariat

at least fourteen days before the opening of the first plenary session

with

signatures of the principal sponsors and

at least ten signatories of each of the two or more

draft resolutions in question,

it shall be presented to the Annual Session as a supplementary

item and all other draft resolutions on the same issue shall fall. The principal sponsor of the

draft resolution which was received first shall be the principal sponsor of the compromise

draft resolution. If there is no agreement on a compromise draft resolution, the draft resolution

which was received first shall be presented to the Annual Session and others on the same issue

shall fall.

Supplementary items must be received at the International Secretariat in Copenhagen not later

than on THURSDAY 23 MAY 2013*.

Compromise supplementary items must be received at the International Secretariat in

Copenhagen not later than on THURSDAY 13 JUNE 2013*.

Amendments

Paragraph 1 of Rule 22 of the Rules of Procedure states:

Amendments to the draft resolutions presented by the General Rapporteurs or to

supplementary items shall be submitted in writing and signed by

at least five Members

representing

at least two OSCE countries.

Amendments to the draft resolutions prepared by

the General Rapporteurs shall be received at the Secretariat with the required signatures

least fourteen days before the opening of the first plenary session.

Amendments to

supplementary items shall be received at the Secretariat with the required signatures

at least

seven days before the opening of the first plenary session.

The first signatory of an

amendment will be its principal sponsor.

The forms for submitting amendments to supplementary items will be forwarded to you

shortly.

Amendments to the three General Committee Draft Resolutions must be received at the

International Secretariat in Copenhagen not later than on THURSDAY 13 JUNE 2013*.

Amendments to supplementary items must be received at the International Secretariat in

Copenhagen not later than on THURSDAY 20 JUNE 2013*.

To help facilitate the work of National Parliaments and the International Secretariat, the deadlines have been brought

forward to a Thursday, so they do not fall on a weekend.

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

Members are also reminded of certain other provisions of Rule 22 (Amendments) of the Rules of

Procedure:



The Amendments will be considered in the same Committee in which the resolution, or

supplementary item, to which the Amendment relates, is considered. The Chair of the

Committee shall decide whether the Amendment is in order. If the Chair decides that the

Amendment is not in order because it is not relevant to the Committee’s area of competence

or is not a compromise amendment in accordance with Rule 23, any sponsor of that

Amendment may refer the matter to the President. The President will determine which

Committee is competent to deal with the Amendment;

Each Amendment may only relate to one paragraph;

If two or more Amendments relate to the same paragraph, they will be voted upon according

to the following order:



Amendments to delete the entire paragraph;

Amendments to delete part of the paragraph;

Amendments that modify the paragraph;

Additional Amendments that insert a new paragraph;

The Chair may group the Amendments for discussion

Delegations are particularly requested

not

to present Amendments which incorporate or re-order large

sections of the Rapporteur’s original draft resolution. It is necessary in order to allow proper debate

that any Amendments be addressed specifically to individual paragraphs of the Rapporteur’s text.

Amendments should not take the form of alternative resolutions.

Compromise Amendments

Paragraph 1 of Rule 23 of the Rules of Procedure states:

A compromise amendment may be submitted in writing and signed by

at least ten Members,

representing

at least three OSCE countries,

including at least two principal sponsors of

amendments already submitted in accordance with Rule 22 on the same issue to the same draft

resolution.

Any compromise amendment shall be submitted no later than 10 a.m. on the

day before the Assembly or relevant Committee starts consideration of amendments.

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

Questions of Urgency

Rule 26 of the Rules of Procedure states:

1. Questions of urgency may be placed on the agenda of the Assembly at any time on the

proposal of the Standing Committee, or in the absence of a meeting of the Standing

Committee, on the proposal of the Bureau. Such questions of urgency must be pertinent to the

OSCE process and relate to

an event, which has taken place or come to public knowledge

less than twenty-four days before the opening of the first plenary session.

2. Such question of urgency shall be in a form of

a draft resolution and it shall be signed by at

least twenty-five Members representing at least ten countries.

The first signatory of the

draft resolution shall be the principal sponsor of the question of urgency.

3. In the event of the Standing Committee or the Bureau deciding not to recommend the

inclusion of such an item on the agenda, the proposers shall have the right to appeal in writing

to the Assembly, which may decide by a majority of two thirds of the Members of the

Assembly to place the proposal on the agenda.

Validation of signatures:

Rule 24 of the Rules of Procedure states:

The signatures of Members of the Assembly who signed a supplementary item or an

amendment are valid provided they

Registration, according to established practice, is accomplished by being physically present at the

Annual Session.

Submission of Documents

For the submission of documents (Supplementary Items, Amendments, etc.), please

ONLY

use the

following:

Email:

Fax:

[email protected]

+45 33 37 80 30

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

OFFICERS OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

MEMBERS OF THE BUREAU

(as of 1 April 2013)

Name

Mr. Wolfgang Grossruck

Ms. Isabel Pozuelo

Mr. Alain Neri

Ms. Uta Zapf

Ms. Walburga Habsburg Douglas

Mr. Tonino Picula

Mr. Wolfgang Grossruck

Vacant

Mr. George Tsereteli

Mr. Robert B. Aderholt

Mr. Roberto Battelli

Vacant

Georgia

USA

Slovenia

Country

Austria

Spain

France

Germany

Sweden

Croatia

Austria

Position

Acting President

Vice-President

Treasurer

President Emeritus

Term

To end 2013 Session

To end 2014 Session

To end 2015 Session

To end 2013 Session

OFFICERS OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEES

I. GENERAL COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND SECURITY

Ms. Asa Lindestam

Ms. Susanne Bratli

Ms. Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene

Sweden

Norway

Lithuania

Chair

Vice-Chair

Rapporteur

II. GENERAL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Vacant

Ms. Roza Aknazarova

Vacant

Kyrgyzstan

Chair

Vice-Chair

Rapporteur

III. GENERAL COMMITTEE ON DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN QUESTIONS

Vacant

Ms. Isabel Santos

Ms. Ann Phelan

Portugal

Ireland

Chair

Vice-Chair

Rapporteur

OSCE, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 27: Praktik og procedurer i forbindelse med den årlige session i Istanbul fra 28. juni til 3. juli 2013

DOCUMENT DEADLINES 2013

Supplementary Items

Thursday 23 May 2013

Compromise Supplementary Items

Thursday 13 June 2013

Amendments to General Committee

Draft Resolutions

Thursday 13 June 2013

Amendments to Supplementary Items

Thursday 20 June 2013