OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2012-13
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 42
Offentligt
MINUTESSTANDING COMMITTEEOF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLYIstanbulFriday 29 June 20139.00 a.m.1.Call to Order
The meeting was opened at 9.07 am with Mr. Wolfgang GROSSRUCK (Austria),President of OSCE PA, in the Chair.2.Adoption of the Agenda
The draft agenda was adopted.
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Welcoming Remarks by the Head of the Turkish Delegation to the OSCEParliamentary Assembly
Mr. Emin ONEN (Turkey) welcomed the Parliamentary Assembly to Istanbul.
4.
Report of the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
The PRESIDENT addressed the Standing Committee.
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Report by the Treasurer
Mr. BATTELLI (Slovenia) presented the Treasurer’s Report to the Standing Committee.DECISION:The Standing Committee unanimously approved the Budget for thefinancial year 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014.The Budget would be made available to the Assembly in accordance with paragraph 2 ofRule 41 of the Rules of Procedure.
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Report by the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Mr. Spencer OLIVER (Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly)presented his report.During his report, Heads of Delegations reported on future OSCE PA Meetings, asfollows:Fall Meeting (Budva, Montenegro, 13–15 October 2013)Speaker: Mr. Ranko KRIVOKAPIC (Montenegro), Head of Delegation andPresident of the Parliament of Montenegro.Winter Meeting, (Vienna, Austria, 13–14 February 2014)23rdAnnual Session (Baku, Azerbaijan, 28 June – 02 July 2014)Speaker: Ms. Bahar MURADOVA (Azerbaijan), Head of Delegation.24thAnnual SessionMr. Ilkka KANERVA (Finland) invited the Assembly to hold the 24thAnnualSession, July 2015, in Helsinki.Ms. Christine EGERSZEGI-OBRIST (Switzerland) invited the Assembly to hold its FallMeeting in Geneva (2–5 October 2014).Mr OLIVER completed his report.
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Practical and Procedural Matters for the Twenty-second Annual Session
The PRESIDENT outlined the practical and procedural arrangements, in particular thatthe deadline for the nomination of Assembly officers would be at 10 am on Tuesday 2ndJuly, and that the elections would be held on the morning of Wednesday 3rdJuly between9 am and 11 am, and nominations for committee officers should be handed in before thebeginning of the last meeting of the committee in question.Mr Spencer OLIVER reminded the Standing Committee that a Member who has anunavoidable obligation to leave the Annual Session before the day of elections forPresident, Vice-President and Treasurer could vote early on application to the TableOffice, once all candidates had been duly nominated.
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General Committees
The Standing Committee ratified the membership of General Committees in accordancewith Rule 36(2).9.Supplementary Items
The PRESIDENT informed the Standing Committee that 28 Supplementary Items hadbeen submitted in accordance with Rule 21, and 235 valid amendments had beenreceived. The proposed distribution between Committees had been circulated. ThePRESIDENT reminded the Standing Committee that under the Rules of Procedure, amajority of two-thirds was required to add an item to the agenda, and a simple majoritywas required on questions of allocation.DECISIONS:The Standing Committee approved the addition of the following items to the agenda:1.2.STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTIONS IN THEOSCE REGION (Mr. Guliyev, Azerbaijan)ENHANCING TRUST, TRANSPARENCY ANDACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN THE OSCE INSTITUTIONS (Mr. DeDonnea, Belgium)STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN COMBATINGRACISM, XENOPHOBIA AND OTHER FORMS OFINTOLERANCE AND DISCRIMINATION (Mr. Bostanci, Turkey)THE ROLE OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES IN POST-CONFLICT REHABILITATION SCENARIOS (Mr. Sanchez-Amor,Spain)PROMOTING ENERGY SAVING AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY INTHE OSCE REGION (Mr. Zarubinskyi, Ukraine)TRAFFICKING VICTIM WATCHFULNESS: PLANES, TRAINS,BUSES, AND HOTELS (Mr. Smith, USA)
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Item 7: THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN SYRIA (Mr. Onen, Turkey)Speakers: Mr. Nikolay KOVALEV (Russian Federation), Mr. Artashes GEGHAMYAN(Armenia), Mr. Emin ONEN (Turkey).The Standing Committee proceeded to vote on whether to add this supplementary item tothe Agenda.Noes:4
The PRESIDENT declared that the Supplementary Item was added to the Agenda.
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The Standing Committee approved the addition of the following items to the agenda:8.9.10.11.INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTIONS (Mr. Wicker, USA)FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA (Ms. Arena, Belgium)PROMOTING FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF IN THEOSCE REGION (Mr. Allison, Canada)ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION OF ENERGY SECURITY (Mr.Acikgoz, Turkey)
Item 12: ENLARGING THE PARTNERSHIP WITH NON-MEMBER MEDITERRANEANSTATES TO INCLUDE THE PALESTINIAN NATIONAL AUTHORITY (Ms Arena,Belgium)Speakers: Mr. Roger F. Wicker (USA), Mr. Morten HOGLUND (Norway), Mr. LuigiCOMPAGNA (Italy).Noes:Ayes:724
The Supplementary Item was added to the Agenda.The Standing Committee approved the addition of the following items to the agenda:13.14.15.16.THE TRANSDNIESTRIAN SETTLEMENT PROCESS (Mr.Zarubinskyi, Ukraine)CYBER SECURITY (Ms. Pakosta, Estonia)THE ARCTIC (Mr. Harstedt, Sweden)WATER MANAGEMENT AS A PRIORITY FOR THE OSCE CIO IN2014 (Ms. Berckmoes-Duindam, Netherlands)
Item 17: CITIZENSHIP ISSUES (Mr. Kovalev, Russian Federation)Speakers:Federation).Noes:Ayes:Ms. Vineta PORINA (Latvia), Mr. Nikolay KOVALEV (Russian
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The Supplementary Item was added to the Agenda.The Standing Committee approved the addition of the following items to the agenda:18.19.STRENGTHENING SECURITY IN THE BORDER AREAS OF THEOSCE REGION (Ms. Aknazarova, Kyrgyzstan)GUANTANAMO (Lord Dubs, United Kingdom)
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Item 20: BELARUS (Mr. Holm, Sweden)Speaker:Noes:Ayes:Mr. Viktor GUMINSKY (Belarus).721
The Supplementary Item was added to the Agenda.Item 21: THE SITUATION IN KAZAKHSTAN (Ms. von Cramon, Germany)Speakers: Mr. Ikram ADYRBEKOV (Kazakhstan), Mr. Andrej KOLESIK (SlovakRepublic), Ms. Isabel POZUELO (Spain), Mr. Alain NERI (France), Ms. DorisBARNETT (Germany), Mr. Luigi COMPAGNA (Italy), Ms. Bahar A. MURADOVA(Azerbaijan), Mr. Emin ONEN (Turkey).Noes:Ayes:257
Since there was not a two-thirds majority, the Supplementary Item was NOT added to theAgenda.The Standing Committee approved the addition of the following items to the agenda:22.23.24.THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ITS EFFECT ONTHE OSCE AREA (Ms. Pozuelo, Spain)GENDER ASPECTS OF LABOUR MIGRATION (Ms. Bychkova,Kazakhstan)ENSURING THAT CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO BEPROTECTED FROM ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION (Ms. Bychkova,Kazakhstan)
Item 26: RECOGNITION OF THE YOGYAKARTA PRINCIPLES ON THEAPPLICATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW IN RELATION TOSEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY (Ms. Arena, Belgium)Speakers: Mr. Christopher H. SMITH (USA), Mr. Artashes GEGHAMYAN (Armenia),Ms. Barbara BARTUS (Poland), Mr. Luigi COMPAGNA (Italy), Mr. NikolayKOVALEV (Russian Federation).Noes:Ayes:235
Since there was not a two-thirds majority, the Supplementary Item was NOT added to theAgenda.
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Item 27: KURDS IN TURKEY (Mr. Chaudhry, Norway)Speakers: Mr. Emin ONEN (Turkey), Mr. Viktor GUMINSKY (Belarus), Mr. LuigiCOMPAGNA (Italy), Ms. Doris BARNETT (Germany), Ms. Bahar MURADOVA(Azerbaijan), Lord BOWNESS (United Kingdom), Ms. Isabel POZUELO (Spain), Mr.Morten HOGLUND (Norway).Noes:Ayes:254
Since there was not a two-thirds majority, the Supplementary Item was NOT added to theAgenda.[Mr. Robert B. ADERHOLT, a Vice-President of the OSCE PA, took the Chair.]Item 28: HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (Ms. de Caluwe,Netherlands)Speakers: Mr. Nikolay KOVALEV (Russian Federation), Mr. Artashes GEGHAMYAN(Armenia), Mr. Eric SMALING (Netherlands), Mr. Jose I. SANCHEZ AMOR (Spain).Noes:Ayes:1119
Since there was not a two-thirds majority, the Supplementary Item was NOT added to theAgenda.The Standing Committee approved the addition of the following item to the agenda:29.CO-OPERATION ON THE TRANSITION TO A GREEN ECONOMYIN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (Mr.Guminsky, Belarus)
The Standing Committee approved the allocation of supplementary items as follows:1. STRENGTHENINGCIVILSOCIETYINSTITUTIONS IN THE OSCE REGION2. ENHANCING TRUST, TRANSPARENCY ANDACCOUNTABILITYWITHINTHEOSCEINSTITUTIONS3. STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF EDUCATION INCOMBATING RACISM, XENOPHOBIA ANDOTHER FORMS OF INTOLERANCE ANDDISCRIMINATION4. THE ROLE OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL3rdPlenary
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AUTHORITIESINPOST-CONFLICTREHABILITATION SCENARIOS5. PROMOTING ENERGY SAVING AND ENERGYEFFICIENCY IN THE OSCE REGION6. TRAFFICKINGVICTIMWATCHFULNESS:PLANES, TRAINS, BUSES, AND HOTELS7. THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN SYRIA8. INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTIONS9. FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA10. PROMOTING FREEDOM OF RELIGION ORBELIEF IN THE OSCE REGION11. ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION OF ENERGYSECURITY12. ENLARGING THE PARTNERSHIP WITH NON-MEMBERMEDITERRANEANSTATESTOINCLUDE THE PALESTINIAN NATIONALAUTHORITY13. THETRANSDNIESTRIANSETTLEMENTPROCESS14. CYBER SECURITY15. THE ARCTIC16. WATER MANAGEMENT AS A PRIORITY FORTHE OSCE CIO IN 201417. CITIZENSHIP ISSUES18. STRENGTHENING SECURITY IN THE BORDERAREAS OF THE OSCE REGION19. GUANTANAMO20. BELARUS22. THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ITSEFFECT ON THE OSCE AREA23. GENDER ASPECTS OF LABOUR MIGRATION24. ENSURING THAT CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHTTO BE PROTECTED FROM ECONOMICEXPLOITATION29. CO-OPERATION ON THE TRANSITION TO AGREEN ECONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OFSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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The PRESIDENT informed the Standing Committee that, in view of the large amount ofbusiness which it had to transact, on Tuesday 2 July the General Committee on PoliticalAffairs and Security (First Committee) would hold two meetings, from 09:00 to 11:00and from 11:30 to 13:30. On 2 July there would be no meeting of the GeneralCommittee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment (SecondCommittee).
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10.
Report of the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on the Rules of Procedureand consideration of the proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure
Mr. João SOARES (Portugal) reported the results of the work of the Sub-Committee onthe Rules of Procedure. The Sub-Committee proposed the following amendments to theRules of Procedure:Rule 4Officers of the AssemblyAmend paragraph 3 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):3. The retiring President shall, ex officio, hold office as President Emeritus untilthe election of a President subsequent to his or her successor.If a Presidentceases to be a member of the Assembly or resigns during his or her term ofoffice, the current President Emeritus shall remain in his or her position until asubsequent President completes his or her mandate and consequently takesoffice as President Emeritus.The Vice-Presidents shall be elected by the Assembly immediately following theelection of the President.Rule 5Election of OfficersAmend paragraph 2 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):2. The Vice-Presidents shall also be elected by secret ballot. Each Memberentitled to vote may cast as many votes as there are positions to be filled. Thethree candidates who obtain the most votes shall be elected for three years. Ifthere are unexpired terms to be filled the candidates receiving the next highestnumber of votes shall be elected. In event of a tie the matter shall be decided bylot.If a Vice President ceases to be a member of the Assembly or resigns theresulting vacancy shall be filled at the next Annual Session.Rule 13Autumn MeetingsAmend Rule 13 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics)1. The Assembly shall hold itsAutumnMeetings once a year for no more thanthree days.2. TheAutumnMeetings shall consist of meetings of the Standing Committeeand Special Conferences.3. TheAutumnMeetings shall take place in one of the OSCE participating orPartner States, as decided by the Standing Committee.
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4. TheAutumnMeetings shall be open to the public, unless a meeting decidesotherwise.
Rule 15Extraordinary SessionsAmend Rule 15 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):The Assembly may be convened in Extraordinary Session by the President at therequest oftwo-thirds of the Members ofthe Standing Committee.Rule 16AgendaAmend paragraph 1 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):1. There shall be an Agenda of the Annual Session, proposed by the President,after consultation with the Bureau, for approval by the Standing Committee. TheAssembly may amend the Agenda.National delegations may submit proposalsfor the general theme of the Annual Session for consideration by the Bureau.The final Agenda shall be adopted by the Assembly. The President shall alsopropose an Agenda for the Winter Meeting and theAutumnMeetings. TheStanding Committee at the Winter Meeting and theAutumnMeetings willapprove its agenda on the proposal of the Presidentby a two thirds majority ofthe votes cast.The General Committees during the Winter Meeting will approvetheir agendas on the proposal of their Chairs. The Bureau may also propose issuesto be included in the agendas of the General Committees. The draft agendas,proposed by the Bureau and the Chairs, will be communicated to the NationalDelegations normally six weeks before the opening of the Annual Session or theWinter andAutumnMeetings.Rule 21Supplementary ItemsAmend paragraph 1 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):1.The agenda of the Annual Session may be supplemented by an item or a motion onany matter within the competence of the OSCE, which does not relate directly tosubjects proposed by the General Rapporteurs to the three General Committees. Sucha supplementary item shall be in the form of a draft resolution with signatures of atleast twenty Members representing at least four different countries.In addition, aMember of the Assembly cannot be a co-sponsor of more than four supplementaryitems.The first signatory of a supplementary item will be its principal sponsor. Asupplementary item must be received by the Secretariat after the General Rapporteurshave submitted their reports, but at least 35 days before the opening of the firstplenary session.The Standing Committee may place only fifteen supplementary
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items on the agenda of the Annual Session.The Standing Committee shall decide bya two-thirdsmajority of the votes cast whether to include a supplementary item onthe agenda of the Annual Session. The Standing Committee shall then decide bymajority of votes cast whether to refer a supplementary item to the competentCommittee or to submit it to the plenary.
Insert new paragraph 3:3. Supplementary Items which obtain the level of support required by Rule 21.1and have no amendments meeting the requirements of Rule 22.1, but which arenot placed on the agenda of the Annual Session by the Standing Committeeunder rule 21.1, shall be referred directly to the plenary or competentCommittee. The principal sponsor of such an item may speak for one minute insupport, another member may speak for one minute against, and immediatelythereafter it shall be put to the vote without further debate. If carried the itemshall be included in the final document as an annex. Such items shall not beamendable.Insert new paragraph 4:4. Supplementary items which have been debated at the previous AnnualSession shall not be considered eligible for debate. In special circumstances,where an item is deemed urgent and topical the President in consultation withthe Vice Presidents may place it on the agenda of the Annual Session fordebate. The President’s decision shall be binding upon the Assembly and notdebatable.Rule 22AmendmentsInsert new paragraph 10:10. Manuscript or oral amendments may only be considered if there isunanimous agreement by the members of the Committee or plenary present.Rule 24Validation of SignaturesAmend paragraph 1 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):1. The signatures of Members of the Assembly who signed a supplementary itemor an amendmentare valid provided they register forand attendthe AnnualSessionand provided they signed no more than four supplementary items inaccordance with Rule 21.1.2. The signatures of Members of the Assembly who signed an amendment arevalid provided they register for and attend the Annual Session.10
3. In the event that a Member of the Assembly who registered for but cannotattend the Annual Session due to unavoidable obligations, his or her signaturesshall remain valid provided that the President of the Assembly is notifiedaccordingly by the Head of a Delegation.Rule 27Right to SpeakAmend paragraph 2 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):2. Except for the Chair and General Rapporteur of the General Committee,Members wishing to speak in a general debate shall enter their names in a registerprovided for the purposenot later than one hour before the announced time forthe opening of the sitting.In all cases, the Chair shall determine the order inwhich Members shall be called to speak. The Chair may close the list when thenumber of speakers multiplied by five minutes exceeds the time available for thesession. Alternatively, the Chair may reduce the time limit for each speaker to lessthan five minutes in order to allow more Members to participate in the debate.Insert new paragraph 8:8. Points of order shall only be raised by Members of the Assembly.Rule30Organizationof DebatesDelete paragraph 2:1. The President may, at his or her discretion, propose to the Assembly aprogramme and timetable for a specific debate or time-limits on speeches.2. The Assembly shall vote on such proposals without debate.Rule 32Methods of VotingInsert new paragraph 5:5. The Chair may with the consent of the Assembly put paragraphs orresolutions, or a number of paragraphs thereof to the vote en bloc, but anymember may request a separate vote on each or a particular paragraph.Rule 33MajoritiesAmend sub-paragraph (a) as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):11
(a) a majority of the votes cast,meaning more than half of the votes cast;Rule 36General CommitteesAmend paragraph 5 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):5. General Committees shall elect a Chair, a Vice-Chair and a GeneralRapporteur, who are the Officers of General Committees, at the close of thesitting at each Annual Session for the following year. Candidates shall besponsored in writing. Unless the General Committee decides otherwise, they shallbe nominated before the opening of the last scheduled meeting of the GeneralCommittee during the Annual Session. The General Committee Officers shall beelected by a majority of votes cast in a secret ballot. If no candidate has obtained amajority, a second ballot shall be held between the two candidates havingobtained the highest number of votes in the first ballot. In the event of a tie, theissue shall be decided by lot. If there is only one candidate nominated for anoffice the candidate shall be declared elected by acclamation. In the event of avacancy arising during the course of the year, thePresidentmay appoint asubstitute.Rule 37Powers and Duties of CommitteesDelete paragraph 4:1. Committees may examine OSCE issues relevant to their area of competence.2. Committees shall examine all matters referred to them in accordance with Rule16 above and all proposals and questions submitted to them in pursuance of adecision taken by the Assembly, the Standing Committee, the Bureau or thePresident.3. General Committees shall examine the reports submitted by the GeneralRapporteurs and shall act upon the draft resolutions.4. The Vice-Chair of each General Committee shall be responsible for thepreparation of a report on the follow-up of the resolutions adopted by theGeneral Committee and the Parliamentary Assembly. These reports shall bepresented by the Vice-Chairs at the next Annual Session. The President of theParliamentary Assembly shall assign the resolutions adopted directly by theAssembly, to an appropriate General Committee for a follow-up report, afterhaving consulted its Chair.
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Rule 40SecretariatInsert new sub-paragraph (a):1. (a) The Bureau shall take steps to ensure that in the interests of transparencybefore the election or re-election of the Secretary General and the seniorappointments referred to in Rule 40.3 the posts shall be advertised outside andwithin the organisation, and that all applications received are considered by theBureau before a recommendation to or election by the Standing Committee.Amend paragraph 1 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):1. The Secretary General shall beelected,on the proposal of the Bureau, by theStanding Committeeby a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by secret ballot.Theelectionshall be for five yearsand may berenewabletwice by a majority ofthe votes cast by secret ballotin the Standing Committee.The StandingCommittee may in exceptional circumstances, on the proposal of the Bureau,consider further renewal of the term in office of the Secretary General by amajority of two-thirds of the votes cast by secret ballot.The Standing Committeewill set his or her duties, remuneration and conditions of employment consistentwith the annual budget.Amend paragraph 3 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):3. The Standing Committee shall confirmby a two-thirds majority of the votescastthe senior appointments made by the Secretary General to the two posts ofDeputy Secretaries General, one of whom shall be designated as Finance Officer.Rule 44ObserversAmend paragraph 1 as follows (substantive amendment in bold italics):1. Provided notification has been given to the Secretariat, representatives of thefollowing organizations may be admitted as observers: the ParliamentaryAssembly of the Council of Europe;the Assembly of WEU;the NATOParliamentary Assembly; the Inter-Parliamentary Union; the European Parliamentand the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS;Rule 45Amendment of Rules of ProcedureReverse paragraphs 1 and 2 and amend them as follows (substantive amendmentin bold italics):
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1. The President may appoint a sub-committee to examinethe Rules ofProcedureand make recommendations to the Standing Committee.2.When a Member of the Assembly submits amendments to the Rules ofProcedure these amendments shall be submitted in writing and signedby atleast eleven Members from at least three countries.3. When the Standing Committee has amended the Rules of Procedure, its decisionshall be reported to the Assembly. National Delegations shall be informed about thisdecision as soon as possible by the Secretary General. The decision by the StandingCommittee to amend the Rules of Procedure shall come into force 30 days after itsapproval by the Standing Committee.
[Mr Wolfgang GROSSRUCK, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, resumedthe Chair.]Speakers: Mr. Alain NERI (France), Ms. Roza AKNAZAROVA (Kyrgyzstan), Mr.Nikolay KOVALEV (Russian Federation).Mr SOARES replied.Speakers: Ms. Doris BARNETT (Germany), Mr. Christopher H. SMITH (USA), Mr.Sofoclis FITTIS (Cyprus), Mr. Nikolay KOVALEV (Russian Federation).Mr SOARES replied.Speaker: Mr. Ghislain MALTAIS (Canada).DECISION:The amendments to the Rules of Procedure proposed by the Sub-Committeeon Rules of Procedure were adopted, except that in Rule 21, the words “a two-thirds”would not be left out.The amendments would take effect 30 days from the date of their agreement by theStanding Committee, in accordance with Rule 45.3 of the Rules of Procedure.10.Report of the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on Transparency andReform of the OSCEMr. Fran§ois-Xavier DE DONNEA (Belgium) reported as Chair of the Ad HocCommittee on Transparency and Reform of the OSCE and invited the StandingCommittee to fully reactivate the 1997 Co-operation Agreement.Mr. Roberto BATTELLI (Slovenia) reported on the election observation missions inAlbania and Bulgaria. He underlined that the early drafting procedure, which implies theco-operation of everybody present, was one of the positive aspects of the EOM inAlbania and suggested formalizing it in writing.
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Mr. DE DONNEA replied, stressing that the last delicate issue remaining concerned thetime at which the representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly intervene in the draftingof the statement. He suggested taking time to see how the reactivated co-operation worksin practice before deciding whether there is a need for a written agreement with theODIHR on this subject.Speakers: Ms. Christine EGERSZEGI-OBRIST (Switzerland), Mr. Kent HARSTEDT(Sweden), Mr. Alain NERI (France), Mr. George TSERETELI (Georgia), Mr. EricSMALING (Netherlands).Mr. BATTELLI emphasized that it is important to ensure that all the institutions involvedin the drafting are included at an early stage, for example 4-5 days before the election. Heregretted that initially in Albania neither the OSCE PA nor the PACE contributions weretaken into account by the ODIHR. He believed that the experts should put together a draftbased on all the input received. He suggested holding a vote on the reactivation of theCopenhagen Agreement provided that it is agreed that the issue of early drafting shouldbe included.Speakers: Mr. Jose I. SANCHEZ AMOR (Spain), Mr. Peter Juel JENSEN (Denmark),Mr. Spencer OLIVER specified that the proposal made implies that the early draftingprocedure should take place from the beginning and include all partners: the OSCE PA,ODIHR, PACE, NATO PA and the European Parliament. Bringing all parliamentarianstogether with the ODIHR will help reach a consensus on the evaluation of the elections.Mr. BATTELLI specified that this practice will enforce the agreement and prevent futureconflicts.The PRESIDENT expressed his full support for Mr. de Donnea’s proposal provided Mr.Battelli’s suggestions were integrated and put the decision to a vote.DECISION:The Standing Committee agreed unanimously that the work of theParliamentary Assembly in the field of election observation should be fully renewedwithin the framework of the 1997 Co-operation Agreement with ODIHR, provided thatjoint drafting of the preliminary statement started four or five days before election day.10.Close of meeting
The PRESIDENT closed the meeting at 12.10 pm.
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