Bureau

African woman taking the floor while sitting
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The Bureau

Two Co-Presidents and 24 Vice-Presidents (12 European and 12 ACP) elected by the Assembly constitute the JPA Bureau. The Bureau meets at least four times a year in order to direct and ensure the continuity of the JPS’s work and to prepare new initiatives aimed in particular at reinforcing and improving cooperation. It also considers topical political questions and adopts positions on all human rights cases.

Article 2 of the Rules of Procedure of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

1. Each house shall elect its members to the Bureau in accordance with its own practice.

2. The Bureau shall consist of two Co-Presidents of equal status, and 24 Vice-Presidents. Half of the members of the Bureau shall be nominated by the representatives of the ACP States and half by the representatives of the European Parliament, in accordance with a procedure laid down by each of the two houses.

3. The Bureau shall prepare the work of the Assembly, follow up the activities and resolutions of the Assembly and establish all necessary contacts with the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors.

4. The Bureau shall be responsible for the coordination of the work of the Assembly. The Bureau may designate some of its members as Vice-Presidents in charge of specific matters in accordance with the principle of parity between members of the parliaments of the ACP States and members of the European Parliament.

5. The Bureau shall meet, on the initiative of its Co-Presidents, at least four times a year; two of the meetings shall take place in the days preceding the sessions of the Assembly.

6. The Bureau shall submit to the Assembly the proposed agenda for the debates. It shall be responsible for ensuring that, as far as possible, half the items on the agenda concern matters of common interest. It may propose a limitation of speaking time for debates.

7. The Bureau shall be responsible for matters relating to the composition and the responsibilities of the standing committees referred to in Article 25 ('the standing committees').

8. The Bureau shall be responsible for authorising the standing committees to draw up reports and motions for resolutions.

9. The Bureau may also refer matters for consideration by the standing committees, which may subsequently request authorisation to draw up a report on a particular topic.

10. The Bureau shall be responsible for monitoring the follow-up to resolutions and decisions of the Assembly. In the case of resolutions tabled by a standing committee, it may delegate responsibility for monitoring the follow-up to the chairman and rapporteur of the standing committee concerned.

11. The Bureau shall be responsible for discussion, in camera, of individual human rights cases.

12. The meetings of the Bureau shall not be public.