WG on the Rules of Procedure

The Working Group on the Rules of Procedure is composed of 10 Members:

• 5 from the delegations of the Eastern European Partner countries;
  
• 5 from the European Parliament.

The Working Group includes the following Members (update November 2021):

Co-Chairs:

• Ms Michaela SOJDROVA (Czech Republic, EPP)
• Mr/s ...
  

Members from the European Parliament:

• Ms Carmen AVRAM (Romania, S&D)
• Ms Karin KARLSBRO (Sweden, Renew)
  
• Ms Heidi HAUTALA (Finland, Greens/EFA)
• Mr/s ....

Members from the Eastern European Partner countries:

• Ms Maria KARAPETYAN (Armenia)
• Mr Mazahir AFANDIYEV (Azerbaijan)
• Ms Maka BOTCHORISHVILI (Georgia)
• Ms Ina COȘERU (Moldova)
• Mr Ivan KRULKO (Ukraine)

During this in camera meeting, the Working Group held exchanges of views:

• with representatives of the EP political groups on possible future political families within the Euronest PA.
• with a representative of the European Parliament's Directorate-General for the Presidency on the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure (RoP) provisions for the "roll-call vote".

This in camera meeting focused on draft amendments to the Rules of Procedure based on either proposed measures for a new Euronest scenario or the experience of previous Euronest Parliamentary Assembly sessions.

The meeting focused on

• electing the ad hoc chair of the European Parliament component of the Working Group, and
  
• preparations for the meeting of the Euronest PA Working Group on Rules of Procedure of 21 February 2017 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

This meeting was dedicated to considering draft amendments to the Rules of Procedure based on either proposed measures for a new Euronest scenario or experiences drawn from previous sessions of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.

The meeting was held in camera.

During this meeting, the following items were discussed:

• modalities for electronic vote (Art. 16, paragraph 2: question on displaying individual results and nominative votes),
• urgent topics for the agenda of the plenary and urgent motions for resolution (Art. 9,paragraphs 2b, 3.and 4),
• pre-screening a method to rotate the Eastern partner countries (advice to the Euronest PA Bureau),
• cooperation and joint responsibility of the two secretariat components (Art. 30) (advice to the Bureau).

This meeting was dedicated to the preparation of the next meeting of the Euronest PA Working Group on Rules.

The meeting was held in camera.

During this meeting, proposals for amendments to the Rules of Procedure for the standing committees and the plenary were reviewed.

The meeting was held in camera.

The meeting was held in the presence of Mr Evgeni Kirilov, Co-President of the Euronest PA.

The following items were discussed during the meeting:

• the experience of the Third Ordinary Session (28-29 May 2013, Brussels) and possible further improvements to the Rules of Procedure, especially regarding the voting system,
• the rotation of posts and appointments of co-rapporteurs for the Eastern Partnership component.

During this meeting, the Working Group discussed nine proposals for amendments to the Euronest PA standing committees' Rules of Procedure and one proposal for amending the Euronest PA Rules of Procedure.

Subsequently, the Group held an exchange of views and formulated recommended options for the possibility to invite observers from Belarus and representatives of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership to the Euronest PA standing committees' meetings.

Two more important points on the agenda were

• a discussion on the modalities of the appointment of new representatives from Eastern Partner countries after fresh elections, and
  
• the Working Group's recommendation for the procedure to be applied for the Euronest PA's contribution to the Eastern Partnership Summit of November 2013 in Vilnius.

During this meeting, the Working Group had an exchange of views with:
- Mr Mitek-Pedersen, Head of Unit at the EC on Horizontal Issues and Inter-Institutional relations group, and
- Mr Dunstan, Director at DG Presidency, EP,
on inter-institutional cooperation between the Euronest PA and the main EU Institutions and on the management of written and oral questions submitted by members of the Euronest PA, especially from a procedural point of view.

Participants also examined a set of amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Euronest PA standing committees and decided to set a deadline of 5 November 2012 for the possible submission of other amendments.

During this meeting, the Working Group discussed sensitive topics, such as

• the status of political families in the Euronest PA (Art. 2.3 of the Rules of Procedure),
  
• the "vital interest" clause,
  
• the modalities of electing the Eastern component's Co-President of the Assembly, Co-Chairs and Co-Vice-Chairs of the committees,
  
• majorities for the adoption of texts in the Euronest PA,
  
• the definition of "compromise" amendments,
  
• provisions on the secretariat of the Euronest PA, and
  
• modalities for interpretation into the language of an Eastern component's country hosting a meeting or a plenary session.

During this meeting, the Working Group held an exchange of views with MEP Gianni Pittella, Chair of the Working Group on Rules of Procedure of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The Working Group also considered 46 proposals for amendments to the Rules of Procedure submitted by the various delegations.

During this first meeting, the Working Group discussed:

• the position and the prerogatives of the political groups in the Euronest PA,
• the provisions on "vital interest,
• the possibility for the Bureau to issue political declarations,
• the possibility to attach to plenary resolutions separate opinions/ declarations/ clarifications from a group of members,
• the competencies of the committees, and
• other procedural issues.