STEERING COMMITTEE FOR CULTURE,
HERITAGE AND LANDSCAPE (CDCPP)
Strasbourg, 29 September 2016
CEP-CDCPP-WG (2016) 13E
WORKING GROUP ON
THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION
LANDSCAPE AND DEMOCRACY
3rd Meeting
Meetings of the workshops and practical organisation
of meetings of European Landscape Convention
of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe Office, Paris
18-19 October 2016
Secretariat document of the Council of Europe
Democratic Institutions and Governance Department
The Working Group of the European Landscape Convention on “Landscape and democracy” noted, at its 2nd Meeting (Cf. Report CEP-CDCPP-WG (2016) 6E), that:
– the Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention are generally held annually in the autumn, on a theme relating to the implementation of the Convention, selected by the Council of Europe Conference on the European Landscape Convention / CDCPP, in liaison with the Secretariat of the Council of Europe and in co-operation with the State hosting the meeting;
– under the direction of the Chair of the Conference, in liaison with the Secretariat of the Council of Europe, the Working Group on the Convention may propose to the Conference relevant topics that may be discussed in forthcoming meetings, as part of the Work Programme of the Convention;
– the Working Group will consider the requests by States to host meetings, so that the Conference can register the proposals as part of its work programme;
– to the extent that the meeting would be held in the autumn, the Parties to the Convention are contacted earlier in the year by the Secretariat of the Council of Europe and Chair to ask them kindly to send the Secretariat any suggestions or proposed presentations. Their answers (which should reach the Secretariat in the month following the request) should be accompanied by a written summary of the presentation that they propose, in order that the Working Group may prepare the programme in agreement with the host State;
– the programme could thus be finalised in order to be transmitted by the Secretariat of the Council of Europe in June/mid-July to the Parties to the Convention, and other government and non-government representatives.
The Working Group requested the Secretariat to kindly prepare, in liaison with the Chair of the Conference, a document reflecting the various types of meetings organised by the Council of Europe for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention (Council of Europe Conferences on the European Landscape Convention, Meeting of the Workshops, Forums on the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe, regional and national meetings), referring to the working methods of the Council of Europe. The document should have a practical approach, to assist the State hosting the meeting in its planning.
It also requested that the document refer to the meetings and activities that are not conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe and that mention be made of the applicable provisions on the use of the Council of Europe logos, documents and publications concerning the conventions on cultural heritage and landscape adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe.
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The Working Group is invited:
– to take note of the elements mentioned in this document on meetings organised by the Council of Europe for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention, and meetings and activities that are not conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe;
– to consider the usefulness of promoting the integrated learning process, according the following elements:
a) groups of Member States of the Council of Europe organise regional workshops (for example, the five Nordic countries). National and regional workshops can thus identify specific problems in the implementation of the European Landscape Convention, which can be addressed through the Meetings of the workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention;
b) before the Meetings of workshops, the Council of Europe Secretariat request Contracting Parties to submit proposals for presentations on the topics and to nominate national experts to represent them;
c) at the Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops, the participants discuss as think tank and elaborate the priority issues;
d) experiences and conclusions of the Meetings of workshops are presented at the Council of Europe Conferences on the European Landscape Convention;
e) Contracting Parties are invited to send an application for the Sessions of the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe according to the Resolution (2008)3 on the rules governing the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe;
f) the Council of Europe Conferences on the European Landscape Convention (biannual) allow to discuss on national policies presented at the Meetings of the workshops, national selection criteria for the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe, draft recommendations for the Committee of Ministers and other topics; the conclusions are transmitted to the Steering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape (CDCPP) and the Committee of Ministers;
g) national experiences and results are documented in the European Landscape Convention Information System – useful for administrations, the public, researchers, education and NGOs –, according to the Recommendation CM/Rec(2013)4 on the European Landscape Convention Information System of the Council of Europe and its glossary adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
– to give its opinion on the need to collect good practices that can be used for meetings of the European Landscape Convention (Cf. Appendix 2).
1. Meetings organised by the Council of Europe for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention
The European Landscape Convention provides that the contracting parties undertake to co-operate internationally at European level in the consideration of the landscape dimension of international policies and programmes. The Council of Europe organises this co-operation through the Conferences on the European Landscape Convention, the meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention, the Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections. Other meetings concern one or several States.
These meetings are organised according to the working methods of the Council of Europe as adopted by the Committee of Ministers (see appendices).
1.1. Council of Europe Conferences on the European Landscape Convention
The Contracting Parties undertake to co-operate at international level in catering for the landscape dimension in international policies and programmes, and to recommend, as appropriate, the inclusion of landscape considerations in these policies and programmes. They, accordingly, undertake to co-operate in respect of technical and scientific assistance and exchange of landscape specialists for training and information, and to exchange information on all matters covered by the Convention.
The Council of Europe organises this co-operation through its conferences on the European Landscape Convention. Held since 2001 at the Palais de l’Europe, they enable progress to be made on implementing the Convention. Representatives of the Parties to the Convention and signatory states participate in them, as do representatives of the main Council of Europe bodies: the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations with participatory status at the Council of Europe. Also present with observer status are representatives of Council of Europe member states that are not yet Parties or signatories, as well as international governmental and non-governmental organisations with an interest in the subject.
The results of the discussions held at the meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention and the meetings of the working groups responsible for drawing up draft recommendations; thematic reports produced by Council of Europe experts formulating action proposals; and proposals made by the juries of the Council of Europe Landscape Award are presented at these conferences with the aim of preparing draft decisions, which are submitted to the steering committee responsible for the Convention.
Council of Europe Conferences on the European Landscape Convention have been held in the Palais de l’Europe (Council of Europe, Strasbourg) on 22-23 November 2001, 28-29 November 2002, 17-18 June 2004, 22-23 March 2007, 30-31 March 2009, 3-4 May 2011, 26-27 March 2013 and 19-20 March 2015. The ninth Conference will be held on 23-24 March 2017 under the auspices of the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Pursuant to Recommendation CM/ Rec(2013)4 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the Information System of the European Landscape Convention of the Council of Europe and its glossary, state representatives are invited to update the Information System on the European Landscape Convention one month before the holding of the Conference.
On the occasion of the conferences, representatives of the Contracting Parties to the Convention are invited to present a statement on the important achievements of their State since the previous Conference (approx. 5 mn) and States’ representatives which have signed or ratified the Convention in the preceding period are invited to make a presentation (approx. 7 mn). The written text of oral presentations should reach the Council of Europe Secretariat one week before the Conference.
1.2. Meetings of the workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention
Organised periodically by the Council of Europe, Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention aim to present new concepts and achievements for the implementation of the Convention about a specific topic related to one or more articles of the Convention. They thus represent a genuine forum for sharing practices and ideas. Special emphasis is also given to the experiences of the state hosting the meeting.
The meetings bring together participants from a number of states, offering unique opportunities for knowledge exchange and best practices that can generate new insights, new approaches and new incentives, for the benefit of all.
The following Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention have to date been, and will be, organised:
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- 23-24 May 2002, Strasbourg (France): “Landscape policies: contribution to the well-being of European citizens and to sustainable development (social, economic, cultural and ecological approaches); Landscape identification, evaluation and quality objectives, using cultural and natural resources; Awareness-raising, training and education; Innovative tools for the protection, management and planning of landscape” -2) 27-28 November 2003, Strasbourg (France): “Integration of landscapes in international policies and programmes and transfrontier landscapes; Landscapes and individual and social well-being; Spatial planning and landscape” - 16-17 June 2005, Cork (Ireland): “Landscapes for urban, suburban and peri-urban areas” - 11-12 May 2006, Ljubljana (Slovenia): “Landscape and society” - 28-29 September 2006, Gerona (Spain): “Landscape quality objectives: from theory to practice” - 20-21 September 2007, Sibiu (Romania): “Landscape and rural heritage” - 24-25 April 2008, Piestany (Slovak Republic): “Landscape in planning policies and governance: towards integrated spatial management” - 8-9 October 2009, Malmö (Sweden): “Landscape and driving forces” - 15-16 April 2010, Cordoba (Spain): “Landscape and infrastructures for society” - 20-21 October 2011, Evora (Portugal): “Multifunctional landscape” - 2-3 October 2012, Thessalonica (Greece): “Vision for the future of Europe on territorial democracy: landscape as a new strategy for spatial planning… Another way to see the territory involving civil society…” - 2-3 October 2013, Cetinje (Montenegro): “Territories of the future: landscape identification and assessment: an exercise in democracy” - 1-2 October 2014, Urgup (Turkey): “Sustainable landscapes and economy: on the inestimable natural and human value of the landscape” - 1-2 October 2015, Andorra la Vella (Andorra): “Landscape and transfrontier co-operation: the landscape knows no boundary” - 5-7 October 2016, Yerevan (Armenia): “The national landscape policies for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention” [- (4-6) October 2017, (Czech Republic), “The implementation of the European Landscape Convention at local level: the local democracy” - October 2018, Calabria (Italy): “The implementation of the European Landscape Convention and education” - October 2019, (Switzerland): “The implementation of the European Landscape Convention” - Sevilla, (Spain): “Water, Landscape and citizenship”] |
The meetings are generally held annually, on a theme related to the implementation of the Convention selected by the Council of Europe Conference on the European Landscape Convention/CDCPP in co-operation with a State.
There is a variety of ways in which a workshop may be organised. In any case, interactive discussions are vital to maximise the value of bringing many landscape experts and practitioners together.
Considering the growing number of States Parties to the Convention, it is desirable to collect the best proposals:
– Before the meeting of the workshops, the Secretariat of the Council of Europe send a letter to government officials asking them to kindly submit their proposals for presentation on the subject and to nominate an expert that can represent them;
– Government officials who have held meetings at national and/or regional level are invited to submit the conclusions of these meetings in one of the two official languages (French or English) to the Council of Europe Secretariat, to identify specific issues relating to the implementation of the Convention;
– Government officials are invited to discuss priority issues relating to the implementation of the Convention interactively in Meetings of the workshops, and to formulate proposals.
The meeting organisation generally follows the following structure:
– Opening Session: welcome speeches/opening remarks and introduction of workshop topics;
– Plenary Sessions with special emphasis given to the experiences of the state hosting the meeting. Plenary Sessions with group discussions on approaches and experiences, identification of questions to be discussed in plenary. Group discussions may be held in separate sessions (according to the possibilities of room and interpretation);
– Closing session: Debate on questions raised by the groups, conclusions for future work and closing remarks/speech.
The Meetings of the workshops are usually held over two days, at the following times:
Session 1: 09:00 - 10:30
Session 2: 11.00 - 13:00
Session 3: 14:30 - 16:00
Session 4: 16:30 - 18:00
The following provisions apply: limited number of speakers; distinction between practitioners and academics; presentations on the subject; presentation of positive results or difficulties; time to be limited to 15-20 minutes for each presentation; discussion time after the presentations; opportunities of poster exhibitions outside the meeting room; study visit related to the theme of the workshops.
1.3. Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections
The European Landscape Convention provides for a Landscape Award of the Council of Europe that recognises the policies or measures which local, regional authorities or non-governmental organisations have adopted to protect, manage and plan their landscape, which have proven to be lastingly effective and which can thus serve as an example to other territorial authorities in Europe.
On 20 February 2008 the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution CM/ (2008)3 on the rules governing the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe. The Award is given every two years by the Committee of Ministers, following proposals from the Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Convention.
The Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections are generally held every two years in co-operation with the State whose project won the award. All the projects selected at national level by the Parties to the Convention, on the occasion of the sessions of the Council of Europe Landscape Award, are presented at these meetings.
The following Forums were organised:
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- 4-5 June 2012, Carbonia, Sardinia (Italy): “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – Sessions 1 (2008-2009) and 2 (2010-2011)” - 11-12 June 2014, Wrocław (Poland): “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – Session 3 (2012-2013)” - 8-10 June 2016, Budapest (Hungary): “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – Session 4 (2014-2015)” |
2. Meetings and activities that are not conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe
Meetings and activities that are not conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe concerning the conventions on cultural heritage and landscape adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe are particularly appreciated, and shall comply with the provisions of Memento hereinafter mentioned.
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MEMENTO on the use of the Council of Europe logos and documents and publications concerning the conventions on cultural heritage and landscape adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe At its 3rd Plenary Session 4-5 May 2010, the Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage and Landscape (CDPATEP) took note of the Memento setting out the principles governing use of the Council of Europe logos, documents and publications concerning the conventions on cultural heritage and landscape adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe, and urged compliance with them. [Strasbourg, 18 June 2010, CDPATEP (2010) 25] “1. The Council of Europe’s official texts (conventions, recommendations and resolutions, declarations of the official bodies) are in the public domain and can be freely distributed and reproduced. 2. Existing rules concerning the copyright for the use of the logos of the Council of Europe and cultural heritage and landscape conventions adopted under its auspices, appear on the website access portal of the Organisation: ‘Copyright Use of the Council of Europe logo is subject to authorisation, which will not be granted if such use would be contrary to the Council of Europe’s values and principles, if the logo is to be used for commercial purposes or if it is to be used in conjunction with the logo, name or trade mark of a firm. Each case will be considered individually in order to ascertain whether the aforementioned conditions are met. Authorisation does not confer any entitlement to exclusivity. Requests should be sent to the Council of Europe, Directorate of Communication, Palais de l’Europe, F - 67075 Strasbourg cedex (France), [email protected]’. Official logos of the Council of Europe and of its conventions concerning cultural heritage and landscape cannot therefore be used on the website access portals of non-governmental organisations and commercial enterprises without authorisation. 3. Internal working documents of the Council of Europe concerning the implementation of its conventions, programmes of meeting, invitation letters as well as the publications of the Council of Europe, cannot be duplicated on external websites without the authorisation of the Council of Europe.” |
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APPENDIX 1
Resolution CM/Res(2011)24 on intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies,
their terms of reference and working methods
The European Landscape Convention states:
“Article 10 – Monitoring of the implementation of the Convention
1. Existing competent Committees of Experts set up under Article 17 of the Statute of the Council of Europe shall be designated by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Convention.
2. Following each meeting of the Committees of Experts, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall transmit a report on the work carried out and on the operation of the Convention to the Committee of Ministers.”
On 25 November 2015, the Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe adopted the terms of reference of the Steering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape (CDCPP), which monitor the culture, heritage and landscape conventions of the Council of Europe.
Resolution CM/Res(2011)24
on intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies, their terms of reference and working methods (Extract)
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 9 November 2011
at the 1125th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
The Committee of Ministers,
Having regard to Resolution Res(2005)47 on committees and subordinate bodies, their terms of reference and working methods;
Having regard to the decision taken by the Ministers’ Deputies at their 1112th meeting (19 April 2011, item 1.6) on intergovernmental structures;
Having regard to Resolution CM/Res(2011)7 on Council of Europe conferences of specialised ministers;
Having regard to the Statutory Resolution CM/Res(2011)2 relating to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the revised Charter appended thereto;
Having regard to Resolution Res(2003)8 on the participatory status for international non-governmental organisations with the Council of Europe;
Having regard to Statutory Resolution Res(93)26 on Observer Status;
Having regard to Resolution Res(2001)6 on access to Council of Europe documents;
Having regard to Recommendation Rec(81)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the participation of women and men in an equitable proportion in committees and other bodies of the Council of Europe and to the Committee of Ministers’ Declaration on Making gender equality a reality, adopted at the 119th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (Madrid, 12 May 2009);
In pursuance of Articles 16 and 17 of the Council of Europe Statute,
Resolves as follows:
I. Scope of this resolution
1. This resolution shall apply to all intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies set up by the Committee of Ministers, by virtue of Article 17 of the Council of Europe Statute.
2. If not provided otherwise, the rules set out in this resolution shall also apply mutatis mutandis to any committee created by the Committee of Ministers outside the scope of Article 17.
3. All references to the Secretary General in this resolution shall be subject to the relevant provisions of the Statute of the Council of Europe, the Staff Regulations and the rules on delegation of authority.
II. Categories of committees[1]
4. There shall be two categories of committees set up by the Committee of Ministers:
a. committees directly answerable to the Committee of Ministers: steering committees with planning and steering functions and ad hoc committees with a more focused task; and
b. subordinate bodies of steering or ad hoc committees, with specific and limited tasks.
III. Composition
A. Members
5. Committees answerable to the Committee of Ministers: they are composed of one representative of the highest possible rank in the relevant field designated by the government of each member state.[2]
6. Subordinate bodies answerable to steering or ad hoc committees: they are composed of representatives of all or of a limited number of member states of the highest possible rank in the relevant field designated by the governments of member states and/or of independent experts with established expertise in the relevant field. Where subordinate bodies are composed of a limited number of member states, due regard shall be given to geographical representation and periodic rotation of member states. Furthermore, they are open to the participation of representatives from other member states, at their own expense.
B. Participants
7. Participants shall take part in the meetings of committees with no right to vote nor defrayal of expenses unless otherwise indicated. They are:
a. representatives of committees or other bodies of the Council of Europe engaged in related work, as well as the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Court of Human Rights, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe;
b. representatives designated by states which have observer status with the Council of Europe, the European Union, intergovernmental organisations and any other entity, including social partners, authorised to participate in the meetings of steering and ad hoc committees by virtue of a resolution or decision of the Committee of Ministers.
C. Observers
8. Observers from states or organisations other than those referred to in paragraph 7.b above. They shall be admitted to steering committees, ad hoc committees and any subordinate body answerable to them in the following manner:
a. as a general rule, upon their request to the Secretary General, observers are admitted, to steering and ad hoc committees or any subordinate body answerable to them, on the basis of a unanimous decision by that steering or ad hoc committee; in the event where unanimity is not reached, the matter may be referred to the Committee of Ministers at the request of two-thirds of the members of the committee concerned. The Committee of Ministers shall decide on the matter by a two-thirds majority of all the representatives entitled to sit on it;
b. concerning special cases, such as the admission of non-member states without observer status to the Council of Europe, and any other case which may necessitate a political decision, the Secretary General shall refer the matter to the Committee of Ministers. This decision shall be taken by a two-thirds majority of all the representatives entitled to sit on it.
9. Observers shall have neither right to vote nor defrayal of expenses.
IV. Terms of reference
10. By “terms of reference” shall be understood all directives relating to the activities of a committee subject to the present resolution.
11. All committees and subordinate bodies shall have terms of reference.
12. Terms of reference of committees answerable to the Committee of Ministers shall be presented by the Secretary General and approved by the Committee of Ministers.
13. Terms of reference of subordinate bodies shall be presented by the Secretary General upon proposal by the parent committee, and approved by the Committee of Ministers.
14. All terms of reference shall be limited to a maximum period of two years in line with the biennial Programme and Budget of the Organisation, unless otherwise decided by the Committee of Ministers.
15. Terms of reference shall include:
a. name of committee;
b. category: steering committee, ad hoc committee or subordinate body;
c. reference to the relevant programme line/s of the Council of Europe Programme and Budget, including concrete and measurable expected results for which the committee is responsible;
d. where appropriate, its planning and advisory function;
e. where appropriate, terms of reference derived from a convention;
f. tasks and completion date;
g. specific qualifications of members;
h. composition of the committee: members, participants and observers and information concerning repayment of members’ travelling and subsistence expenses by the Council of Europe, as set out in Appendix 2 to this resolution; and
i. working methods, including hearings and, if necessary and justified, proposals for consultants.
16. Terms of reference shall be accompanied by full information on their financial implications, detailing in particular, per committee, the operational budget and number of staff allocated.
V. Planning, monitoring and evaluation function of committees
17. Steering and ad hoc committees advise the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General on the priorities and other matters with regard to their sectors, in particular on the relevance of activities in line with the priorities and criteria adopted by the Committee of Ministers.
18. The Secretariat shall inform members of committees and subordinate bodies of:
a. the institutional and regulatory framework of the Organisation, as set out in the Statute of the Council of Europe and other relevant texts including the present resolution;
b. programme line(s) under their responsibility and budgetary appropriations in the Programme and Budget of the Organisation;
c. results of monitoring mechanisms and procedures that may have an impact on their work while respecting applicable confidentiality rules;
d. the progress review report of the Programme and Budget so that they can examine and discuss it and report back on their respective parts;
e. relevant co-operation activities and activities in the field; and
f. relevant activities of other international organisations with a view to avoiding duplication and achieving synergies.
VI. Working methods
19. The functioning and operation of committees and subordinate bodies shall be governed by the Rules of Procedure set out in Appendix 1 to this resolution. A Committee’s work shall include relevant transversal perspectives in all areas of its work.
VII. Documents and meeting reports
20. The Secretary General shall be responsible for preparing and distributing documents to be discussed by the committees, as well as drafting the reports of their meetings, unless otherwise expressly provided for by the Committee of Ministers.
21. Committees shall prepare reports of their meetings. These reports shall include an evaluation of completed activities and a presentation of ongoing and planned work, together with the identification of its source and deadlines, and proposals for future activities and identification of activities that might be discontinued. These reports shall be made available, in both official languages, no later than one month after the last meeting day of the committee. Committees shall also adopt abridged meeting reports before the end of their meetings. Documents shall, where appropriate, contain an executive summary, action to be taken and resource implications.
VIII. Compendium of terms of reference
22. The Secretariat shall compile and keep up to date a “Compendium of terms of reference” containing:
a. the present resolution and any subsequent amendments to it;
b. Resolution Res(2004)25 on service contracts of consultants;
c. the terms of reference of all intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies;
d. the terms of reference derived from conventions, or special statutes given to intergovernmental committees set up under them; and
e. any other decision or message of the Committee of Ministers or the Secretary General relating to the terms of reference;
f. the information foreseen in paragraph 16.
IX. Convening of meetings
23. All meetings of committees and subordinate bodies shall be convened by the authority of the Secretary General by a single procedure in accordance with the authorisation given by the Committee of Ministers and with the general practices of good management. The Secretary General shall ensure that meetings are planned, convened and serviced as efficiently and economically as possible.
24. Convocations and preliminary draft agendas of meetings shall be circulated at least six weeks before the proposed date, except in cases of urgency, which shall be duly explained. Convocations shall specify the name of the committee, the place, date, opening time of the meeting, its duration, the subjects to be dealt with and the list of participants at the previous meeting. When appropriate, it shall contain an invitation to nominate a member, taking into account the relevant texts on participation of women and men in an equitable proportion in committees and other bodies of the Council of Europe and indicating the qualifications he or she should preferably possess.
25. For committees answerable to the Committee of Ministers, convocations shall be sent to nominees specified by the Permanent Representations with the Permanent Representations in copy. Nominations made by governments through Permanent Representations will remain valid until any change is notified or confirmed by them.
26. For subordinate bodies, convocations shall be sent as appropriate to nominees specified by Permanent Representations or by the parent committee or, in the absence of such a known nominee, to the Permanent Representations or to the Chair of the committee concerned respectively. Permanent Representations shall receive copies of convocations sent to designated members. Nominations made by governments through Permanent Representations will remain valid until any change is notified.
27. The Secretariat shall send the draft agenda, a provisional list of working documents and the documents themselves to the nominees, or in the absence of such a nomination, to the Permanent Representation concerned, at least 20 days before the meeting date. This documentation shall be made available to the Permanent Representations. Use should be made of information technology whenever possible.
28. The same arrangements shall apply mutatis mutandis to participants and observers.
X. Co-ordination
29. The Secretary General shall ensure that committees and subordinate bodies are informed about activities which may have implications for the execution of their respective terms of reference.
30. In order to ensure co-ordination between the Ministers’ Deputies and committees answerable to the Committee of Ministers:
a. the Chairs of committees may be invited, whenever necessary, to take part in meetings of the Deputies’ relevant Rapporteur Groups, Working Parties and Thematic Co-ordinators to discuss the evaluation of activities, present ongoing work and prospects for future activities, in line with the priorities of the Organisation;
b. the Chairs of the Deputies’ relevant Rapporteur Groups, Working Parties and Thematic Co‑ordinators may attend meetings of committees when it is deemed that this is of importance to the respective sector activity.
31. The Secretary General shall promptly inform committees of general guidelines issued by the Ministers’ Deputies as regards the content, modalities of implementation and evaluation of the intergovernmental work.
XI. Review of the intergovernmental structure
32. A progress review on the intergovernmental structure will be carried out on a regular basis bearing in mind the reports referred to in paragraph 20 and the progress review report on the implementation of the Programme and Budget provided for by the Financial Regulations.
XII. Entry into force of this resolution
33. This resolution shall enter into force on 1 January 2012 and shall repeal and replace Resolution Res(2005)47.
Appendix 1 to Resolution CM/Res(2011)24
Rules of procedure for Council of Europe intergovernmental committees
Article 1 – Agenda
a. The Secretary General, in close consultation with the Chair, shall draw up the draft agenda which should be concrete, operational and result-oriented.
b. The agenda shall be adopted by the committee at the beginning of its meeting.
Article 2 – Documentation
Documents requiring a decision, whether originating from the Secretariat or from a member, shall be sent, in the official languages (cf. Article 6 below), to members at least three weeks before the start of the meeting at which the decision is to be taken. In exceptional cases, however, the committee may, if no member objects, consider a document submitted later. Maximum use should be made of information technology, including gathering together amendments and proposals, finalising texts and publishing decisions, provided in the latter cases that all the members of the committee have been properly informed in good time.
Article 3 – Privacy of meetings
Meetings shall not be held in public.
Article 4 – Hearings
Committees and subordinate bodies may organise hearings with international organisations, NGOs, research and academic institutions, experts, specialists, specialist organisations and professional organisations, in a position to contribute to their work, within the limits of available budgetary appropriations.
Article 5 – Quorum
There shall be a quorum if two-thirds of the members of the committee are present.
Article 6 – Official languages
a. The official languages of the committee shall be those of the Council of Europe.
b. In exceptional circumstances, the Secretary General may decide, in particular, in the case of steering and ad hoc committees, to provide for interpretation into one additional language other than the official languages, within the limits of available budgetary appropriations.
c. A committee member may speak in a language other than the official languages, in which case he or she must herself/himself provide for interpretation into one of the official languages.
d. Any document drafted in a language other than the official languages shall be translated into one of the official languages, the member from whom it originates being responsible for making the necessary arrangements.
Article 7 – Proposals
a. Any proposal must be submitted in writing in one official language if a committee member so requests. In that case, it shall not be discussed until it has been circulated.
b. Proposals made by participants and observers may be put to the vote if sponsored by a committee member.
Article 8 – Order of voting on proposals or amendments
a. Where a number of proposals relate to the same subject, they shall be put to the vote in the order in which they were submitted. In case of doubt, the Chair shall decide.
b. Where a proposal is the subject of an amendment, the amendment shall be put to the vote first. Where two or more amendments to the same proposal are presented, the committee shall vote first on whichever departs furthest in substance from the original proposal. It shall then vote on the next furthest removed from the original proposal, and so on until all the amendments have been put to the vote. However, where the acceptance of one amendment necessarily entails rejection of another, the latter shall not be put to the vote. The final vote shall then be taken on the proposal as amended or not amended. In case of doubt as to the order of priority, the Chair shall decide.
c. Parts of a proposal or amendment may be put to the vote separately.
d. In the case of proposals with financial implications, the most costly shall be put to the vote first.
Article 9 – Order of procedural motions
Procedural motions shall take precedence over all other proposals or motions except points of order. They shall be put to the vote in the following order:
a. suspension of the sitting;
b. adjournment of discussion on the item in hand; and
c. postponement of a decision on the substance of a proposal until a specified date.
Article 10 – Reconsideration of a question
When a decision has been taken it is only re-examined if a member of the committee so requests, and if this request receives a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.
Article 11 – Voting
a. Each member of the committee shall have one vote; however, where a government designates more than one member, only one of them is entitled to take part in the voting,
b. Subject to any contrary provisions in these Rules, voting requires the quorum. The decisions of the steering committees are taken by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.
c. Except on procedural matters, other committees shall not take decisions by voting. They shall state their conclusions in the form of unanimous recommendations, or, if this proves impossible, they shall make a majority recommendation and indicate the dissenting opinions.
d. Procedural matters shall be settled by a majority of the votes cast.
e. Where the question arises as to whether or not a matter is procedural in nature, it may not be regarded as such unless the committee decides to that effect by a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast;
f. For the purposes of these Rules, “votes cast” shall mean the votes of members cast for or against. Members abstaining shall be regarded as not having cast a vote.
Article 12 – Chair
a. Every committee shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair. However, the Chair of a subordinate body may be appointed by the steering or ad hoc committee to which it is answerable.
b. The Chair shall conduct proceedings and sum up the conclusions whenever he or she thinks necessary. He or she may call to order a speaker who departs from the subject under discussion or from the committee’s terms of reference. The Chair shall retain the right to speak and to vote in her/his capacity as a member of the committee, except in cases where an additional expert from the same country has been appointed to sit on that committee.
c. The Vice-Chair shall replace the Chair if the latter is absent or otherwise unable to preside the meeting. If the Vice-Chair is absent, the Chair shall be replaced by another member of the Bureau, appointed by the latter or, where there is no Bureau, by a member of the committee appointed by the committee.
d. Election of the Chair and Vice-Chair shall require a two-thirds majority at the first ballot and a simple majority at the second ballot. In steering committees, the election shall be held by secret ballot, in other committees by a show of hands, unless a member of the committee requests a secret ballot.
e. The term of office of the Chair and Vice-Chair shall be one year. It may be renewed once.
Article 13 – Bureau
a. Every steering and ad hoc committee may appoint a bureau consisting of the Chair, the Vice-Chair and a limited number of other members of the committee. The number of other members shall be specified in the committee’s terms of reference. Any other committee may, if need be, appoint a bureau composed, normally, of not more than three members in addition to the Chair and Vice-Chair. The functions of the Bureau are:
- to assist the Chair in conducting the committee’s business;
- to supervise the preparation of meetings at the committee’s request;
- to ensure continuity between meetings as necessary;
- to execute other additional specific tasks delegated by its Committee.
b. No decision on substantive issues shall be taken by the Bureau on behalf of the committee. In exceptional cases and due to time constraint, the Bureau may have recourse to the tacit approval of all the members of the committee through electronic communication, in order to expedite procedure on decisions requested by the Committee of Ministers.
c. Other members of the Bureau shall be appointed in the same manner as the Chair and Vice-Chair. They shall be appointed immediately after the Chair and Vice-Chair in accordance with an equitable distribution of posts, taking into account in particular geographical distribution, gender balance and, where relevant, legal systems.
d. The term of office of such members shall correspond to the duration of the mandate of the committee and may be renewed once. However, a member may, on expiry of her/his second term, be appointed Chair or Vice-Chair. In order to ensure partial replacement of the Bureau each year, the first term of at least one such member shall be limited to one year.
e. A member elected to replace another whose term of office has not expired shall complete her/his predecessor’s term. The same shall apply to the offices of Chair and Vice-Chair.
Article 14 – Working methods
a. Committees may appoint a rapporteur, a drafting committee or both.
b. Where necessary, in order to expedite the progress of their work, committees may entrust a rapporteur or a limited number of committee members with a specific task to be fulfilled by their next meeting, using primarily information technologies.
c. In exceptional cases, for specialised tasks that cannot be performed by a member of the committee or the Secretariat, committees may request the Secretary General to have recourse to consultants subject to the provisions of the relevant resolution and within the limits of budgetary appropriations.
d. Time- and cost-efficiency shall be a guiding principle for committee work, including best possible use of interactive technologies for networks and meetings.
e. Agenda items for information only shall be communicated to members in advance by electronic means allowing the committee to focus during its meeting on agenda items for decision.
Article 15 – Secretariat
a. The Secretary General shall provide the committee with the necessary staff, including the committee secretary, as well as with the administrative and other services it may require.
b. The Secretary General or her/his representative may at any time make an oral or written statement on any subject under discussion.
c. Committees may ask the Secretary General to prepare a report on any question relevant to their work.
Article 16 – Venue of meetings
a. Committees shall normally be convened at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
b. Exceptionally, the Secretary General may authorise, if there is no objection from the government of the state on whose territory it is intended to hold the meeting and if suitable technical facilities are available on-the-spot, to convene a committee elsewhere, in particular, in other Council of Europe premises, in accordance with the principles of sound management and within the resources available.
Article 17 – Revision
Any committee directly answerable to the Committee of Ministers may propose to the Committee of Ministers to amend these Rules or, in exceptional circumstances, to waive them in part.
APPENDIX 2
Working methods for the Meeting of the Workshops and
the Forums on the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe
Agenda
The Secretary of the Council of Europe, in close consultation with the President and the host State shall establish a concrete program of project, operational and result oriented.
Official languages
The official languages are those of the Council of Europe and the host State can provide interpretation into its own language.
Study visit
A study visit is optional and should highlight the problems and/or solutions in landscape management.
Chairpersons
Session chairs are responsible for introducing the speakers, to moderate discussions and to ensure respect speaking time.
Speakers
Speakers are invited to present speeches lasting 15-20 minutes maximum.
Rapporteurs
The rapporteurs are responsible for presenting the final conclusions.
Speeches
Opening and closing speeches are presented.