Ministers' Deputies
Notes on the Agenda

Notes(2000)140 18 February 2000

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702 Meeting, 15 March 2000
10 Legal Questions

10.1 European Commission for Democracy through Law

Reference document
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Action

The Representatives on the Committee of Ministers of the member states of the Partial Agreement establishing the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission ^{footnote 1} ) are invited to accede to the request of Israel to be admitted as an observer to the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission).

The Secretary General received a letter dated 3 February 2000 from Mr Aryé Gabay, Ambassador, Permanent Delegation of Israel to UNESCO, requesting observer status for his country with the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

The letter is reproduced in the Appendix to these notes.

Under the terms of Article 3 of the Statute of the Commission :

"3. The Committee of Ministers may unanimously decide to admit any European non-member state of the Council of Europe to participate in the work of the Commission. After consultation with the Commission, the State concerned may appoint either an associate member or an observer to sit on the Commission."

4. Any other State may be invited under the same modalities to appoint an observer."

It is recalled that under the terms of Article 2 of the Commission’s statute, the expression "Committee of Ministers" refers to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe restricted to the member States of the Partial Agreement.

Up to now Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been admitted as associate members; Argentina, Canada, Holy See, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Uruguay and the United States as observers.

DRAFT DECISION

The Committee of Ministers in its composition restricted to member states of the Partial Agreement establishing the European Commission for Democracy through Law ^{footnote 2} invited Israel to appoint an observer to sit on the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

Paris, 3 February 2000

Mr Secretary General,

I have the honour to submit to your attention the request of the Government of the State of Israel to participate in the work of the European Commission for Democracy through Law, in accordance with the provisions of Article 3, paragraph 4 of its statute. I would be extremely grateful if you could forward this request to the competent organs so that it can be examined.

My government is convinced of the mutual interest which its participation in the Commission’s work would give rise to.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

(Signed) :

Aryé GABAY

Mr Walter SCHWIMMER

Secretary General

of the Council of Europe

STRASBOURG

1. Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

2. Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom