The Steering Committee for Human Rights held its 48^th meeting from 20 to 23 June 2000 in Strasbourg. The report is reproduced in document CM(2000)104 of 31 July 2000.

 

At this meeting, the CDDH, in particular :

 

1. continued discussing the preparation of the European Ministerial Conference on Human Rights (Rome, 3-4 November 2000) both on substantive issues (Appendix III) and organisational aspects (Appendix IV) ;

 

2. adopted for the attention of the Committee of Ministers, an opinion on Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1440 (2000) on restrictions on asylum in the member states of the Council of Europe and the European Union (Appendix V) ;

 

3. held an exchange of views on the work of the Committee of Experts for the Development of Human Rights (DH-DEV), Committee of Experts for the Improvement of Procedures for the Protection of Human Rights (DH-PR), Committee of Experts on Issues relating to the Protection of National Minorities (DH-MIN) and Group of Specialists on Access to Official Information (DH-S-AC) ;

 

4. held a discussion on its working methods ;

 

5. adopted this report as a whole.

 

As concerns item 1 mentioned above, it is recalled that this item appears as a separate item (item 4.5) on the agenda of the 720^th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies.

 

As concerns item 2, the Secretariat recalls that, at their 698^th meeting (January 2000, item 3.1.b), the Deputies instructed the ad hoc Committee of Experts on Legal Aspects of Territorial Asylum, Refugees and Stateless Persons (CAHAR) and the CDDH to give an opinion on Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1440 (2000) and agreed to resume consideration of this Recommendation in the light of these opinions. The Deputies will be invited to resume consideration of this matter once the CAHAR has given its opinion (terms of reference extended to 31.12.2000).

 

As concerns item 3 above, the Deputies are invited to take note, in particular, of the request of the CDDH that the meeting of the DH-DEV scheduled for November 2000 be postponed to March 2001 and to agree in principle that the corresponding budgetary appropriations be carried over to the 2001 ordinary budget 2001 (see the reasons put forward by the CDDH in paragraph 53 of document CM (2000) 107). The Deputies will be invited to take a substantive decision on this matter at their 734^th meeting (12-14 December 2000) within the framework of their examination of the Intergovernmental Programme of Activities for 2001 and of Article 27 of the Financial Regulations.

 

The Deputies are invited to take note of the report of the 48^th meeting of the CDDH (document CM(2000)107) as a whole.

 

DRAFT DECISIONS

 

720^th meeting – 13 September 2000

 

Item 4.1

 

 

Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH)

 

Abridged Report of the 48th meeting (Strasbourg, 20-23 June 2000)

(CM(2000)107)

 

Decisions

 

The Deputies

 

1. took note of the opinion of the CDDH on Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1440 (2000) on Restrictions on asylum in the member States of the Council of Europe and the European Union (CM(2000)107, Appendix V) and noted that the CDDH had completed the ad hoc terms of reference which it had received from the Deputies ;

 

2. agreed in principle that the budgetary appropriations for the meeting of the Committee for the Development of Human Rights (DH-DEV), originally foreseen for November 2000, be carried over to the budgetary exercise for 2001 and agreed to take a substantive decision on this matter at their 734^th meeting (12-14 December 2000) within the framework of their examination of the Intergovernmental Programme of Activities for 2001 and of Article 27 of the Financial Regulations;

 

3. took note of the abridged report of the 48^th meeting of the CDDH (document CM(2000)107) as a whole.