Monitoring by the Council of Europe

Raoul Wallenberg Institute Human Rights Library

Volumn 7, Issue , 2001, Pages 525-532

  Drzemczewski, Andrew ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 84945680852     PISSN: 13883208     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book Series    
DOI: 10.1163/9789004478886_037     Document Type: Chapter

References (11)

1. Resolutions of the Committee of Ministers under Articles 4 and 5 (Chapter II - "Membership") of the Statute of the Council of Europe require a two-thirds majority of all the representatives entitled to sit on the Committee. By contrast, at the level of Ministers' Deputies, a decision on the admission of a new member requires unanimity. See also Parliamentary Assembly doc. 1703 of 10 June 1994, Report on the enlargement of the Council of Europe (Rapporteur Mr Reddemann) and Conclusions of the Bureau of the Assembly, appended thereto and also published as a paper entitled "The Geographical Extension of the Council of Europe: Policy Options and Consequences", in vol. 13 Human Rights Law Journal (HRLJ), 1992, pp. 230-236 (see also vol. 14, HRLJ, 1993, p. 248).
2. Such a decision requires unanimity of the votes cast and a majority of the representatives entitled to sit on the Committee.
3. The complementary Powers of the Parliament Assembly to discuss and make recommendations upon any matter within the aim and scope of the Council of Europe, as well as its relations with the Committee of Ministers, are governed by Articles 19, 22, 23, 24, 29 and 35 of the Statute of the Council of Europe.
4. "3. The Committee of Ministers will consider in a constructive manner matters brought to its attention, encouraging member States, through dialogue and cooperation, to take all appropriate steps to conform with the principles of the Statute in the cases under discussion.
5. The Committee of Ministers, in cases requiring specific action, may decide to: - request the Secretary General to make contacts, collect information or furnish advice; - issue an opinion or recommendation; - forward a communication to the Parliamentary Assembly; - take any other decision within its statutory powers".
6. See, in this connection, Council of Europe doc. Monitor/lnf (2000) 4 rev. Available at the Organisation's internetsite < www.coe.int>.
7. Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia', Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Five states have applied for membership, namely, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Monaco.
8. See Council of Europe Doc Monitor (2000)l. For more information consult the Organisation's Internet site: < www.coe.int> .
9. g See Council of Europe docs SGjlnf(2000)1 and SGjInf(2000)2 for further details. All these programmes are funded from a specific budget article in the Council of Europe (Vote IX), totalling some 68.5 million French francs in 1999. This is supplemented by voluntary contributions from a number of member States, which make it possible to expand certain activities, as well as a number of Joint Programmes with the European Commission (Brussels) in favour of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Georgia, Moldova, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. In January 1997 a further 8.4 million French francs was set aside for urgent measures in respect of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In this connection, the work of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), established in 1990 pursuant to a Partial Agreement, should also be mentioned. It is a consultative body which co-operates with member States of the Council of Europe as well as with non-member States. It is composed of independent experts in the fields of law and political science whose main tasks are to help new Central and Eastern Europe democracies to set up new political and legal infrastructures, to reinforce existing democratic structures and to promote and strengthen principles and institutions which represent the bases of true democracy.
10. For further comments consult, e.g., articles by H. Winkler, in vol. 47 Austrian J. Public International Law, (1995), p. 147; J-F. Flauss, in vol. 5 EJILlJEDI (1994), p. 401;
11. E. Gelin, in vol. 73, Revue du Droit International et Droif compare (1996), p. 339, and Klebes and Chatzivassiliou, vol. 8 RUDH (1996). p. 269 and A. Drzemczewski in vol. II Rev. trim. dr. h (2000), p. 385.