Committee of the Regions - Rules of Procedure
Date: 1999-11-18
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European Committee of the Regions, rules of procedure

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II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

RULES OF PROCEDURE

CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 25

PRELIMINARY COMMENT ................................................................................................... 25

TITLE I — MEMBERS AND CONSTITUENT BODIES OF THE COMMITTEE ..................................... 25

CHAPTER 1 — CONSTITUENT BODIES....................................................................................... 25

Rule 1 — Constituent bodies of the Committee .................................................................. 25

CHAPTER 2 — MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ............................................................................ 25

Rule 2 — Status of members and alternates ....................................................................... 25
Rule 3 — Term of office ................................................................................................ 25
Rule 4 — Privileges and immunities ................................................................................. 25
Rule 5 — Attention of alternates ..................................................................................... 25
Rule 6 — Delegation of vote ........................................................................................... 25
Rule 7 — National delegations and political groups............................................................. 25
Rule 8 — National delegations ........................................................................................ 26
Rule 9 — Political groups and non-attached members ......................................................... 26
Rule 10 — Interregional groups....................................................................................... 26

TITLE II — ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURE OF THE COMMITTEE ......................................... 26

CHAPTER 1 — INITIAL CONVENING AND INSTALLATION IN OFFICE OF THE COMMITTEE ...................... 26

Rule 11 — Convening the first meeting ............................................................................ 26
Rule 12 — Installation in office of the Committee and verification of credentials ...................... 26

CHAPTER 2 — PLENARY ASSEMBLY.......................................................................................... 27

Rule 13 — Tasks of the plenary assembly.......................................................................... 27
Rule 14 — Convening the plenary assembly ...................................................................... 27
Rule 15 — Agenda for the plenary session ........................................................................ 27
Rule 16 — Opening of the plenary session ........................................................................ 27
Rule 17 — Admission of the public, guests and guest speakers.............................................. 27
Rule 18 — Speaking time ............................................................................................... 27
Rule 19 — List of speakers ............................................................................................. 28
Rule 20 — Points of order .............................................................................................. 28
Rule 21 — Quorum ...................................................................................................... 28
Rule 22 — Voting ......................................................................................................... 28
Rule 23 — Tabling of amendments .................................................................................. 28

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Page

Rule 24 — Procedure for dealing with amendments ............................................................ 28

Rule 25 — Urgent opinions ............................................................................................ 29

Rule 26 — Simplified procedures..................................................................................... 29

Rule 27 — Closing of the plenary session.......................................................................... 29

CHAPTER 3 — THE BUREAU AND THE PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Rule 28 — Composition of the Bureau ............................................................................. 29

Rule 29 — Replacements at Bureau meetings ..................................................................... 29

Rule 30 — Election rules ................................................................................................ 29

Rule 31 — Election of the President and the first Vice-President ............................................ 29

Rule 32 — Election of the 14 Vice-Presidents, the other Bureau members and the chairmen of

the political groups as members of the Bureau .................................................... 30

Rule 33 — Election of replacements ................................................................................. 30

Rule 34 — Vacant Bureau seats ....................................................................................... 30

Rule 35 — Tasks of the Bureau ....................................................................................... 30

Rule 36 — Convening of the Bureau/Quorum .................................................................... 30

Rule 37 — The President................................................................................................ 31

O p i n i o n s a n d r e s o l u t i o n s — P r o c e d u r e i n B u r e a u ..................................................... 31

Rule 38 — Opinions — Legal bases ................................................................................. 31

Rule 39 — Opinions — Designation of commission ........................................................... 31

Rule 40 — Appointment of a rapporteur-general ................................................................ 31

Rule 41 — Own-initiate opinions .................................................................................... 31

Rule 42 — Tabling of resolutions .................................................................................... 31

Rule 43 — Promotion of opinions and resolutions.............................................................. 32

CHAPTER 4 — COMMISSIONS................................................................................................. 32

Rule 44 — Composition and powers ................................................................................ 32

Rule 45 — Chairman and vice-chairmen ........................................................................... 32

Rule 46 — Tasks of commissions .................................................................................... 32

Rule 47 — Convening of commissions and their agendas ..................................................... 32

Rule 48 — Admission of the public ................................................................................. 32

Rule 49 — Public hearings ............................................................................................. 32

Rule 50 — Time limits for drawing up opinions ................................................................. 32

Rule 51 — Layout of opinions ........................................................................................ 33

Rule 52 — Rapporteurs ................................................................................................. 33

Rule 53 — Working parties ............................................................................................ 33

Rule 54 — Experts ....................................................................................................... 33

Rule 55 — Quorum ..................................................................................................... 33

Rule 56 — Voting ......................................................................................................... 33

Rule 57 — Amendments ................................................................................................ 33

Rule 58 — Decision not to draw up an opinion ................................................................. 33

CHAPTER 5 — ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMITTEE ................................................................. 34

Rule 59 — Secretariat-General......................................................................................... 34

Rule 60 — Secretary-General .......................................................................................... 34

Rule 61 — Engagement of the Secretary-General ................................................................ 34

Rule 62 — Staff Regulations of officials and conditions of employment of other servants........... 34

Rule 63 — Budget......................................................................................................... 34

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TITLE III — GENERAL PROVISIONS ...................................................................................... 35

CHAPTER 1 — COOPERATION WITH OTHER EU BODIES ............................................................... 35

Rule 64 — Cooperation agreements with other EU bodies .................................................... 35

Rule 65 — Forwarding and publication of opinions and resolutions ....................................... 35

CHAPTER 2 — RULES OF PROCEDURE ...................................................................................... 35

Rule 66 — Revision of Rules of Procedure......................................................................... 35

Rule 67 — Bureau instructions ........................................................................................ 35

Rule 68 — Entry into force of Rules of Procedure ............................................................... 35

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The Committee of the Regions has adopted the following Rules of Procedure on the basis of Article 264(2)
of the Treaty establishing the European Community (EC Treaty) (Decision of 18 November 1999).

INTRODUCTION

The terms used in these Rules of Procedure for the various offices are not gender-specific.

Preliminary comment

MEMBERS AND CONSTITUENT BODIES OF THE COMMITTEE

TITLE I

CHAPTER 1

CONSTITUENT BODIES

Rule 1

Constituent bodies of the Committee

The constituent bodies of the Committee shall be the plenary
assembly, the President, the Bureau and the commissions.

CHAPTER 2

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Rule 2

Status of members and alternates

The members and alternates shall be representatives of regional
and local bodies pursuant to Article 263 of the EC Treaty. They
may not be bound by any mandatory instructions and shall be
completely independent in the performance of their duties, in
the general

interest of the Community.

Rule 3

Term of office

1. The four-year term of office of a member or alternate shall
commence on the date on which his formal appointment by
the Council takes effect.

2. The term of office of a member or alternate shall be
terminated by resignation or death. A successor shall be
appointed by the Council for the remainder of the term.

3. Any resignation must be in writing,
signed by the
resigning member or alternate and sent to the President of the
Committee. The President shall inform the Council, which shall
confirm the vacancy and implement the replacement proce-
dure.

Council and a single Commission of the European Communi-
ties.

Rule 5

Attendance of alternates

1. Any member prevented from attending a plenary session
may be represented by an alternate from his national delega-
tion.

2. Any member prevented from attending a commission
meeting, a working party meeting or any other meeting which
has been approved by the Bureau may be represented by
another member or an alternate from his national delegation.

3. An alternate or a member acting as an alternate can stand
in for one member only. They shall exercise the same powers
as a member at the relevant meeting. The Secretary-General
must be notified in writing of the delegation of vote before the
relevant meeting.

4. The appointment of alternates for a plenary session shall
be limited to individual days. At a plenary session the expenses
of only the member or the alternate shall be reimbursed. The
detailed provisions shall be laid down by the Bureau in the
implementing arrangements regarding travel and subsistence
expenses.

5. An alternate who has been appointed rapporteur may
present the draft opinion for which he is responsible at the
plenary session at which the draft opinion is on the agenda.
This shall apply even if the member whom he has been desi-
gnated to replace is also at the meeting. The member may
delegate his vote to his alternate while the draft opinion in
question is being discussed. The Secretary-General must be
notified in writing of the delegation of vote before the relevant
meeting.

Rule 6

Delegation of vote

Except as provided for in Rules 5 and 29, the right to vote may
not be delegated.

Rule 4

Privileges and immunities

Rule 7

Members and their duly mandated alternates shall enjoy privi-
leges and immunities in accordance with the Protocol on the
privileges and immunities of
the European Communities,
annexed to the Treaty of 8 April 1965 establishing a single

National delegations and political groups

National delegations and political groups shall help in a
balanced way with the organisation of the Committee's work.

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Rule 8

National delegations

1. The members and alternates from each Member State shall
form a national delegation. Each national delegation shall adopt
its own internal
rules and shall elect a chairman. The
Committee President shall be officially informed of the name of
the person elected.

2. The Secretary-General shall make arrangements, within the
Committee's administration, for national delegations to receive
assistance. These arrangements shall also permit each individual
member to receive information and assistance in his official
language. The arrangements shall form part of a specific service
consisting of Committee of
the Regions officials or other
servants and shall ensure that national delegations can make
appropriate use of the Committee's facilities. Specifically, the
Secretary-General shall provide the national delegations with
suitable means for holding meetings immediately before or
during plenary sessions.

Rule 9

Political groups and non-attached members

3. The Committee President shall be notified in a statement
when a political group is set up, dissolved or otherwise
changed. The statement notifying the formation of a political
group shall specify the name of
its
members and its bureau. Notification of
the formation
(including name, bureau and number of members) and dissolu-
tion of a political group shall be published by the President in
the Official Journal of the European Communities.

the political group,

Each political group shall be assisted by a secretariat
4.
staffed by Secretariat-General personnel. The political groups
may submit proposals to the appointing authority for the
selection, appointment and promotion of such staff and for
extending their contracts. The appointing authority shall make
the political
its decision after consulting the chairmen of
groups.

5. The Secretary-General shall provide the political groups
and their constituent bodies with adequate resources for
meetings, activities and publications and for the work of their
secretariats. The resources for each political group shall be
earmarked in the budget. The political groups and their secreta-
riats may make appropriate use of the Committee's facilities.

6. The political groups and their bureaux may meet immedia-
tely before or during plenary sessions. They may hold extraor-
dinary meetings twice a year. An alternate attending these
meetings is only entitled to travel and subsistence expenses if
he is representing a member from his political group.

1. Members and alternates may form groups which reflect
their political affinities. The criteria for membership shall be
laid down in the internal rules of each political group.

7. Non-attached members shall be provided with administra-
tive support. The detailed arrangements shall be laid down by
the Bureau on a proposal from the Secretary-General.

2. At least 20 members/alternates from no fewer than two
Member States, 18 members/alternates from no fewer than
three Member States or 16 members/alternates from no fewer
than four Member States — half of whom at least, in all cases,
must be members — shall be needed to form a political group.
A member/alternate may belong to only one political group. A
political group shall be dissolved if its membership falls below
the required number.

Rule 10

Interregional groups

Members and alternates may form interregional groups. They
shall

inform the Committee President thereof.

ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURE OF THE COMMITTEE

TITLE II

CHAPTER 1

Rule 12

INITIAL CONVENING AND INSTALLATION IN OFFICE OF THE
COMMITTEE

Installation in office of the Committee and verification of
credentials

Rule 11

Convening the first meeting

The Committee shall be convened, after each four-yearly
renewal, by the oldest member and shall meet not later than
one month after the appointment of
its members by the
Council. The first meeting shall be chaired by the oldest
member present (interim president) assisted by the four youn-
gest members present and the Secretary-General of
the
Committee, who together shall constitute the interim bureau.

1. At the first meeting, the interim president shall inform the
Committee of the communication from the Council concerning
the appointment of
the interim
president may decide to verify the appointment and credentials
of members, after which he shall declare the Committee
installed in office for the new term.

its members.

If requested,

2. The interim bureau shall remain in office until the results
of the elections of the President, the first Vice-President and the
remaining members of the Bureau have been declared.

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CHAPTER 2

PLENARY ASSEMBLY

Rule 13

Tasks of the plenary assembly

The Committee shall meet as a plenary assembly. Its main tasks
shall be:

a) to adopt opinions, reports and resolutions;

b) to adopt the draft estimates of expenditure and revenue of

the Committee;

c) to elect

the President,

the first Vice-President and the

remaining members of the Bureau;

d) to set up commissions;

e) to adopt and revise the Rules of Procedure of

the

Committee.

Rule 14

Convening the plenary assembly

1. The President of the Committee shall convene the plenary
assembly at least once every three months. The dates of the
plenary sessions are to be fixed by the Bureau during the third
quarter of the previous year. A plenary session can meet on
one or more days.

least one quarter of

the written request of at

2. At
the
members, the President shall be obliged to convene an extraor-
dinary plenary session, which shall take place not sooner than
one week and not later than one month after the date of the
request. The written request shall state the subject matter which
is to be discussed at the extraordinary plenary session. No
other matter may be dealt with.

Rule 15

Agenda for the plenary session

1. The preliminary draft agenda containing a provisional list
of the draft opinions and resolutions to be discussed at the
next but one plenary session together with all the other docu-
ments requiring a decision shall be prepared by the Bureau.

by the members and alternates in their official language not
later than one week before the opening of the plenary session.

5. Written amendments
to the draft agenda must be
submitted to the Secretary-General not later than three working
days before the opening of the plenary session.

6. The Bureau shall finalise the draft agenda at its meeting
immediately prior to the opening of the plenary session. At this
meeting the Bureau may decide, by a two-thirds majority of the
votes cast, to include on the agenda matters of an urgent or
topical nature whose discussion cannot be deferred until the
next plenary session.

Rule 16

Opening of the plenary session

The President shall open the plenary session and call for the
adoption of the final draft agenda.

Rule 17

Admission of the public, guests and guest speakers

1.
Plenary sessions shall be open to the public, unless the
plenary assembly decides otherwise in respect of the whole
meeting or a specific item on the agenda.

2. Representatives of the European Parliament, Council and
Commission may attend plenary sessions. They may be asked
to take the floor.

3. The President may also invite other distinguished guests to
address the plenary assembly. A general debate may follow,
during which the general rules on speaking time shall apply.

Rule 18

Speaking time

1. The plenary assembly shall, at the beginning of its meeting
and acting on a proposal from the Bureau, allocate speaking
time for every item on the agenda. During a plenary session the
President, acting on his own initiative or at the request of a
member, shall arrange for a decision to be taken to limit
speaking time.

2. The draft agenda accompanied by all
the documents
requiring a decision listed therein shall be sent by the President
to the members and alternates in their official language at least
four weeks before the opening of the plenary session.

2. The President, acting on a proposal from the Bureau, may
propose to the plenary Assembly that when debates are held
on general or specific issues, speaking time should be divided
among the political groups and national delegations.

3. The draft opinions and resolutions shall in principle be put
on the agenda in the order in which they were adopted by the
commissions or submitted in accordance with the Rules of
Procedure. Account shall also be taken of agenda items which
deal with related subject matter.

4.
In exceptional and duly motivated cases where the dead-
line referred to in paragraph 2 cannot be met, the President
may decide to include a document requiring a decision on the
draft agenda provided the relevant document has been received

3. As a general rule, speaking time shall be limited to two
minutes for comments on minutes, for points of order and for
comments on amendments to the final draft agenda or the
agenda.

4.
If a speaker exceeds his allotted speaking time, the Presi-
dent may, after an initial call to order, forbid him to speak.

5. Any request by a member that the debate be brought to a
close shall be put to the vote by the President.

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Rule 19

List of speakers

Rule 22

Voting

1. The names of members who ask to speak shall be entered
in a list in the order in which their requests are received. The
President shall call upon members to speak on the basis of this
list, ensuring as far as possible that speakers of different poli-
tical views and from different national delegations are heard in
turn.

2.
Priority, may be given, however, to the rapporteur of the
commission concerned, to the chairmen of political groups and
national delegations wishing to speak on behalf of their group
or delegation, or to speakers deputising for them.

3. No one may take the floor more than twice on the same
subject, except by leave of the President. The chairman and the
rapporteur of the commission concerned shall, however, be
allowed to speak at their request for a period to be decided by
the President.

Rule 20

Points of order

1. A member shall be allowed to speak to raise a point of
order or to draw the attention of the President to any failure to
respect
the Rules of Procedure. The point of order must
concern the agenda or the subject under discussion.

2. A request to raise a point of order shall take precedence
over all other requests to speak.

3. The President shall take an immediate decision on points
of order in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and shall
announce his ruling immediately after the point of order has
been raised. No vote shall be taken on the President's ruling.

Rule 21

Quorum

1. A quorum shall exist at a plenary session if a majority of
the members is present. The quorum shall be verified only
during the meeting and only if at least 10 members so request.
If the verification of a quorum is not requested, all votes shall
be valid regardless of the number of voters. The President may
interrupt the plenary session for up to 10 minutes before
proceeding with a verification of the quorum. Members who
have requested verification of the quorum but are no longer
present in the plenary session chamber shall be considered to
be present for the purposes of the count. If fewer than ten
members are present, the President may rule that there is no
quorum.

If it is established that there is no quorum, all items on the
2.
agenda which require voting shall be postponed until
the
following meeting day, when the plenary Assembly may hold a
valid vote on these items whatever the number of members
present.

3. All members and alternates taking part in the meeting and
other persons present shall sign an attendance list.

1. The plenary assembly shall decide by a majority of the
votes cast, save where otherwise provided in these rules.

2. The valid forms of vote shall be ‘for’, ‘against’ and ‘absten-
tion’. In calculating the majority, only the votes cast for and
against shall be taken into account. In the event of a tied vote,
the text or proposal shall be deemed rejected.

3. A fresh vote may be called for by the President or
requested by at least 10 members if the result of the count is
queried.

4. Votes relating to persons shall be by secret ballot.

Rule 23

Tabling of amendments

1. Only members and duly mandated alternates may table
amendments to documents requiring a decision. These amend-
ments must be in writing.

2.
Except as provided for in the first sentence of Rule 26(1),
amendments to documents requiring a decision must be
submitted by at least six members and must bear their names.

3. They must reach the Secretary-General not later than the
seventh working day before the opening of the plenary session
and shall be electronically retrievable as soon as they have been
translated, but not later than two working days prior to the
plenary session. The deadline for the submission of amend-
ments can be reduced to three working days by the President in
cases where Rule 15(4) is applied. The deadline shall also not
apply in the case of amendments to urgent matters pursuant to
the second sentence of Rule 15(6).

4. All amendments shall be distributed to members before
the beginning of the plenary session.

Rule 24

Procedure for dealing with amendments

1.
If more than twenty amendments are submitted to a docu-
ment requiring a decision, the Bureau or the plenary assembly
may refer the document back to the commission for further
consideration. This shall not apply in the case of documents
requiring a decision whose adoption cannot be deferred.

2. An amendment tabled in due and proper form which is
not supported at the meeting by its authors or by another
member shall not be considered.

3.
If one or more amendments have been tabled to a part of a
text, the President, the rapporteur or the authors of these
amendments may propose compromise amendments during
the debate. A compromise amendment can only be proposed
with the consent of the movers of the original amendment. A
compromise amendment shall be given priority when voting
takes place and, if adopted, shall invalidate any amendment on
which the compromise is based.

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4. Voting on amendments shall follow the order of the points
in the text. The President may order a joint vote on amend-
ments with a similar content and objective.

5. Amendments shall have priority over the text to which
they relate and shall be put to the vote before that text.

6.
If two or more mutually exclusive amendments have been
tabled to the same part of a text, the amendment that departs
furthest from the original text shall have priority and shall be
put to the vote first.

7. The final vote shall be on the text as a whole, whether
amended or not.

Rule 25

Urgent opinions

In urgent cases where a deadline set by the Council, Commis-
sion or European Parliament cannot be met under the normal
procedure, and the relevant commission has adopted its draft
opinion unanimously, the President shall transmit this draft
opinion to the Council, Commission and European Parliament
for information. The draft opinion shall be submitted to the
following plenary session for adoption without amendment.
All documents relating to the said opinion must testify to the
urgent nature of the opinion.

Rule 26

Simplified procedures

1. Draft opinions adopted unanimously by a (lead) commis-
sion in the presence of a majority of its members shall be
adopted by the plenary Assembly without debate unless at least
32 members table an amendment in accordance with the first
sentence of Rule 23(3). In this case, the draft opinion shall be
dealt with by the plenary Assembly. The commission's draft
opinion shall be forwarded to members, with a reference to
this procedure, together with the draft agenda.

If the (lead) commission is of the view that the Committee
2.
has no reason to comment on or propose changes to a docu-
ment referred to it by the Bureau,
it may propose that no
objections be raised to the document. The proposal shall be
submitted to the plenary Assembly for adoption without
debate.

Rule 27

Closing of the plenary session

Before the closing of the plenary session, the President shall
announce the time and place of the following plenary session
together with any items already on the agenda.

CHAPTER 3

THE BUREAU AND THE PRESIDENT

Rule 28

Composition of the Bureau

The Bureau shall consist of:

a) the President;

b) the first Vice-President;

c) other Vice-Presidents;

d) other members;

e) the chairmen of the political groups.

One member per country shall have the rank of Vice-President.

Seats on the Bureau (excluding the seats of the President and
the chairmen of the political groups) shall be divided among
the national delegations as follows:

— three seats: Germany, Spain, France, Italy, United Kingdom,

— two seats: Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland, Sweden.

Rule 29

Replacements at Bureau meetings

1.
For each member of the Bureau, apart from the President,
a member or alternate from the same national delegation shall
be named at the same time as an ad personam replacement. This
replacement shall not be entitled to participate, speak and vote
unless he is replacing the Bureau member in question. The
delegation of vote must be notified in writing to the Secretary-
General prior to the relevant meeting.

2.
For each political group chairman, the political group in
question shall name a replacement from among its members to
whom the second and third sentences of paragraph 1 shall
apply mutatis mutandis.

Rule 30

Election rules

1. The Bureau shall be elected by the plenary assembly for
two years.

2. The elections of the President, the first Vice-President, the
14 Vice-Presidents, the other members of the Bureau and the
chairmen of the political groups as members of the Bureau
shall be held under the chairmanship of the interim president
in accordance with Rules 11 and 12. All candidatures must be
submitted in writing to the Secretary-General at least one hour
before the beginning of the plenary session. The elections shall
take place only if at least twothirds of the members are present.

Rule 31

Election of the President and the first Vice-President

1. Before the elections, candidates for the posts of President
and first Vice-President may make a short statement before the
plenary assembly. The speaking time for candidates shall be of
equal length and shall be laid down by the interim president.

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2. The election of the President and the first Vice-President
shall take place separately. They shall be elected by a majority
of more than 50 % of the votes cast.

a) establishment of the policy programme at the beginning of
each term, monitoring of its implementation and presenta-
tion of the annual and end-of term assessments;

3. The valid forms of vote shall be a vote for and an absten-
tion. In calculating the majority required, only the votes cast
for shall be taken into account.

4.
If no candidate obtains the required majority in the first
ballot, a second ballot shall be held in which the candidate
receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed to be
elected. In the event of a tied vote, a decision shall be taken by
drawing lots.

Rule 32

the 14 Vice-Presidents,

Election of
the other Bureau
members and the chairmen of the political groups as
members of the Bureau

1.
For the election of the 14 Vice-Presidents and the other 20
Bureau members, a joint list may be drawn up for the candi-
dates from those national delegations which nominate only
one candidate for each of the seats allocated to them on the
Bureau. This list may be adopted in a single ballot if it obtains
a majority of more than 50 % of the votes cast.

In cases where a joint list of candidates is not adopted, or
2.
where the number of candidates exceeds the number of seats
allocated to a national delegation on the Bureau, each of these
seats shall be decided upon in separate ballots; in this case the
provisions on the election of the President and the first Vice-
President shall be applicable in accordance with Rules 30 and
31(2) to (4).

3.
For the election of the chairmen of the political groups as
members of the Bureau, the interim president shall present the
plenary assembly with a list of their names for adoption, which
is to be voted on as a whole.

Rule 33

Election of replacements

When a candidate for a seat on the Bureau is elected, his
replacement shall also be elected automatically.

Rule 34

Vacant Bureau seats

In the event of termination of Committee membership or of
resignation from the Bureau, a member of the Bureau and/or
his replacement shall be replaced for the remainder of his term
of office in accordance with the procedures laid down in Rules
28 to 33.

Rule 35

Tasks of the Bureau

The Bureau shall have the following tasks:

b) preparation, organisation and coordination of the work of

the plenary assembly and the commissions.

To this end the Bureau may:

— set up working groups of Bureau members or of
Committee members to advise it in specific areas,

— invite other members of the Committee, by virtue of
their expertise or mandate, and persons not belonging to
the Committee, to attend its meetings;

c) overall responsibility for financial, organisational and admi-
nistrative matters concerning members and alternates;
internal organisation of
its Secretariat-
the Committee,
including the establishment plan, and its consti-
General,
tuent bodies;

d) engagement of the Secretary-General and the officials and

other servants listed in Rule 62(1) and (2);

e) submission of

the draft estimates of expenditure and
revenue to the plenary assembly in accordance with Rule
63;

f) authorisation of meetings away from the usual place of

work;

g) laying down of the implementing arrangements regarding
for members, duly
in compliance with the

travel
and subsistence
mandated alternates and experts,
provisions laid down under the budget procedure.

expenses

Rule 36

Convening of the Bureau/Quorum

1. The Bureau shall be convened by the President, who shall
set the date of the meeting and the agenda in agreement with
the first Vice-President. The Bureau shall meet at least once
every three months, or within 14 days following receipt of a
written request by at least ten of its members.

2. A quorum shall exist at a Bureau meeting if at least one
half of its members are present. The Bureau shall decide by a
majority of the votes cast, save where otherwise provided for in
these rules. Rule 22(2) shall also apply mutatis mutandis.

3.
In preparation for the Bureau decisions, the Secretary-
General shall draw up discussion documents and recommenda-
tions for a decision on each item to be discussed; these docu-
ments and recommendations shall be enclosed with the draft
agenda. After an exploratory debate the Bureau shall, where
necessary, issue the Secretary-General or a working group with
further instructions, clearly specifying the subject to be covered
and the time-frame. The working group or Secretary-General
shall subsequently submit documents for discussion together
with a recommendation for a decision. Amendments to recom-
mendations for decisions must be submitted in writing to the
Secretary-General not later than the third working day before
the opening of the Bureau meeting and shall be electronically
retrievable as soon as they have been translated.

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Rule 37

The President

into its own draft opinion. However, only the lead commis-
sion shall report to the plenary assembly.

1. The President shall direct the work of the Committee.

Rule 40

2. The President shall be the Committee's representative. He
may delegate these powers.

3.
If the President is absent or unable to attend, he shall be
represented by the first Vice-President; if the first Vice-President
is absent or unable to attend, the President shall be represented
by one of the other Vice-Presidents.

OPINIONS AND RESOLUTIONS — PROCEDURE IN BUREAU

Rule 38

Opinions — Legal bases

The Committee shall adopt its opinions pursuant to Article
265 of the EC Treaty:

a) on the basis of a referral from the Commission or the
Council in the cases provided for in the EC Treaty or on the
basis of a referral from these institutions or the European
Parliament in all other cases;

b) on its own initiative;

c) when, in the event of the Economic and Social Committee
being consulted under Article 262 of the EC Treaty,
it
considers that specific regional

interests are involved.

Rule 39

Opinions — Designation of commission

1. The Bureau shall establish the annual work programme of
the commissions after consulting them. This programme shall
indicate to which commissions the anticipated referrals are to
be allocated. After the documents listed in the annual work
programme have been received,
the Bureau shall give the
responsible commission a deadline for submission of its draft
opinion.

2. When it receives documents from the Council, Commis-
sion or European Parliament which are not contained in the
work programme, the Bureau shall designate the responsible
commission and give it a deadline for the submission of its
draft opinion. In urgent cases the President may designate the
responsible commission; when this is the case, the Bureau shall
be informed at its next meeting.

3.
If the subject of an opinion concerns more than one
commission, the Bureau shall designate a lead commission and,
where necessary, one or more supplementary commissions. In
such a case, the Bureau may either:

a) decide to set up a working party comprising representatives

of the commissions concerned; or

b) in exceptional cases, designate one or more commissions,
other than the lead commission, to issue a draft supplemen-
tary opinion. The lead commission shall vote on the recom-
mendations made in the draft opinions of
the other
commissions and integrate the adopted recommendations

Appointment of a rapporteur-general

If

1.
the commission concerned cannot draw up a draft
opinion by the deadline set by the Council, Commission or
European Parliament, the Bureau may propose that the plenary
assembly appoint a rapporteur-general, who shall submit his
draft opinion straight to the plenary assembly.

2. When a deadline set by the Council, Commission or Euro-
pean Parliament does not give the plenary assembly time to
appoint a rapporteur-general, the rapporteur-general may be
appointed by the President; when this is the case, the plenary
assembly shall be informed at its next meeting.

3.
In both cases, the commission concerned shall meet, where
possible, to hold a general exploratory debate on the subject.

Rule 41

Own-initiative opinions

1. Applications for own-initiative opinions may be submitted
to the Bureau by three of its members, by a commission via its
chairman or by 32 members of the Committee. These applica-
tions must be submitted, with reasons, not later than three
working days before the opening of the Bureau meeting and,
wherever possible, before the annual work programme is
adopted.

2. The Bureau shall decide on applications for own-initiative
opinions by a majority of its members and shall refer the
opinions to the relevant commissions in accordance with Rule
39. The President shall
inform the plenary assembly of all
Bureau decisions approving and allocating own-initiative
opinions.

3. This rule shall apply mutatis mutandis
opinions which come under Rule 38(c).

in the case of

Rule 42

Tabling of resolutions

1. Resolutions are to be put on the agenda only if they refer
to the activities of the European Union, deal with important
concerns of regional and local authorities and are of topical
interest.

2. Draft resolutions or applications for the drafting of a reso-
lution may be submitted to the Committee by at least 32
members or a political group. All drafts or applications, indi-
cating the names of the members or political group supporting
them, shall be submitted to the Bureau in writing. They must
reach the Secretary-General not later than three working days
before the opening of the Bureau meeting.

3.
If the Bureau decides that the Committee is to discuss a
draft resolution or an application for the drafting of a resolu-
tion,

it may:

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a) put the draft resolution on the plenary session preliminary

draft agenda in accordance with Rule 15(1); or

b) appoint a commission to draw up a draft resolution by a
specific deadline under the procedure used for drawing up
draft opinions. Rule 51 shall not apply in such cases.

4.
In urgent cases the Bureau may, in accordance with the
second sentence of Rule 15(6), place a draft resolution on the
agenda for the next plenary session. Such draft resolutions shall
be dealt with on the second day of the session.

Rule 43

Promotion of opinions and resolutions

The Bureau shall be responsible for promoting the Committee's
opinions and resolutions. An impact assessment shall be
presented to the plenary assembly by the President annually
and at the end of each four-year term.

CHAPTER 4

COMMISSIONS

Rule 44

Composition and powers

the beginning of each four-year term,

1. At
the plenary
assembly shall set up commissions to prepare its work. It shall
decide on their composition and powers on a proposal from
the Bureau.

2. The composition of
national composition of the Committee.

the commissions shall reflect

the

3. Members of the Committee must belong to at least one
commission but may not belong to more than two. Exceptions
may be made by the Bureau for members belonging to the
smaller national delegations.

Rule 45

Chairman and vice-chairmen

1. At its first meeting each commission shall appoint from
among its members a chairman, a first vice-chairman and no
more than two vice-chairmen, who together shall form the
commission bureau.

2. Where the number of candidates corresponds to the
number of seats to be filled, the election may take place by
acclamation. Where this is not the case, or one sixth of the
members of the commission so request, the election shall be in
accordance with the provisions laid down in Rule 31(2) to (4)
for the election of the Committee President and first Vice-Presi-
dent.

3.
If a commission bureau member terminates his Committee
membership or resigns as a commission bureau member, the
vacancy shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of this
rule.

Rule 46

Tasks of commissions

The commissions shall in particular draw up the draft versions
of opinions and resolutions. These drafts shall be submitted to
the plenary Assembly for adoption.

Rule 47

Convening of commissions and their agendas

1. The dates of meetings and their agendas shall be set by the
chairman of each commission acting in agreement with the
first vice-chairman.

2. A commission shall be convened by its chairman. The
convening notice for an ordinary meeting together with the
agenda must reach members not later than four weeks before
the date of the meeting.

least one quarter of

the written request of at

3. At
its
members, the chairman shall be obliged to convene an extraor-
dinary commission meeting, which must be held not later than
four weeks after the submission of the request. The agenda for
an extraordinary meeting shall be set by the members
submitting the request for such a meeting. It shall be forwarded
to members together with the convening notice.

4. All draft opinions and other discussion documents to be
translated and distributed before a meeting shall be sent to the
secretariat of the commission in question not later than five
weeks before the date set for the meeting. They shall then be
forwarded to members not later than two weeks before the
date of the meeting. In exceptional cases the above time limits
may be amended by the chairman.

Rule 48

Admission of the public

1. The proceedings of the commissions shall be open to the
public, unless a commission decides otherwise in respect of the
whole meeting or of a specific item on the agenda.

2. Representatives of the European Parliament, Council and
Commission may attend the deliberations of the commissions
and reply to questions from members.

Rule 49

Public hearings

In specific cases and with the agreement of the Bureau, a
commission may hold a public hearing or invite outside spea-
kers by virtue of their expertise with regard to one or more
items on the agenda.

Rule 50

Time limits for drawing up opinions

1. The commissions shall present their draft opinions within
the time limit set by the Bureau. The production of a draft
opinion shall
require no more than two meetings, not
including the first meeting at which the work shall be orga-
nised.

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In exceptional cases the Bureau may authorise further
2.
meetings to discuss a draft opinion, or may extend the time
limit for the presentation of the draft.

meetings of the commission or of one of its working parties.
The floor may also be given to these experts and to the experts
working for and accompanying rapporteurs.

Rule 51

Layout of opinions

1. A Committee opinion shall consist of:

— a preamble setting out the legal basis of the opinion and the
if necessary,

procedure followed in its preparation, and,
containing introductory comments, and

— a main part giving the views and recommendations of the

Committee on the question under consideration.

2. A separate explanatory statement shall be drawn up for
each opinion explaining the views of the Committee as a whole
and individual points. The explanatory statement shall be the
responsibility of the rapporteur and shall not be put to the
vote. It must, however, accord with the text of the opinion that
was put to the vote. If it fails to do so, the chairman of the
commission may delete the explanatory statement.

Rule 52

Rapporteurs

Each commission, acting on a proposal from its chairman,
1.
shall appoint a rapporteur or,
in duly motivated cases, two
rapporteurs to draw up a draft opinion. In urgent cases the
chairman may, after informing the Secretary-General, apply a
written procedure to appoint a rapporteur.

2. Under this procedure the chairman shall write to the
members of the commission, asking them to submit any objec-
tions to the appointment of the proposed rapporteur in writing
within three working days. In such cases the chairman and first
vice-chairman shall decide by mutual agreement.

Rule 53

Working parties

1.
In duly motivated cases the commissions may set up
working parties, with the approval of the Bureau. Working
party members may also come from other commissions.

Each working party can appoint a chairman and a vice-

2.
chairman from among its members.

Rule 54

Experts

1. The members of the commissions may call on the services
of an expert.

2. A commission may appoint experts to assist it in its work
and to assist any working parties which it has set up. At the
invitation of the chairman, these experts may take part in

3. Only rapporteurs' experts and experts invited by the
commission shall be entitled to travel and subsistence expenses.

Rule 55

Quorum

1. A quorum shall exist at a commission meeting if more
than one half of its members are present.

2. The quorum shall be verified only during the meeting and
only if at least six members so request. If the verification of a
quorum is not requested, all votes shall be valid regardless of
it is established that there is no
the number of voters.
quorum, the commission may continue its discussions but
voting shall take place at the next meeting.

If

3. All members and alternates taking part in the meeting and
other persons present shall sign an attendance list.

Rule 56

Voting

Decisions shall be taken by a majority of the votes cast. Rule
22(2) shall also apply mutatis mutandis.

Rule 57

Amendments

1. Amendments must be sent to commission secretariats not
later than the fifth working day before the date of the meeting.
In exceptional cases the above time limit may be amended by
the chairman.

2. Voting on amendments shall follow the order of the points
in the draft opinion under discussion. Thereafter the whole text
shall be voted on. If two or more mutually exclusive amend-
ments have been tabled to the same part of a text, the amend-
ment that departs furthest from the original text shall have
priority and shall be put to the vote first.

3. Once a draft opinion has been adopted by a commission,
it shall be forwarded by the commission chairman to the
President of the Committee.

Rule 58

Decision not to draw up an opinion

Where the (lead) commission considers that a document
referred to it by the Bureau has no regional or local interest, or
is not of political importance, it may decide not to draw up an
opinion.

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CHAPTER 5

Rule 62

ADMINISTRATION OF THE COMMITTEE

Rule 59

Secretariat-General

1. The Committee shall be assisted by a Secretariat-General.

Staff Regulations of officials and Conditions of employ-
ment of other servants

1. The powers which the Staff Regulations of officials of the
European Communities confer on the appointing authority
shall be exercised as follows:

— for officials in grades 6 to 8 of category A and of the
language service and for officials in categories B, C and D,
by the Secretary-General,

— for other officials, by the Bureau, acting on a proposal from

2. The Secretariat-General shall be headed by a Secretary-
General.

the Secretary-General.

3. The Bureau, acting on a proposal
from the Secretary-
General, shall organise the Secretariat-General in such a way
that it can ensure the efficient functioning of the Committee
and its constituent bodies and help the members of
the
Committee in the performance of their duties. The services to
be provided by the Secretariat-General for members, national
delegations, political groups and non-attached members shall
be determined in the process.

4. The Secretariat-General shall draw up the minutes of the
meetings of the Committee's constituent bodies.

Rule 60

Secretary-General

1. The Secretary-General shall be responsible for giving effect
to the decisions taken by the Bureau or the President pursuant
to these Rules of Procedure and the applicable legal provisions.
The Secretary-General shall attend the meetings of the Bureau
in an advisory capacity and shall keep the minutes of those
meetings.

2. The Secretary-General shall discharge his duties under the
direction of the President, representing the Bureau.

Rule 61

Engagement of Secretary-General

1. The Bureau shall engage the Secretary-General on the basis
of a decision adopted by a two-thirds majority of its members,
pursuant to the provisions of Articles 2 and 8 of the Condi-
tions of employment of other servants of
the European
Communities.

2. The Secretary-General shall be engaged for five years. The
detailed provisions of his contract of employment shall be laid
down by the Bureau.

3. The powers which the Conditions of employment of other
servants of the European Communities confer on the authority
responsible for concluding contracts shall be exercised, in the
case of the Secretary-General, by the Bureau.

2. The powers which the Conditions of employment of other
servants of the European Communities confer on the authority
competent to conclude contracts of employment shall be exer-
cised as follows:

— for temporary staff in grades 6 to 8 of category A and of
the language service and for temporary staff in categories B,
C and D, by the Secretary-General,

— for other temporary staff, by the Bureau, acting on a

proposal from the Secretary-General,

— for temporary staff in the private office of the President:

— temporary staff in grades 6 to 8 of category A and for
temporary staff in grades B, C and D, by the Secretary-
General, acting on a proposal from the President,

— for other temporary staff, by the Bureau, acting on a

proposal from the President.

Temporary staff employed in the private office of the Presi-
dent shall be engaged until the end of the President's term
of office,

— for auxiliary and local staff, by the Secretary-General,

— for special advisers, by the Secretary-General in accordance
with the conditions set out in Article 82 of the Conditions
of employment of other servants of the European Commu-
nities.

Rule 63

Budget

1. The Secretary-General shall submit the preliminary draft
estimates of the Committee's expenditure and revenue for the
following financial year to the Bureau. The Bureau shall submit
the draft to the plenary assembly for adoption.

2. The plenary assembly shall adopt the draft estimates of the
Committee's expenditure and revenue and forward them to the
Commission, Council and European Parliament in good time to
ensure that the deadlines laid down in the financial provisions
are met.

3. The Committee's budget shall be implemented in accor-
dance with the Financial Regulation applicable to the general
budget of the European Communities. The President shall be
the highest authority empowered to implement the budget in
accordance with Articles 28, 29, 39, 48 and 52 of the Financial
Regulation of the European Communities. He shall act on a
proposal from the Secretary-General.

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TITLE III

GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER 1

COOPERATION WITH OTHER EU BODIES

Rule 64

Cooperation agreements with other EU bodies

The Bureau, acting on a proposal from the Secretary-General,
may conclude cooperation agreements with institutions and
other bodies of the European Union within the framework of
interinstitutional cooperation.

Rule 65

Forwarding and publication of opinions and resolutions

1. The Committee's opinions, as well as any communication
relating to the use of a simplified procedure under Rule 26 or a
decision not to draw up an opinion under Rule 58, shall be
addressed to the Council, Commission and European Parlia-
ment. As in the case of resolutions, they shall be forwarded by
the President.

2. The opinions and resolutions of the Committee shall be
published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Done at Brussels, 18 November 1999.

CHAPTER 2

RULES OF PROCEDURE

Rule 66

Revision of Rules of Procedure

1. The plenary assembly shall decide by a majority of its
members if there is a need to amend these Rules of Procedure,
either in part or in full.

2.
It shall appoint an ad hoc commission to draw up a report
and a draft text as a basis for the adoption of new rules by a
majority of its members. The new rules shall enter into force
the day after their publication in the Official
the
European Communities.

Journal of

Rule 67

Bureau instructions

The Bureau may give instructions determining the procedure
for implementing the provisions of these Rules of Procedure, in
compliance with the latter.

Rule 68

Entry into force of Rules of Procedure

These Rules of Procedure shall enter into force the day after
their publication in the Official Journal of the European Communi-
ties.

By the Committee of the Regions

The President

Manfred DAMMEYER