Committee of the Regions : Rules of Procedure
Date: 2004-02-11
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European Committee of the Regions, rules of procedure

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(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Rules of Procedure

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PRELIMINARY COMMENT

TITLE I

MEMBERS AND CONSTITUENT BODIES OF THE COMMITTEE

CHAPTER 1

Constituent bodies

Rule 1 — Constituent bodies of the Committee

CHAPTER 2

Members of the Committee

Rule 2 — Status of members and alternates

Rule 3 — Term of office

Rule 4 — Privileges and immunities

Rule 5 — Attendance of alternates

Rule 6 — Delegation of vote

Rule 7 — National delegations and political groups

Rule 8 — National delegations

Rule 9 — Political groups and non-attached members

Rule 10 — Interregional groups

TITLE II

ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURE OF THE COMMITTEE

CHAPTER 1

Initial convening and installation in office of the Committee

Rule 11 — Convening the first meeting

Rule 12 — Installation in office of the Committee and verification of credentials

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CHAPTER 2

Plenary assembly

Rule 13 —Tasks of the plenary assembly

Rule 14 — Convening the plenary assembly

Rule 15 — Agenda for the plenary session

Rule 16 — Opening of the plenary session

Rule 17 — Admission of the public, guests and guest speakers, topical debate slot

Rule 18 — Speaking time

Rule 19 — List of speakers

Rule 20 — Points of order

Rule 21 — Quorum

Rule 22 — Voting

Rule 23 — Tabling of amendments

Rule 24 — Procedure for dealing with amendments

Rule 25 — Urgent opinions and reports

Rule 26 — Simplified procedures

Rule 27 — Closing of the plenary session

CHAPTER 3

The Bureau and the President

Rule 28 — Composition of the Bureau

Rule 29 — Replacements at Bureau meetings

Rule 30 — Election rules

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

Rule 32 — Election of the Vice-Presidents, the other Bureau members and the chairmen of the political
groups as members of the Bureau

Rule 33 — Election of replacements

Rule 34 — By-elections for vacant Bureau seats

Rule 35 — Tasks of the Bureau

Rule 36 — Convening of the Bureau/quorum

Rule 37 — The President

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Opinions, reports and resolutions — procedure in Bureau

Rule 38 — Opinions — legal bases

Rule 39 — Opinions and reports — designation of commission

Rule 40 — Appointment of a rapporteur-general

Rule 41 — Own-initiative opinions and reports

Rule 42 — Tabling of resolutions

Rule 43 — Promotion of opinions, reports and resolutions

CHAPTER 4

Commissions

Rule 44 — Composition and powers

Rule 45 — Chairman and vice-chairmen

Rule 46 — Tasks of commissions

Rule 47 — Convening of commissions and their agendas

Rule 48 — Admission of the public

Rule 49 — Public hearings

Rule 50 — Time limits for drawing up opinions and reports

Rule 51 — Layout of opinions

Rule 52 — Layout of reports

Rule 53 — Rapporteurs

Rule 54 — Working parties

Rule 55 — Experts

Rule 56 — Quorum

Rule 57 — Voting

Rule 58 — Amendments

Rule 59 — Decision not to draw up an opinion or a report

CHAPTER 5

Administration of the Committee

Rule 60 — Secretariat-General

Rule 61 — Secretary-General

Rule 62 — Engagement of the Secretary-General

Rule 63 — Staff Regulations of officials and Conditions of employment of other servants

Rule 64 — Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs

Rule 65 — Budget

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TITLE III

GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER 1

Cooperation with other EU bodies

Rule 66 — Cooperation agreements with other EU bodies

Rule 67 — Forwarding and publication of opinions, reports and resolutions

CHAPTER 2

Openness to the public and transparency

Rule 68 — Public access to documents

CHAPTER 3

Rules of Procedure

Rule 69 — Revision of Rules of Procedure

Rule 70 — Bureau instructions

Rule 71 — Entry into force of Rules of Procedure

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INTRODUCTION

The Committee of the Regions has adopted the following Rules
of Procedure on the basis of the second paragraph of Article
264 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (EC
Treaty)
(Decision of 18 November 1999, version of 11
February 2004).

PRELIMINARY COMMENT

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

be no later than three months after the date of notification.
The President shall inform the Council, which shall confirm the
vacancy and implement the replacement procedure.

4.
the
A member or alternate whose term of office at
Committee ends because the electoral mandate, on the basis of
which he was appointed, expires, shall immediately inform the
President of the Committee of the fact in writing.

In the cases referred to in Rule 3(2), a replacement shall

5.
be appointed by the Council for the remainder of the term.

TITLE I

Rule 4

MEMBERS AND CONSTITUENT BODIES OF THE COMMITTEE

Privileges and immunities

CHAPTER 1

Constituent bodies

Rule 1

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
Council and a Single Commission of the European Commu-
nities.

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

Pursuant to Article 263 of the EC Treaty, the members and
alternates shall be representatives of regional and local bodies.
They shall hold a regional or local authority electoral mandate
or shall be politically accountable to an elected assembly. 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 term of office of a member or alternate shall
commence on the date on which his appointment by the
Council takes effect.

2.
The term of office of a member or alternate shall be
terminated by resignation, the end of the electoral mandate on
the basis of which he was appointed, or death.

3.
A resigning member or alternate must notify the Presi-
dent of the Committee of his intention in writing, specifying
the date on which his resignation is to take effect, which must

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

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Rule 6

Delegation of vote

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

Rule 7

National delegations and political groups

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

Rule 8

National delegations

The members and alternates from each Member State
1.
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.

The Secretary-General shall make arrangements, within
2.
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

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.

2.
At least 20 members/alternates from no fewer than three
Member States, 18 members/alternates from no fewer than
four Member States or 16 members/alternates from no fewer
than five 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.

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
its
group shall specify the name of

the political group,

members and its bureau. Notification of
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 Union.

the

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 selec-
tion, 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 meet-
ings, activities and publications and for the work of their secre-
tariats. The resources
for each political group shall be
earmarked in the budget. The political groups and their secre-
tariats may make appropriate use of the Committee's facilities.

6.
The political groups and their bureaux may meet immedi-
ately 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.

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.

Rule 10

Interregional groups

Members and alternates may form interregional groups. They
shall inform the Committee President thereof.

TITLE II

ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURE OF THE COMMITTEE

CHAPTER 1

Initial convening and installation in office of the Committee

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
youngest members present and the Secretary-General of the
Committee, who together shall constitute the interim bureau.

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Rule 12

Rule 15

Installation in office of the Committee and verification of
credentials

Agenda for the plenary session

At the first meeting, the interim president shall inform
1.
the Committee of
the communication from the Council
concerning the appointment of its members. If requested, 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.

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.

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 adopt the political programme of the Committee at the

beginning of every term;

(d) to elect

the President,
remaining members of the Bureau;

the first Vice-President and the

(e) to set up commissions; and

(f) to adopt and revise the Rules of Procedure of

the

Committee.

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

The draft agenda accompanied by all

the documents
2.
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. The
documents shall simultaneously be electronically retrievable.

3.
The draft opinions, reports and resolutions shall in prin-
ciple 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 that the relevant document has been
received by the members and alternates
in their official
language not later than one week before the opening of the
plenary session. The reason for the application of this proce-
dure shall be indicated by the President on the cover page of
the document requiring a decision.

to the draft agenda must be
5. Written amendments
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

Rule 14

Convening the plenary assembly

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

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.

2.
At the written request of at least one quarter of 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 17

Admission of the public, guests and guest speakers, topical
debate slot

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.

Representatives of

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

the European Parliament, of

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The President, acting on his own initiative or at

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

4.
The Bureau may, in accordance with Rule 15(1) and (6),
propose to the plenary assembly that a general debate be held
on topical political
issues of regional and local relevance
(topical debate slot). The general rules on speaking time shall
apply.

Rule 18

Speaking time

the beginning of

The plenary assembly shall, at

1.
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 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.
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.

If a speaker exceeds his allotted speaking time, the Presi-

4.
dent may, after an initial call to order, forbid him to speak.

Any request by a member that the debate be brought to a

5.
close shall be put to the vote by the President.

Rule 19

List of speakers

1.
The names of members who ask to speak shall be entered
on 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.

Priority, may be given, however, to the rapporteur of the
2.
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.

A request to raise a point of order shall take precedence

2.
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 15 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 15
members are present, the President may rule that there is no
quorum.

2.
If it is established that there is no quorum, all items on
the 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.

All members and alternates taking part in the meeting

3.
and other persons present shall sign an attendance list.

Rule 22

Voting

The plenary assembly shall decide by a majority of the

1.
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 15 members if the result of the count is
queried.

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4.
At the proposal of the President the plenary assembly
may decide to hold a roll-call vote. Members shall vote in
alphabetical order, with the President voting last.

5.

Votes relating to persons shall be by secret ballot.

The President may at any time decide that a vote shall be

6.
conducted by electronic means.

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.

Voting on amendments shall

the
4.
points in the text. The President may order a joint vote on
amendments with a similar content and objective.

follow the order of

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.

to documents

Except as provided for in the first sentence of Rule 26(1),
2.
amendments
requiring a decision must be
submitted by at least six members and must bear their names.
National delegations with fewer than six members may submit
amendments adopted unanimously by the delegation.

They must reach the Secretary-General not later than the
3.
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).

All amendments shall be distributed to members before

4.
the beginning of the plenary session.

5.
A rapporteur may draw up a list of amendments tabled
to his draft opinion or report which he recommends be
adopted (voting recommendation). The list should be circulated
to members together with the amendments, in accordance with
Rule 23(4).

If the rapporteur has made a voting recommendation, the Presi-
dent may decide that all
the amendments covered by the
recommendation are to be voted on together. Any member
may, however, object to the voting recommendation, specifying
amendments which should be voted on separately.

Amendments shall have priority over the text to which

6.
they relate and shall be put to the vote before that text.

7.
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.

The final vote shall be on the text as a whole, whether

8.
amended or not.

Rule 24

Rule 25

Procedure for dealing with amendments

Urgent opinions and reports

If more than 20 amendments are submitted to a docu-
1.
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.

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

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Rule 26

Simplified procedures

Rule 29

Replacements at Bureau meetings

1.
Draft opinions or reports adopted unanimously by a
(lead) commission shall, after being presented by the rappor-
teur, be submitted to the plenary assembly for adoption
without change unless at least 32 members table an amend-
ment in accordance with the first sentence of Rule 23(3). In
this case, the amendment shall be dealt with by the plenary
assembly. The commission's draft opinion or report 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) one Vice-President per Member State;

(d) 25 other members; and

(e) the chairmen of the political groups.

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

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

Poland,

— two seats:

the Netherlands, Greece, Czech Republic,
Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, Slovakia,
Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania,

— one seat: Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Cyprus, Luxembourg,

Malta.

For each member of the Bureau, apart from the President
1.
and the first Vice-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 an ad personam replacement from among
its members to whom the second and third sentences of para-
graph 1 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

Rule 30

Election rules

The Bureau shall be elected by the plenary assembly for

1.
two years.

the other members of

The elections of the President, the first Vice-President, the
2.
Vice-Presidents,
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 two thirds of the members are
present.

Rule 31

Election of the President and the first Vice-President

Before the elections, candidates for the posts of President
1.
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.

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.

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.

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Rule 32

(b) preparation, organisation and coordination of the work of

the plenary assembly and the commissions.

Election of the Vice-Presidents, the other Bureau members
and the chairmen of the political groups as members of
the Bureau

For the election of

1.
the Vice-Presidents and the other
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 in separate ballots; in this case the provi-
sions on the election of the President and the first Vice-Presi-
dent 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

By-elections for 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. The by-election for a vacant Bureau seat shall take
place at a plenary session chaired by the President or by his
representative, in accordance with Rule 37(3).

Rule 35

Tasks of the Bureau

(c) overall

responsibility for

financial, organisational and
administrative matters concerning members and alternates;
its Secretariat-
internal organisation of
the Committee,
General,
including the establishment plan, and its consti-
tuent bodies;

(d) the Bureau may:

— set up working groups of Bureau members or of
Committee members to advise it in specific areas; such
working groups may have up to eight members,

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

(e) engagement of the Secretary-General and the officials and

other servants listed in Rule 63(1) and (2);

(f) submission of

the draft estimates of expenditure and
revenue to the plenary assembly in accordance with Rule
65;

(g) authorisation of meetings away from the usual place of

work;

(h) drawing-up of provisions for the membership and working
methods of working groups and of joint committees with
applicant countries.

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 one quarter 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 President
shall ask the Secretary-General to draw up discussion docu-
ments and recommendations for a decision on each item to be
discussed;
these documents and recommendations shall be
enclosed with the draft agenda.

The Bureau shall have the following tasks:

(a) establishment of the draft policy programme at the begin-
ning of each term and monitoring of its implementation.
An impact assessment shall, on referral by the Bureau, be
presented to the plenary assembly by the President annually
and at the end of each term;

4. Members must receive the documents at least 10 days
before the opening of the meeting. Amendments to recommen-
dations for decisions must be submitted in writing to the Secre-
tary-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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5.
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 timeframe. The working group or Secretary-General
shall subsequently,
in accordance with the first sentence of
Rule 36(4), submit documents for discussion together with a
recommendation for a decision. Amendments to recommenda-
tions for decisions must be submitted in writing to the Secre-
tary-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.

Rule 37

The President

1.

The President shall direct the work of the Committee.

The President shall be the Committee's representative. He

2.
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, reports and resolutions — procedure in Bureau

2.
The President shall assign documents received from the
Council, from the Commission or from the European Parlia-
ment to the responsible commission and set a deadline for the
submission of the commission's draft opinion or report; the
Bureau shall be informed of this at its next meeting.

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

(a) propose that the Bureau 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 or report. The lead commission shall vote on
the recommendations made in the draft opinions or reports
of the other commissions and integrate the adopted recom-
mendations into its own draft opinion or report. However,
to the plenary
only the lead commission shall report
assembly.

If a commission does not agree with a decision of the
it may, via its

4.
taken under Rule 39(2) and (3),
President
chairman, submit an application for a Bureau decision.

Rule 38

Opinions — legal bases

Rule 40

Appointment of a rapporteur-general

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 Euro-
pean 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 and reports — designation of commission

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

2. When a deadline set by the Council, by the Commission
or by the European 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,
its next
meeting.

the plenary assembly shall be informed at

The Bureau shall establish the annual work programme of

1.
the commissions after consulting them.

In both cases,

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

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Rule 41

Own-initiative opinions and reports

Applications for own-initiative opinions or reports may
1.
be submitted to the Bureau by three of its members, by a
commission via its chairman or by 32 members of
the
Committee. These
submitted, with
applications must be
reasons, and together with all the other discussion documents
in accordance with Rule 36(4), wherever possible, before the
annual work programme is adopted.

The Bureau shall decide on applications for own-initiative
2.
opinions or reports by a majority of three quarters of members
present. Before a vote is taken the presence of a quorum shall
be verified. The opinions or reports shall be referred to the rele-
vant commissions in accordance with Rule 39. The President
inform the plenary assembly of all Bureau decisions
shall
approving and allocating own-initiative opinions or reports.

This rule shall apply mutatis mutandis in the case of

3.
opinions which come under Rule 38(c).

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
resolution 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:

(a) put the draft resolution on the plenary session preliminary

draft agenda in accordance with Rule 15(1);

(b) appoint a commission to draw up a draft resolution by a
specific deadline under the procedure used for drawing up
draft opinions or reports. Rules 51 and 52 shall not apply
in such cases;

(c) in urgent cases, 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.

Draft

4.
resolutions referring to an unforeseeable event
occurring after the expiry of the deadline stipulated in Rule
42(2) (extremely urgent resolutions) and complying with the
provisions of Rule 42(1) may be submitted up to three hours
If the Bureau
before the beginning of the Bureau meeting.
decides that
the
Committee, the proposal shall be dealt with pursuant to Rule
42(3)(c).

the proposal concerns the key tasks of

Amendments to extremely urgent resolutions may be tabled by
any member during the plenary session.

Rule 43

Promotion of opinions, reports and resolutions

The Bureau shall be responsible for promoting the Committee's
opinions, reports and resolutions.

CHAPTER 4

Commissions

Rule 44

Composition and powers

1.
At the beginning of each term, 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.

The composition of the commissions shall reflect

2.
national composition of the Committee.

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 national
delegations which have fewer members than the number of
commissions.

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.

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a

If

commission bureau member

3.
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, reports 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.

At

least one quarter of

the written request of at

3.
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 submit-
ting 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

Rule 49

Public hearings

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

Rule 50

Time limits for drawing up opinions and reports

The commissions shall present their draft opinions or
1.
reports within the time limit set by the President. The produc-
tion of a draft opinion or report shall require no more than
two meetings, not including the first meeting at which the
work shall be organised.

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

Rule 51

Layout of opinions

1.

A Committee opinion shall consist of:

— a preamble setting out the legal basis of the opinion and
the procedure followed in its preparation, and, if necessary,
containing introductory comments, and

— a main part setting out the Committee's views and recom-
mendations on the question under consideration, if appro-
priate together with specific proposals for changes to the
document under consideration.

2.
In assessing the document under consideration, the main
part of the Committee's text shall, wherever possible, address
compliance with the subsidiarity principle and the expected
impact on administration and regional and local finances.

3.
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

Layout of reports

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.

A Committee report shall consist of:

— a preamble setting out

the procedure followed in the

elaboration of the report and a list of contents,

— an introduction, explaining the general context of the issues

in question,

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— a main part, providing specific observations and analysis of

the issues in question,

— a conclusion setting out the Committee's views and recom-

mendations on the matter.

Where necessary, appendices may include relevant documenta-
tion, reference documents and additional information.

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 meet-
ings 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.

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

Rule 53

Rapporteurs

Each commission,

acting on a proposal

from its
1.
chairman, shall appoint a rapporteur or,
in duly motivated
cases, two rapporteurs to draw up a draft opinion or report.
The chairman's proposal shall be circulated to members with
the agenda. In the case of late referrals, the chairman's proposal
shall be forwarded to members at the latest one week before
the beginning of the meeting.

In appointing rapporteurs each commission ensures a fair

2.
and balanced allocation of opinions and reports.

In urgent cases the chairman may, after informing the
3.
Secretary-General, apply a written procedure to appoint a
rapporteur. Under this procedure the chairman shall write to
the members of the commission, asking them to submit any
objections 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

4.
If the chairman or one of the vice-chairmen of a commis-
sion is appointed rapporteur, he shall, during the discussion of
his draft opinion or report, hand over the chairmanship of the
meeting to another commission bureau member or to the
oldest member present.

Rule 54

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 55

Experts

The members of

1.
services of an expert.

the commissions may call on the

Rule 56

Quorum

A quorum shall exist at a commission meeting if more

1.
than one half of its members are present.

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

is established that

If

it

All members and alternates taking part in the meeting

3.
and other persons present shall sign an attendance list.

Rule 57

Voting

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

Rule 58

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.

follow the order of

Voting on amendments shall

the
2.
points in the draft opinion or report under discussion. There-
after the whole text shall be voted on. 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.

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

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.

Rule 59

Decision not to draw up an opinion or report

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 or report.

CHAPTER 5

Administration of the Committee

Rule 60

Secretariat-General

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

Rule 63

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:

1.

The Committee shall be assisted by a Secretariat-General.

The Secretariat-General shall be headed by a Secretary-

2.
General.

— for officials in Grades 5 to 10 of Category A* and for offi-
cials in Categories B*, C* and D*, by the Secretary-General,

The Bureau, acting on a proposal from the Secretary-
3.
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.

The Secretariat-General shall draw up the minutes of the

4.
meetings of the Committee's constituent bodies.

Rule 61

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.

The Secretary-General shall discharge his duties under the

2.
direction of the President, representing the Bureau.

Rule 62

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
Conditions of employment of other servants of the European
Communities.

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

the Secretary-General.

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

— for temporary staff in grades 5 to 10 of category A* 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 or

the first Vice-President:

— for temporary staff in grades 5 to 10 of category A*
and for temporary staff in grades B*, C* and D*, by the
Secretary-General, acting on a proposal from the Presi-
dent,

— 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 or the first Vice-President shall be engaged until the
end of the President's or the first Vice-President's term of
office;

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

General,

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— for special advisers, by the Secretary-General in accordance
with the conditions set out in Article 119 of the Conditions
of employment of other servants of the European Commu-
nities.

TITLE III

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Rule 64

Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs

1.
The Bureau shall, in accordance with Rule 35, set up an
advisory Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs,
chaired by a member of the Bureau.

The Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs

2.
shall have the following responsibilities:

(a) advising on and adopting, in accordance with Rule 65, the
preliminary draft estimates of the Committee's expenditure
and revenue submitted by the Secretary-General;

(b) drawing up draft Bureau implementing provisions and deci-
sions in the financial, organisational and administrative
areas, including those relating to members and alternates.

The chairman of

3.
the Commission for Financial and
Administrative Affairs shall represent the Committee vis-à-vis
the budgetary authorities of the Union.

Rule 65

Budget

1.
The Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs
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
to the plenary
assembly for adoption.

the draft

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

3.
The Committee President, after consulting the Commis-
sion for Financial and Administrative Affairs, shall execute, or
cause to be executed, the statement of revenue and expenditure,
in accordance with the internal financial rules adopted by the
Bureau. He shall perform these functions in accordance with
the provisions of the Financial Regulation applicable to the
general budget of the European Communities.

CHAPTER 1

Cooperation with other EU bodies

Rule 66

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
inter-institutional cooperation.

Rule 67

Forwarding and publication of opinions, reports and
resolutions

1.
The Committee's opinions and reports, 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 or
report under Rule 59, shall be addressed to the Council, to the
Commission and to the European Parliament. As in the case of
resolutions, they shall be forwarded by the President.

The opinions, reports and resolutions of the Committee

2.
shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

CHAPTER 2

Openness to the public and transparency

Rule 68

Public access to documents

1.
Any citizen of the Union and any natural or legal person
residing or established in a Member State has a right of access
to the documents of the Committee of the Regions in accord-
ance with the provisions of the EC Treaty, subject to the princi-
ples, conditions and limits laid down in Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council and
to the arrangements laid down by the Committee Bureau.
Access to Committee documents shall, as far as possible, be
granted in the same way to other natural or legal persons.

2.
The Committee shall establish a register of Committee
documents. The Bureau shall adopt the internal rules governing
access and shall draw up a list of directly accessible documents.

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CHAPTER 3

Rules of Procedure

Rule 69

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.

It shall appoint an ad hoc commission to draw up a
2.
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 Journal of the
European Union.

Rule 70

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 71

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 Union.