Евразийское экономическое сообщество

APPROVED

by Resolution of the EurAsEC

Interstate Council

31 May 2001, No. 4

RULES OF PROCEDURE

for the Interstate Council

of the Eurasian Economic Community

1. These Rules of Procedure pursuant to the Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community signed by the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan on October, 10, 2000 (hereinafter referred to as the Treaty and the Parties, respectively), and to the Regulations of the EurAsEC Interstate Council, establish the order of organizing and holding Interstate Council meetings, the procedures of preparing and taking decisions.

I. MEETINGS

2. A meeting of the Interstate Council may be held in any of the EurAsEC member states upon agreement between the Parties.

3. The time and place of each meeting are agreed, as a rule, at the previous meeting of the Interstate Council.

In case a regular meeting cannot be held at the time and place fixed earlier, the Chairman/Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council, upon agreement with the Parties, l establish the new time/place of the meeting.

4. Extraordinary meetings of the Interstate Council may be convened on the initiative of any EurAsEC member– state or the Chairman of the Interstate Council.

In this case the initiator of the extraordinary meeting forward an application to the Chairman/Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council justifying the necessity of convening the extraordinary meeting, and submit drafts of its agenda and documents related to the issues proposed for consideration.

The Chairman/Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council, upon approval by all the Parties, makes a decision on holding an extraordinary meeting.

The Interstate Council is also held if the EurAsEC budget for the next financial year was not approved at a regular meeting. Such an extraordinary meeting is held, as a rule, before the end of the current financial year.

The Chairman/Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council, upon agreement with all the Parties, establishes the time and place of the extraordinary meeting no later than 10 days after the application is received.

5. Meetings of the Interstate Council, as a rule, are open meetings. They may be attended by representatives of states and organizations with observer status, the Chairman of the Integration Committee, the Chairman of the Community Court, the Chairman of the Interparliamentary Assembly, Permanent Representatives of the EurAsEC member– states, the Secretary General and other invited persons.

The presence of accredited mass media representatives at the meetings is decided by the Chairman of the Interstate Council.

6. Closed meetings are held upon the decision of the Interstate Council.

They may be attended, upon a decision of the Interstate Council members, by the Chairman of the Integration Committee, the Secretary General and specially invited persons.

7. A meeting of the Interstate Council is legally qualified if attended by all of its members or duly authorized persons.

II. AGENDA OF THE MEETING,

PROCEDURES for preparation and submission

of draft documents

8. The draft of the agenda for the regular meetings of the Interstate Council is drawn up by the Integration Committee on the basis of proposals from member states and the decisions of EurAsEC organs.

9. After due examination of the issues proposed for the draft of the agenda of an Interstate Council meeting, the Integration Committee presents a set of materials and relevant draft documents, prepared according to the Rules of Procedure, to the Chairman/Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council no later than 40 days before the date of the Interstate Council meeting.

The set of documents for each issue of the agenda (except for procedure issues) is included:

– justification for the need to approve the proposed draft document with the required financial and economic calculations, and indicating the speaker on this issue;

– the draft document to be signed;

– resolutions taken on this issue by the Integration Committee and the Commission of Permanent Representatives;

– a list of the EurAsEC treaties and resolutions in force that concern the issues raised in the document or those requiring changes, addition or cancellation in case the proposed resolution (document) is adopted.

Exceptions are made only for issues that require urgent resolutions to be taken by the Interstate Council.

10. Chairman / Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council no later than 30 days prior to the meeting date shall send the agenda draft and the package of relevant documents and materials to EurAsEC member-states and organs.

11. EurAsEC member-states and organs no later than 10 days prior to the meeting date shall submit to the Chairman / Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council their opinions about the draft agenda of the forthcoming meeting.

12. The drafts of documents and resolutions, and all relevant materials, shall be submitted for the Interstate Council’s consideration by the Chairman of the Integration Committee.

13. The agenda shall be adopted at the beginning of every meeting of the Interstate Council.

III. Delegations

14. Official delegations participating in the meetings of the Interstate Council at the level of heads of states shall normally consist of 8 persons.

15. Official delegations participating in the meetings of the Interstate Council at the level of heads of governments shall normally consist of 7 persons.

16. No later than 10 days prior to the meeting the Parties shall provide information about the composition of their official delegations to the Secretariat of the Integration Committee, which shall resolve all organizational matters in cooperation with the host state.

The number of persons participating in the meeting in the capacity of experts on behalf of any Party shall be determined by the Parties jointly with the Secretariat of the Integration Committee.

17. In the event a EurAsEC member-state shall be represented, not by a member of the Interstate Council, but by an authorized person, this person shall produce documents confirming his/her legal capacity for participation in the Interstate Council’s meetings.

IV. Chairmanship

18. Chairman / Deputy Chairman of the Interstate Council shall:

give general guidance over preparation of issues introduced for consideration at the regular meetings;

open, preside over, and end the meetings;

sign the Interstate Council’s resolutions on issues of an organizational nature and protocol;

ensure compliance with the present Rules of Procedure.

V. Procedure for conduct of meetings

19. Resolutions on opening and ending the Interstate Council’s meetings shall be adopted by the members of the Interstate Council on the proposal of the Council Chairman.

20. The issues on the meeting agenda shall normally be presented by the Secretary General.

21. Procedural questions relating to the conduct of the Interstate Council’s meetings shall be approved by simple majority vote.

22. Organizational and informational and technical arrangements for the preparation and conduct of the Interstate Council’s meetings shall be implemented by the Secretariat with the assistance of the host state.

The meetings shall be financed from the budget of EurAsEC within the limits of funds allocated for these purposes.

23. Resolutions of the Interstate Council shall become effective on the dates of their adoption, unless the resolution itself provides otherwise.

VI. Final provisions

24. Invitations to the Interstate Council’s meetings shall be sent by the Secretary General on proposal of the Parties and/or EurAsEC organs by agreement with the Chairman of the Interstate Council.

25. The Interstate Council’s meetings shall be taken down in shorthand. The verbatim records of the meetings shall not be intended for dissemination.

26. The texts of documents adopted by the Interstate Council shall be published, upon the Interstate Council’s decision, in EurAsEC’s print publication and the Parties’ print publications.

27. On proposal of the Parties and/or EurAsEC organs, amendments may be introduced to the present Rules by a resolution of the Interstate Council.

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