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Adopted by the Decision of

Adopted by the Decision of Adopted by the Decision of the Baltic Assembly in Vilnius on 29 May 1999 BALTIC ASSEMBLY STATUTE CHAPTER 1 FOUNDATIONS OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article

  1. Baltic Assembly
  2. The Baltic Assembly (or BA) is an international organisation for co-operation between the parliaments of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania, founded on the basis of the joint decision adopted by members of the Supreme Councils of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Vilnius on 1 December 1990, which is functioning on the basis of the Regulations of the Baltic Assembly approved in Tallinn on 8 November 1991, and the Agreement of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania on Parliamentary and Intergovernmental Co-operation of the Baltic States signed on 13 June 1994, the present Statute and other legal acts adopted by the Baltic Assembly and its bodies.
  3. The Baltic Assembly shall be an entity under international law with the headquarters of its Secretariat based in Riga, Latvia.
  4. The Baltic Assembly shall have its own symbols (emblem, flag, seal, etc.) the use whereof shall be regulated by the Symbols Regulations approved by the session. Article
  5. Composition of the Baltic Assembly The parliament of each of the Baltic States shall appoint 20 parliamentarians to the Baltic Assembly (national delegation, including its head and deputy head), in accordance with the approved rules of procedure and the principle of proportional political representation in the national delegation. Article
  6. Principles of Activities of the Baltic Assembly The Baltic Assembly shall consider issues and different projects which are of interest to the members of the national delegations and the Member States, and adopt decisions in compliance with the principles of equality, mutual benefit and unanimity, as well as develop co-operation with other regional, international, and inter-parliamentary organisations. Article
  7. Languages of the Baltic Assembly The official languages of the Baltic Assembly shall be Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. Other languages shall be used in the work of the Baltic Assembly in the cases specified by this Statute or by agreement between the delegations. CHAPTER 2 BODIES OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY SECTION 1 SESSION OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article
  8. Session of the Baltic Assembly
  9. The supreme body of the Baltic Assembly shall be a session.
  10. Sessions shall be regular and extraordinary. Article
  11. Competence of a Session of the Baltic Assembly
  12. A session of the Baltic Assembly shall be competent to adopt decisions on all the issues pertaining to its activities.
  13. The following shall be within the exclusive competence of a session of the Baltic Assembly: 1) adoption and amendment of the Statute; 2) adoption and amendment of the Symbols and their Usage Regulations; 3) fixing of the time and venue of a regular session; 4) approval and amendment of the agenda of a session; 5) formation of the standing and ad hoc committees, appointment of their chairmen and vice chairmen; 6) approval of a candidature for Secretary of the Baltic Assembly; 7) adoption and amendment of the Regulations of the Secretariat; 8) hearing of BA Presidium’s report on the work accomplished in the period between the sessions; 9) approval of BA budget and the report on the performance thereof; 10) adoption of recommendations, resolutions, decisions and statements; and 11) adoption of recommendations on making changes in the composition of the Presidium. Article
  14. Powers of a Session of the Baltic Assembly
  15. A regular session of the Baltic Assembly shall have powers if at least 2/3 of all the members of the national delegations attend it; more than 1/2 of the members of each national delegation must be present.
  16. An extraordinary session of the Baltic Assembly shall have powers if more than 1/2 of the members of each national delegation attend it.
  17. Before the opening of a session, also upon the request of the national delegations, the registration of the members of the delegations shall be conducted. SECTION 2 PRESIDIUM OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article
  18. Composition of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly
  19. The Presidium shall be formed for organisation of the work of the Baltic Assembly.
  20. The Presidium of the Baltic Assembly shall comprise the head of each national delegation and his deputy, appointed by the parliament of the appropriate State. Article
  21. Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the Presidium
  22. The work of the Presidium shall be directed by the Chairman and two Vice Chairmen of the Presidium.
  23. At the end of each regular session of the Baltic Assembly, the head of the national delegation of the State wherein the next regular session will be held, shall become the Chairman of the Presidium.
  24. The heads of the other two national delegations shall become Vice Chairmen of the Presidium. Article
  25. Tasks and Competence of the Presidium
  26. The Presidium shall direct the preparation of sessions, co-ordinate the work of BA bodies during the sessions and between them, supervise the performance of the budget of the Baltic Assembly, represent the Baltic Assembly and maintain relations with international organisations, as well as with the parliaments and Governments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, fulfil other tasks prescribed to the Presidium under the present Statute and the documents adopted on the basis thereof.
  27. it shall be within the competence of the Presidium: 1) to register personal compositions of BA committees and commissions; 2) to register BA party groups (BA factions) and their personal compositions; 3) to hold a competition to select Secretary of the Baltic Assembly and present for approval a candidature for the office of Secretary; 4) to convoke an extraordinary session of the Baltic Assembly; 5) to present a draft agenda of a session; 6) to appoint leading committees for consideration of the submitted documents; 7) to draw up a draft budget in conjunction with BA Secretariat and preliminarily consider a report on the budget performance, presented by the Budget and Audit Committee at the session; 8) to bring the documents adopted at sessions of the Baltic Assembly to the knowledge of the national parliaments; 9) to resolve other issues which are within its competence.
  28. The Presidium shall draw up a report on the work accomplished in the period between the sessions and present it at the session of the Baltic Assembly. Article
  29. Meeting of the Presidium
  30. Meetings of the Presidium shall be held at least four times a year.
  31. A meeting of the Presidium shall be convened by the Chairman of the Presidium who fixes the time and venue of the meeting and submits a draft agenda of the meeting.
  32. A meeting of the Presidium may be attended by the chairmen of the committees and Drafting Committee, as well as by the members of the national delegations and other persons invited by the Presidium.
  33. Taking of the minutes of meetings of the Presidium shall be provided by BA Secretariat. The time and venue of a meeting, names of the participants, issues considered, main viewpoints expressed and adopted decisions shall be entered in the minutes. The minutes shall be signed by the presiding officer of a sitting and by the person who took the minutes.
  34. Technical servicing of a meeting of the Presidium shall be provided by BA Secretariat.
  35. Copies of the minutes of meetings of the Presidium shall be forwarded to the members of the national delegations to the Baltic Assembly not later than within two weeks following the meetings of the Presidium. Article
  36. Decisions of the Presidium
  37. The Presidium of the Baltic Assembly shall have powers if its meetings are attended by the Chairman of the Presidium and one member of the Presidium from each State of the Baltic Assembly.
  38. Decisions of the Presidium shall be adopted by consensus. In the event of failure to reach a consensus, the Chairman of the Presidium may make a proposal to put the issue on the agenda of the session. In this event, the session shall adopt a decision proceeding form the principle of the consensus of the national delegations. SECTION 3 COMMITTEES OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article
  39. Committees of the Baltic Assembly
  40. Committees shall be appointed for the preparation and consideration of the issues which are of interest to the Baltic Assembly
  41. The following shall be standing committees of the Baltic Assembly: 1) Budget and Audit Committee; 2) Communications and Informatics Committee; 3) Economic and Social Affairs Committee; 4) Education, Science and Culture Committee; 5) Environment Protection and Energy Committee; 6) Legal Committee; 7) Security and Foreign Affairs Committee.
  42. For the working out of separate issues, a session of the Baltic Assembly may set up ad hoc committees, defining their composition, scope and term of authority, and the procedure of accounting for their activities. Article
  43. Tasks and Competence of Standing Committees
  44. The task of the standing committees - to consider the issues which fall within the sphere of their activities and are of interest to the members of the national delegations and the States of the Baltic Assembly, to work out joint stands on such issues, as well as to consider and prepare for adoption at the sessions of the documents which have been referred to them by the Presidium.
  45. The committees of the Baltic Assembly shall: 1) prepare the issues within their competence for consideration at sessions; 2) prepare drafts of the documents referred to them by the Presidium for consideration at sessions; 3) initiate drafts of documents; 4) exercise control over the implementation of the documents prepared by them and adopted by BA; 5) bring the documents adopted at BA sessions and related to their competence to the knowledge of the appropriate committees of the national parliaments; 6) resolve other issues which are within the competence of BA committees. Article
  46. Appointment of Members of the Committees
  47. Each member of the national delegation may be a member of one standing committee, and additionally - a member of the Budget and Audit Committee, and the Drafting Committee.
  48. Each national delegation shall appoint its members to BA committees in compliance with the principle of equal representation of the national delegations in the committees and, as far as possible, their interests.
  49. When it is necessary to temporary replace a committee member in the work of a standing committee, a member of the national delegation may, by the national delegation’s decision, be appointed to deputise for him. The deputising member shall enjoy all the rights and responsibilities of the committee member. Article
  50. Budget and Audit Committee
  51. The Budget and Audit Committee shall be a standing committee to which two members of each national delegation who are not the heads or deputy heads of the national delegations, shall be appointed.
  52. The session shall approve the composition of the Budget and Audit Committee and, when necessary, change the composition thereof upon the proposal of the national delegations.
  53. The Budget and Audit Committee shall: 1) have the right, at any time, to examine and check financial documents; 2) draw up a draft of the procedure for the use of funds and other BA resources, and present at the session appropriate drafts of decisions; 3) consider the draft budget of the next year, which has been drawn up by the Presidium and Secretariat, make amendments thereto and present it through the Presidium for adoption at the autumn session; 4) exercise control over BA expenses and make, at the spring session, a report on the implementation of the budget of the Baltic Assembly of the preceding year, and the conclusions on the soundness of the expenses. Article
  54. Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the Committee
  55. At the end of each session, the national delegation of the State in which the next regular session of the Baltic Assembly will be held shall appoint committee chairmen. The national delegations of the other two States shall appoint vice chairmen of the committees. Chairmen and vice chairmen shall be approved at BA session.
  56. The chairman of a committee shall: 1) co-ordinate and organise the activities of the committee, draw up a plan of its work; 2) convene meetings of the committee and draft the agendas thereof; 3) decide whom to invite to the discussion of issues and drafts; 4) preside over a meeting of the committee; 5) when necessary, participate in meetings of the Presidium as a representative of the committee; 6) sign the documents of a committee.
  57. In the absence of the chairman of a committee, the vice chairman who is from the State of the Baltic Assembly in which the previous session was held, shall act as chairman of the committee. In the event of his absence, the other vice chairman shall act as chairman. Article
  58. Meetings of the Committees
  59. Meetings of a standing committee shall be held at least twice in six months, and meetings of ad hoc committees, as often as necessary.
  60. Meetings of the committees shall be convened by their chairmen who shall make up the agenda and set the time and venue of the meetings.
  61. The members of BA national delegations, representatives of the Governments, experts may be invited to attend meetings of the committees, as well as other persons invited at the discretion of the chairmen of the committees.
  62. Taking of the minutes of meetings of the committees shall be provided by the secretary of the national delegation of the State in which a sitting of the committee is being held. The time, venue of the sitting, names of the participants, issues considered, main viewpoints expressed and adopted decisions shall be entered in the minutes. The minutes shall be signed by the presiding officer of the sitting and the person who took the minutes.
  63. Technical servicing of meetings of the committees shall be provided by the secretary of the national delegation of the State in which meetings of the committees are being held.
  64. Copies of the minutes of the meetings of the committees shall be forwarded to the members of the committees and BA Secretary not later than within two weeks following the said meetings. Article
  65. Decisions of the Committees
  66. The powers of the committee of the Baltic Assembly shall be lawful, if its meeting is attended by at least one member of the national delegation from each BA State, including the chairman or vice chairman of the committee.
  67. Decisions of the committee shall be adopted by consensus of the members of the committee who attend the meeting. In the event of failure to reach a consensus, the chairman of the committee may refer the issue for consideration to the session. SECTION 4 DRAFTING COMMITTEE OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article
  68. Appointment of the Drafting Committee 1.Draft documents under consideration at the sessions must be edited and made uniform in terms of both technical requirements and standards. The Baltic Assembly shall with that purpose appoint a standing Drafting Committee.
  69. Each national delegation shall appoint two members to the Drafting Committee. The composition of the Drafting Committee shall be announced at the end of each session. Article
  70. Tasks and Competence of the Drafting Committee
  71. The Drafting Committee shall make drafts to be considered at the sessions uniform in terms of both technical requirements and standards, and shall edit documents.
  72. The Drafting Committee shall: 1) consider all draft documents to be presented at a session and, after consultation with the committees that prepare the said documents, make necessary editing amendments thereto, also it may put such amendments to the vote at the session; 2) in the manner and time stipulated in the present Statute, provide its conclusions regarding all the documents subject to adoption at the session; 3) approve the final versions of the drafts subject to adoption; 4) resolve other issues which are within its competence. Article
  73. Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the Drafting Committee
  74. Chairman of the Drafting Committee shall be appointed by the delegation of the State in which the next regular BA session will be held, and his name shall be announced at the session together with the announcement of the composition of the Drafting Committee. Vice chairmen shall be appointed by the delegations of the other two BA States.
  75. The chairman of the Drafting Committee shall: 1) co-ordinate and organise the work of the Drafting Committee; 2) convene meetings of the Drafting Committee and draw up draft agendas thereof; 3) decide whom to invite for discussion of the items on the agenda; 4) preside over meetings of the Drafting Committee; 5) when necessary, participate as a representative of the Committee in meetings of the Presidium; 6) when necessary, appoint a representative or represent himself the Drafting Committee at the meetings of the committees where the amendments recommended by the Committee are discussed; 7) duly endorse all the draft documents approved by the Committee.
  76. In the absence of the chairman of the Drafting Committee, his duties shall be performed by the vice chairman who is from the national delegation of the State in which the previous regular session has been held. Article
  77. Meetings of the Drafting Committee
  78. Meetings of the Drafting Committee shall be held in the time stipulated in the Statute of the Baltic Assembly, and, when necessary, in the time set by the chairman of the Committee.
  79. The chairman of the Drafting Committee shall convene a meeting of the Commission and announce the agenda, exact time and venue of a meeting.
  80. Persons who are not the members of the Drafting Committee, may attend meetings of the Drafting Committee only upon the invitation of the chairman of the Committee.
  81. Meetings of the Drafting Committee shall be minuted. The time, venue of a meeting, names of the participants, issues considered, main viewpoints expressed and adopted decisions shall be entered in the minutes. The minutes shall be signed by the presiding officer of the meeting and the person who took the minutes.
  82. Technical servicing of a meeting of the Drafting Committee, including taking of the minutes, shall be provided by the secretary of the national delegation of the State in which the meeting is being held.
  83. The minutes of the meeting of the Drafting Committee shall be forwarded to the Presidium immediately after it has been signed. Extracts from the minutes, concerning the preparation of the documents, shall be presented to the appropriate committees. Article
  84. Decisions of the Drafting Committee
  85. The Drafting Committee of the Baltic Assembly shall have powers if its meeting is attended by at least one member from each State, including the chairman of the Committee or his deputy.
  86. Decisions of the Drafting Committee shall be adopted by consensus of the members of the Committee. In the event of failure to reach a consensus, the chairman of the Drafting Committee shall transfer the disputable issue for consideration to the committee which has prepared the document, or, upon the decision of the Committee, the said issue shall be put to the vote at a session. section 5 PARTY GROUPS Article
  87. Party Groups (Factions) of the Baltic Assembly
  88. In order to express similar political interests and views and on the basis of an appropriate joint declaration, the members of the national delegations may form party groups (factions) consisting of at least 5 members from at least two national delegations.
  89. A party group shall elect chairman and vice chairman, and shall inform the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly about this.
  90. An individual member of the national delegation may belong to one party group (faction), at the most.
  91. Factions shall have the right to present draft documents to the Presidium or the session, and make the proposal to put them to the vote. CHAPTER 3 SESSION OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article
  92. Regular Session
  93. Regular sessions of the Baltic Assembly shall be held twice a year - in spring and in autumn.
  94. The exact date of next regular session shall be fixed by a decision of the previous regular session. When determining the date, the dates of national parliamentary elections shall be taken into account.
  95. Regular BA sessions shall be held alternately in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The State - organiser of a session shall, not later than two months prior to the beginning of a session, set a more exact venue of the session, and through its national secretary, notify BA Secretariat and the other secretariats of the national delegations.
  96. When necessary, the session of the Baltic Assembly may make exceptions in the order of priority of venues and time of sessions, however, when determining the conditions of the next session, it must proceed from the principle of equality of all BA Member States. Article
  97. Extraordinary Session
  98. A proposal to convene an extraordinary session may be submitted by each national delegation individually or jointly with other delegations.
  99. The proposal to convene an extraordinary session must be well-founded, indicating the issues subject to consideration.
  100. The decision to convene an extraordinary session shall be adopted during a regular session or in the period between the sessions - by the Presidium.
  101. The decision to convene an extraordinary session shall be adopted by consensus of the national delegations to the Baltic Assembly or the members of the Presidium.
  102. The session or Presidium shall define the agenda, venue and time of an extraordinary session. Article
  103. Agenda of a Session
  104. The Presidium shall submit a draft agenda of a session to the national delegations no later than two weeks before the beginning of a regular session or upon the convocation of an extraordinary session. The agenda of a session must include the issues subject to consideration and preliminary timetable of the Baltic Assembly. Draft documents shall be attached to the agenda.
  105. The time allotted for speeches and answers to the questions shall be set while considering the agenda of a session.
  106. After opening the session, the presiding officer shall put the agenda to the vote.
  107. The session may, on the basis of consensus, make amendments to the agenda at any time. Article
  108. Conduct of a Session
  109. The work of a session shall be directed by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly or by one of the vice chairmen.
  110. The presiding officer of a session shall ensure the conduct of the session. Article
  111. Openness of the Work
  112. Work of the Baltic Assembly shall be open to the public.
  113. The Baltic Assembly may declare a session or a part thereof closed by a consensus decision of the national delegations, provided that at least two-thirds of the members of the national delegations cast their votes in favour of such a decision. Article
  114. Recording and Taking Minutes of the Work of a Session
  115. Work of a session of the Baltic Assembly shall be tape-recorded and the minutes of it shall be taken.
  116. The minutes shall include the following: time and venue of the session; names of the presiding officer and participants; agenda; speakers and the essence of their speeches; full texts of the decisions adopted; and the results of voting.
  117. The minutes of the session shall be signed by the Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the Presidium, and by the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly.
  118. The minutes of the session shall be taken in the English language and translated into the official languages of the Baltic Assembly.
  119. Copies of the minutes of the session shall be distributed to the members of the national delegations to the Baltic Assembly within two months from the end of the session.
  120. Subject the signing of the minutes of the session, they shall be published and entered on the BA web site on the Internet. Article
  121. Adoption of Decisions at Sessions 1.TA session of the Baltic Assembly shall adopt its decisions by voting.
  122. When voting, each member of the national delegation shall have one vote. A decision shall be deemed to have been adopted if more than half of the members of all the national delegations to the Baltic Assembly have cast their votes in favour of it.
  123. Decisions specified in subparagraphs 1, 3, 6, 9, and 11 of Article 6 of this Statute, shall be adopted by consensus of the national delegations.
  124. Before voting on any issue, a national delegation shall have the right to request voting on the principle of consensus of the delegations. In this case, the decision shall be deemed to have been adopted, if all the national delegations have voted in favour of it. CHAPTER 4 PROCEDURE OF PREPARING THE DOCUMENTS OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY SECTION 1 SUBMISSION OF DRAFT DOCUMENTS Article
  125. Documents that Can be Adopted by the Baltic Assembly The Baltic Assembly shall express its position in the form of resolution, declaration, recommendation, appeal, decision, statement, proposal, opinion or memorandum. Article
  126. Right to Initiate Documents
  127. Each member of the national delegation, committee, party group (faction) and BA national delegation itself shall have the right to initiate documents in any form.
  128. The Presidium shall exercise such right for resolving the issues pertaining to the organisation of the work of the Baltic Assembly and in the cases specified by this Statute. Article
  129. Submission of Draft Documents
  130. A draft of a document of the Baltic Assembly shall be submitted to the Presidium.
  131. A draft document to be considered at a regular session, must be transferred to the Presidium not later than a month and a half before the beginning of a session.
  132. By way of exception, the national delegation shall have the right to present a draft document at the beginning of the session.
  133. Draft documents to be considered at an extraordinary session, may be submitted at the beginning of such session. Article
  134. Requirements for a Document to be Initiated
  135. A draft document shall be submitted to the Presidium in one of the official languages of the Baltic Assembly together with the translation into the English language. An explanatory note shall be attached to the draft, in which the author (initiator) of the draft substantiates the necessity of adoption of the said document.
  136. The draft document must bear the date, full names and signatures of the initiators or their representatives. Article
  137. List of Draft Documents
  138. The Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall make up a list of the draft documents which have been timely submitted for consideration at a session and which meet the requirements laid down in the Statute, and shall send it to the secretariats of the national delegations together with the draft documents.
  139. The list of the documents to be considered at a session may, as necessary, be supplemented or abridged on the basis of decisions of the bodies within the competence of which is the preparation of draft documents. SECTION 2 PROCEDURE OF PREPARING DRAFT DOCUMENTS Article
  140. Appointment of a Leading Committee
  141. Immediately after receiving a draft document, the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly shall appoint a leading committee to work on the initiated draft taking into account the sphere of activities of each committee. BA Secretariat shall put the appointed leading committee on the list of draft documents and through the national secretariats organise the translation of the draft and its forwarding to the members of the leading committee.
  142. For a draft document submitted, by way of exception, by a national delegation at the beginning of a session, the Presidium shall immediately appoint a leading committee and transfer the draft document to the Drafting Committee.
  143. The Presidium may, if necessary, and by the consent of the committees, redistribute draft documents between the committees. Article
  144. Appointment of a Rapporteur and his Tasks
  145. Upon receiving the draft, the chairman of the leading committee shall appoint a person, a rapporteur, who is responsible for the preparation of the draft - a rapporteur.
  146. BA Secretariat shall be informed about the rapporteur appointed by the committee, and shall put his name on the list of the draft documents in preparation.
  147. The rapporteur shall prepare the draft for the discussion on the substance at the committee and shall, on behalf of the committee, announce the said draft at the session of the Baltic Assembly. Article
  148. Work of a Leading Committee on a Draft Document
  149. A leading committee shall, not later than one month before the beginning of a session, consider the submitted draft document at its meeting. The chairman of the committee shall invite the necessary specialists and representatives of the Government for a discussion of the draft document.
  150. The leading committee shall make necessary amendments to the draft document and shall, not later than one month before the beginning of a regular session, adopt a decision on presenting the document for consideration at the session of the Baltic Assembly.
  151. If a the leading committee decides to present a draft document for consideration at the session, it shall transfer the document, after having amended it as necessary, to the Drafting Committee, together the conclusion of the leading committee. Article
  152. Work of the Drafting Committee on a Draft Document
  153. The Drafting Committee shall consider the drafts submitted to it not later than two weeks before the beginning of a session.
  154. In order to achieve an editing (stylistic) uniformity of drafts and their uniformity in form, the Drafting Committee shall make necessary amendments to the drafts.
  155. In case the Drafting Committee has doubts regarding the argumentation of the draft or any substantive part thereof, it shall immediately present its opinion, in a written form, to the leading committee and the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly. Article
  156. Preparing a Draft Document
  157. At a session of the Baltic Assembly, the author of a draft document and the rapporteur from the leading committee shall make a report on the draft. After the presentation, questions may be posed to them which they shall answer.
  158. After the questions end, the presiding officer of the sitting shall fix a term for submitting proposals concerning amendments to be made to the draft.
  159. Proposals for making amendments may be submitted by factions, committees and members of the national delegations. Proposals on making amendments must be submitted in a written form to the leading committee.
  160. The leading committee shall consider the proposals on making amendments and adopt decisions thereon. After that, the text of the draft shall be submitted to the Drafting Committee which shall consider it and, upon having co-ordinated it with the leading committee, shall present the final revision of the draft to the Presidium. The Presidium and BA Secretariat shall organise the translation of the final text of the draft document.
  161. The final revision of the draft together with the proposals for making amendments shall be again presented for consideration at the session, where only the rapporteur shall make a report thereon.
  162. After the report, the authors of rejected amendments may put them to the vote. After the voting on the amendments, the draft document shall be brought to a final vote.
  163. The leading committee or the author of the draft shall have the right to request adjournment of the consideration of the draft at any time. In the event of adjournment of the consideration of the draft, the committee may, taking into account the agenda of the session, mediate a new consideration of the draft during the same session or it may postpone the consideration of the draft. A decision pertaining to this issue shall be adopted by the session of the Baltic Assembly. Article
  164. Final Document of a Session
  165. After having adopted decisions on the drafts, the Presidium shall present the Final Document to the session for adoption. The Final Document shall specify all the documents adopted at the session and point out other most important issues discussed at the session, as well as indicate the State and time of holding of the next regular session.
  166. The Final Document together with the documents adopted at the session shall be made available for access to the public and shall be entered on the BA web site on the Internet. Article
  167. Work on the Documents Submitted by Way of Exception
  168. If the national delegation presents a draft document at the beginning of a session, the Presidium shall immediately appoint a leading committee to work on such draft and shall transfer the draft to the Drafting Committee.
  169. The Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly shall immediately organise translation of the draft and distribute it to the members of the national delegations.
  170. The leading committee shall consider the draft, make necessary amendments to it, and shall present the draft to the Drafting Committee. The latter shall return it to the Presidium together with its conclusions.
  171. The Presidium shall put the draft on the agenda in the order of priority.
  172. The author of the draft and a representative of the leading committee shall speak about the draft document. After that, the document shall be put to final voting or its consideration shall be adjourned.
  173. The draft documents which have been submitted by way of exception, must be considered prior to the consideration of the Final Document of the session. SECTION 3 CONSIDERATION OF OTHER ISSUES Article
  174. Putting of other Issues on the Agenda When drawing up an agenda of a session, the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly may, by the advice of the committees, factions or members of the national delegations, put on the agenda the consideration of urgent issues and hearing of officers’ responses to queries. Article
  175. Procedure of Consideration of other Issues
  176. Initiators of the proposals shall make reports on the urgent issues which are put on the agenda of a session, and the invited officer - if there are queries.
  177. After hearing the report, speakers may be asked questions which he shall answer.
  178. After the questions end, the presiding officer at the session shall open a debate during which each person who desires to speak shall be given the floor in a prescribed manner. The requests to make a speech shall be filed in a written form and the order of making speeches shall conform to the order of submitting requests. CHAPTER 5 SECRETARIAT OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article
  179. General Provisions
  180. The Secretariat shall ensure regular activities of the Baltic Assembly and its bodies.
  181. The Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly shall comprise BA Secretary, secretaries of the national delegations (national secretaries) of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. BA Secretariat shall have its own staff.
  182. Activities of the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly and secretaries of the national delegations shall be co-ordinated proceeding form the present Statute and other documents adopted on the basis thereof. Article
  183. Formation of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly
  184. The delegations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania shall inform the Presidium and BA Secretary about the appointment of secretaries of the national delegations.
  185. In order to select a candidate for a post of BA Secretary, the Presidium shall hold an open competition. The winner of the competition shall be presented to the session for the confirmation of appointment as BA Secretary.
  186. The Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall be appointed to the post in compliance with the principle of consensus of the national delegations. The Chairman of the Presidium shall conclude an employment contract with BA Secretary on the basis of the decision of the session.
  187. The tenure of the office of the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall be 3 years with the right to be appointed for a new term of office. Article
  188. Structure of the Staff of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly
  189. The structure of the staff of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly shall be approved by the session, by the advice of the Presidium.
  190. Employees of the staff of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly shall be employed by BA Secretary proceeding from the structure and budget of the Secretariat. Article
  191. Tasks of the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly
  192. The Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall be directly responsible to the Chairman of the Presidium.
  193. The tasks of the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall be as follows: 1) to manage the staff of BA Secretariat in Riga, Latvia; 2) to hold meetings with the secretaries of the national delegations and the staff of BA Secretariat; 3) to collect, summarise and disseminate the information received from international and parliamentary organisations with which the Baltic Assembly has made the agreements or in the work of which the Baltic Assembly participates as an organisation, as well as to exchange information and to furnish it to the Presidium and secretariats of the national delegations; 4) to co-operate and exchange information with the Secretariat of the Baltic Council of Ministers. The received information shall be furnished to the secretaries of the national delegations of the Baltic States; 5) to prepare for publication the documents of a session and the material of on the activities of the Baltic Assembly; 6) to perform the duties of secretary at meetings of the Presidium; 7) to compile and preserve archives of the Baltic Assembly (documents, minutes of the sittings, etc.); 8) to confirm and sign financial documents (orders, accounts, etc.) within the budgetary funds of the Baltic Assembly and its Secretariat, as well as the powers of BA Secretary; 9) to draw up, together with the Presidium, an initial draft budget of the Baltic Assembly; 10) to organise book-keeping and activities in compliance with the requirements of legal acts of the Republic of Latvia and the procedure established by BA Budget and Audit Committee; 11) to keep and lawfully use the property and funds of the Baltic Assembly; 12) to supervise the lawful use of the Baltic Assembly symbols. Article
  194. Tasks of the Secretary of the National Delegation to the Baltic Assembly
  195. The secretary of the national delegation of the BA Member State (secretary of the national delegation) shall be appointed and responsible for his work in accordance with the legislation of the BA Member State and the present Statute.
  196. The tasks of the secretary of the national delegation shall be as follows: 1) to prepare, co-ordinate and provide technical servicing of the events of the Baltic Assembly which are held on the territory of the State he represents; 2) to render assistance to the head and deputy head of the national delegation in directing the delegation; 3) to provide technical assistance to the members of the national delegation; 4) to participate in meetings of the Presidium and in its meetings with the partners in co-operation; 5) to render assistance, if required, to the members of the Presidium during official negotiations with the partners and the organisations in the work whereof the Baltic Assembly participates; 6) to keep relations and exchange information with BA Secretary; 7) to co-ordinate and organise the information activities of the Baltic Assembly in the State he represents; 8) to maintain relations and co-operation with senior officials of the Baltic Council of Ministers in the State he represents; 9) to prepare and take minutes of the joint meetings of the national delegation and foreign delegations; 10) to provide technical organisation, to render assistance and to take minutes of the official meetings of the committees of the Baltic Assembly in foreign states; 11) to provide technical organisation and to prepare a session of the Baltic Assembly in the State he represents, and to participate in the work of the national delegation at the sessions held in other Baltic States; 12) to organise the work of the national Judging Committee of the Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science; 13) to supervise the lawful use of the Baltic Assembly symbols on the territory of the State he represents; 14) to keep and lawfully use the property and funds of the Baltic Assembly, assigned to its authority. Article
  197. Responsibilities of the Secretary of the National Delegation of the Presiding State The secretary of the national delegation of the presiding State in the Baltic Assembly shall be responsible for the technical and organisational servicing of BA sessions, Presidium, committees, Drafting Committee, party groups (factions). The responsibilities of the secretary of the national delegation of the presiding State shall additionally include: 1) jointly with BA Secretary, direction of the organisation and preparation of the work of a session of the Baltic Assembly; 2) organisation of technical servicing of sittings of the session, committees and the Drafting Committee; 3) provision of technical and organisational assistance to the work of the Joint Judging Committee of the Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science; 4) co-ordination of joint events with the partners of the Baltic Assembly. CHAPTER 6 PROPERTY, FUNDS AND BUDGET OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY Article
  198. Property and Funds of the Baltic Assembly
  199. The activities of the Baltic Assembly shall be financed with the funds received as membership fees.
  200. The Baltic Assembly may, in accordance with the established procedure, also hold and use the property and funds necessary for its activities, received as donations, inheritance and from the economic activities relating to its objectives (selling of souvenirs bearing its symbols, publishing of printed matter, etc.).
  201. A draft procedure for the use of the property and funds of the Baltic Assembly shall be prepared by the Budget and Audit Committee and approved by a session.
  202. BA Secretary shall, in accordance with the Statute, enjoy the right to use the property and funds of the Baltic Assembly. Article
  203. Financing of the Activities of the Baltic Assembly
  204. Each national delegation to the Baltic Assembly shall itself cover the expenses related to the participation of its members in sessions, meetings of the Presidium, committees and commissions.
  205. The expenses of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly and other joint BA expenses (expenses for the organisation and holding of sessions and sittings, organisational expenses of the committees, remuneration paid to the chairmen of committees, commissions and Presidium, as well as to the national secretaries of the presiding State, hired experts, sums necessary for the reception of delegations and guests, etc.) shall be distributed equally among the Member States of the Baltic Assembly.
  206. Joint expenses relating to the BA activities shall be financed from the budget of the Baltic Assembly. Article
  207. Drawing up and Approval of the Budget of the Baltic Assembly
  208. BA budget for the next year shall be approved at the autumn session, whereas the target figures of the BA budget for the next year shall be presented to the parliaments in April of the current year.
  209. Initial draft budget shall be drawn up in compliance with general principles of the financing of activities of the Baltic Assembly by BA Secretariat in conjunction with the Presidium, and submitted to the Budget and Audit Committee.
  210. The Budget and Audit Committee shall, when necessary, make amendments to the submitted draft budget of the Baltic Assembly, return the said draft to the Presidium, and then submit it to the session for approval.
  211. The session shall consider the draft budget of the Baltic Assembly and approve it by consensus. Article
  212. Informing about the Budget of the Baltic Assembly Immediately after the adoption of a decision on the budget, the Presidium shall inform the parliaments and the Governments of the Member States of the Baltic Assembly about the contributions that are to be made to the budget of the Baltic Assembly. Article
  213. Incidental Expenses and Amendment of the Budget
  214. Proportions of budgetary expenditure items of the Baltic Assembly may, when necessary, be modified in an extraordinary order, by the decision of the session.
  215. The Presidium may, after consultation with the Budget and Audit Committee, include in the budget and use unexpected donations and earnings.
  216. At the next session after the receipt of the unexpected donations and earnings, the Budget and Audit Committee shall make a report on the use of the said donations and earnings. Article
  217. Use of Free Budgetary Funds
  218. The Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall transfer free budgetary funds into the bank account of the credit institution determined by the Budget and Audit Committee.
  219. Under the conditions established by the Budget and Audit Committee, BA Secretary shall have the exclusive right to dispose of the bank account of the Baltic Assembly.
  220. The Budget and Audit Committee shall draw up a procedure for the use of funds of the Baltic Assembly, and present it for approval at the session. CHAPTER 7 CO-OPERATION OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY WITH THE BALTIC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS Article
  221. Organisation of the Co-operation
  222. Co-operation between the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers shall be based on the 13 June 1994 Agreement on Interparliamentary and Intergovernmental Co-operation between the Baltic States, this Statute and other legislative acts. Co-operation between the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers shall be implemented by the Presidium and standing committees, co-ordinated by the Secretariats of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers.
  223. The Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers shall, through the appropriate Secretariats, exchange information on a permanent basis. Article
  224. Sittings of the Baltic Council
  225. Each year the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers shall hold joint sittings - the Baltic Council. The time and venue of a joint sitting and its agenda shall be co-ordinated through the appropriate Secretariats on the basis of agreement reached between the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic State presiding in the Baltic Council of Ministers.
  226. At the annual joint sitting of the Baltic Council, the Baltic Council of Ministers shall present a report on the co-operation of the Baltic States, common actions during last year, and perspectives of further co-operation.
  227. At annual joint sittings, as well as during the period between them, the members of the Baltic Assembly may personally or on behalf of the delegation of a State, individual standing committee or registered party group (faction), submit to the Baltic Council of Ministers oral or written inquiries regarding the Baltic co-operation.
  228. The Baltic Assembly may address the Baltic Council of Ministers with proposals and recommendations. CHAPTER 8 FINAL PROVISIONS Article
  229. Termination of the Activities of the Baltic Assembly
  230. The activities of the Baltic Assembly shall be terminated in the event of the expiry of the validity of the Agreement on Interparliamentary and Intergovernmental Co-operation between the Baltic States.
  231. The parliament of each Baltic State may adopt a decision on the withdrawal from the Baltic Assembly. In this event, the activities of the Baltic Assembly shall be deemed to be terminated upon the expiry of the term of six months from the day on which the parliament of the Baltic State, which has made such a decision, notified of it the Presidium or the leaders of the other national delegations to the Baltic Assembly. Article
  232. Texts and Interpretation of the Statute
  233. The present Statute has been drawn up in four languages: Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian, and English. All the texts shall be equally effective, and in the event of a dispute over them - the text in the English language shall be regarded as basic.
  234. When necessary, the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly shall, upon receiving the conclusions of the Legal Committee, have a right of interpretation of this Statute. Article
  235. Coming into Force of the Statute
  236. This Statute shall come into force from the moment of the adoption thereof by consensus at the session of the Baltic Assembly (at the joint sitting of the delegations).
  237. Upon the adoption of the present Statute of the Baltic Assembly, the 8 November 1991 Regulations of the Baltic Assembly and the amendments made thereto shall cease to have effect.

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