I. Meetings
Rule 1
DATE AND PLACE
The Council shall determine at each meeting the date and place of its next meeting. If necessary, the date may be modified by the Bureau. The Council shall normally meet at the seat of the Secretariat or at the venue of the Assembly. It may decide to meet elsewhere, having heard the Treasurer on the financial implications.
The Council shall hold its first ordinary meeting at the latest the day after the closure of the Assembly at which it was elected.
Rule 2
EXTRAORDINARY MEETING
An extraordinary meeting of the Council may be convened at any time
Rule 3
NOTICE OF MEETING
A written notice of an ordinary meeting shall be sent by the Secretariat to each member at least forty-five days before the opening.
One member of the Budget Committee, the Committee on Admissions and Language Classification, the Disciplinary and Disputes Committee as well as the sectors shall, within the same period, receive notice to attend any session of the Council at which subjects falling within their competence are to be dealt with.
Notification of an extraordinary meeting may be by any appropriate means. All members of the Council must have received notification of any extraordinary meeting along with the draft agenda at least fifteen days before its opening.
II. Agenda
Rule 4
DRAFT AGENDA
a) Unless the Council itself decides otherwise, the President shall prepare a draft agenda which shall be sent out along with notification of an ordinary meeting.
b) This draft agenda shall include:
Rule 5
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
At the start of an ordinary session, the Council shall adopt its agenda of work.
III. Members and Substitutes
Rule 6
COMPOSITION AND REPRESENTATION
a) In application of Article 22 of the Statutes, the number of seats on Council granted to a region is determined on the basis of the number of active members in that region on the first day of the financial year during which the Assembly is held. The number of seats shall remain unchanged until the following Assembly.
b) When a member of the Council representing a region is prevented from attending all or part of a Council meeting, the Bureau of the region she or he represents shall appoint another member of the Association belonging to that region to replace her or him for that meeting.
c) If a Council member is absent from a Council meeting taking place immediately before an ordinary Assembly, the Regional Bureau shall, in principle, appoint the candidate proposed as the new Council Member who has received the largest number of votes during the statutory regional meeting.
d) This replacement shall enjoy the same rights as the incumbent member. However, if the absent member is Vice-President of the Association, her or his replacement shall not take over that post.
e) If no replacement is appointed, the absent member of the Council may give a proxy to a member of the Council to speak and vote on her or his behalf.
f) If a member is absent from two consecutive Council sessions without justification, the Council shall ask the region she or he represents to appoint a replacement for the duration of that term of office. The same will apply for any member absent from three consecutive sessions, whatever the reasons for these absences. If the absent member is Vice-President of the Association, the Council shall elect a new Vice-President.
IV. Chair and Members of Bureau
Rule 7
A. Chair
The President of the Association shall normally preside over the Council. In the absence of the President or at her or his request, the Council shall be chaired by one of the Vice-Presidents. In case of dispute, they shall take turns, priority being given to the Vice-President who is senior in membership.
B. Tasks of the President
In addition to the functions conferred on the President in any other of the basic texts of the Association, he/she shall represent AIIC towards the outside world. He/she shall direct the work of the Assembly, the Council and the Bureau. The President shall also undertake all other tasks entrusted to him/her by the Council.
C. Vice-Presidents
At its first session following its election, the Council shall elect the Vice-Presidents, ensuring that non-European regions and staff interpreters are represented on the Bureau.
D. Bureau
The Bureau is convened by the President.
1) The Bureau shall prepare the meetings of the Council.
2) Members of the Council shall be informed of the agenda of meetings of the Bureau at least fifteen days before they start.
3) A report of any meeting of the Bureau shall be sent to members of the Council within twenty-one days, to be debated and approved at the next meeting of the Council.
4) Where decisions of the Bureau affect all the members of the Association they shall be published in the Bulletin.
V. Secretariat
Rule 8
a) The Bureau shall be responsible for running the Secretariat. It shall report to Council on the operation of the Secretariat at each ordinary meeting of Council and at any other time when major events (such as senior staff appointments) occur.
b) Regional Secretaries shall ensure liaison with the Secretariat and may be requested to assist the Secretariat where appropriate.
VI. Distribution of work
Rule 9
After it has been elected by each ordinary Assembly, the Council may establish or confirm committees or working parties as necessary to assist it in its work. It shall define their terms of reference. The Council may also set up projects teams in order to carry out projects it has decided to undertake on its own initiative or following an Assmbly decision.
Rule 10
COMMITTEES
a) Committees appointed by the Council shall not normally have more than nine members.
b) The Association shall reimburse from its budget the travelling expenses of no more than five committee members. This restriction shall not apply to sector delegations.
c) Their period of office shall not exceed that of the Council.
d) They shall study such matters as are remitted to them by the Council. They may request information on any other matters which they consider relevant to their studies.
e) Sector delegations shall be treated as committees of the Council.
f) Project teams are assimilated to committees; they shall carry out their work by correspondence, unless otherwise decided.
Rule 11
WORKING PARTIES
The Council may set up working parties to discuss specific short-term issues.
Rule 12
Each committee shall elect its chair and each working party its convener from amongst its members; project leaders shall be appointed by the Council or the Bureau. Chairpersons, conveners and project leaders shall be responsible for the organisation of their activities within the budgetary limitations fixed by the Council.
Where a committee or working party fails to make this election, the Council may proceed to appoint the chair or convener.
VII. Documents and Records
Rule 13
TIME LIMIT FOR DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS
Documents relating to items on the draft agenda of each meeting of the Council shall normally be sent to members of the Council at least thirty days before the opening of the meeting.
Rule 14
RECORD OF DECISIONS AND MINUTES
A record of decisions of each meeting of the Council shall be communicated to the members of the Association.
Contributions by Council members shall not normally be included in the record of decisions.
The minutes of each meeting shall be drawn up and communicated to the members of Council. They shall contain decisions, the figures for any vote and a summary of the debate.
In the event of a difference of opinion and at the request of those concerned, both the majority and minority positions shall be recorded in the minutes.
The Bureau shall make arrangements for the production of the minutes and the record of decisions. The draft minutes shall be submitted to members of the Council for correction as soon as possible.
At the begginning of each ordinary meeting, the Council shall approve the minutes of the previous ordinary meeting and any extraordinary meeting that may have taken place in the interim.
Rule 15
ARCHIVES
Any documents submitted to the Council as well as the minutes shall be kept indefinitely by the Secretariat. The Council shall establish the conditions under which they may be consulted.
VIII. Conduct of Business
Rule 16
QUORUM
a) Regardless of the number of members present and represented, the Council shall always be able to debate, to establish its agenda and to adopt the minutes of preceding meetings.
It shall not be able to take any decisions apart from those provided for in the preceding paragraph unless the President has established that more than half the members are present or represented.
b) Meetings of committees or working groups of the Council shall not require any particular quorum. Reports of such meetings shall, however, always specify the number and names of members present.
Rule 17
ATTENDANCE OF PERSONS OTHER THAN COUNCIL MEMBERS
In addition to the cases provided for in Article 22 (c) of the Statutes, members of the Association who are not members of the Council as well as any qualified persons may be invited by the Council to address it on matters within their competence.
The Council shall, nonetheless, retain the right to continue its debate on the above-mentioned items in camera.
Rule 18
RIGHT TO SPEAK
a) Where it is in the interest of the debate, the President may call speakers other than in the order in which they manifest their desire to speak and shall, as far as possible, endeavour to grant the floor alternately to speakers in favour and against.
b) The Council may limit the time to be allowed to each speaker.
c) During the course of a debate, the President may announce the list of speakers and, with the consent of the Council, declare the list closed having added any member so wishing. The President may, however, accord the right of reply to a member if a speech delivered after the list has been declared closed makes it desirable.
Rule 19
EXAMINATION OF PROPOSALS
a) No resolution, motion or amendment shall be put to the vote unless it has been seconded and unless, upon request, it has been translated or interpreted fully for members not conversant with the original language.
b) At the request of any member, supported by any other member, discussion of any substantive motion, resolution or amendment shall be suspended until the text is circulated to all members. Proposals relating to the basic texts shall be presented in writing.
c) A proposal may be withdrawn by its proposer at any time before voting on it has begun, provided that the proposal has not been amended. A proposal withdrawn may be reintroduced by any member.
Rule 20
AMENDMENTS
a) Amendments must have a direct bearing on the text they are intended to modify. Amendments shall be put to the vote before this text and in the order in which they apply to it.
Subamendments must have a direct bearing on an amendment previously tabled and shall only be admissible if they do not contradict the sense of the amendment. No amendments may be tabled to subamendments.
b) If two or more mutually exclusive amendments apply to the same paragraph, then the one which is furthest removed from the original text shall be voted on before the others. Its adoption shall mean the rejection of the other amendments. If it is rejected, then that amendment which, according to the same principle, is to be taken next shall be voted on. This process shall then be repeated for each of the subsequent amendments.
Rule 21
PROCEDURAL PROPOSALS AND POINTS OF ORDER
Priority shall be given to any member who requests the floor to make one of the following procedural proposals:
Each of these procedural proposals shall be seconded by one member and may only be moved once in the course of any individual debate.
They shall have priority over the substantial question, suspending discussion thereof. Any member moving a procedural proposal may not speak about the substance of the question under debate.
The only speakers to be called shall be one in favour, one against and the rapporteur on the agenda item concerned.
In addition, priority shall also be granted to members who request the floor on a point of order. A point of order may only deal with a procedural matter and shall only give rise to a ruling from the President.
Rule 22
VOTING RIGHTS
Each member of the Council shall have one vote, except when also exercising the vote delegated to her or him by another member of the Council. Such delegations shall be made in writing. A Council member may not have more than one vote delegated to her or him.
Rule 23
MAJORITIES REQUIRED
a) Simple Majority
Except where stipulated otherwise in the Statutes or these Rules of Procedure, the Council shall take its decisions by a majority of the votes cast. Abstentions, and in the case of secret ballots, blank or spoilt papers, shall not be counted as votes cast.
b) Two-thirds majority
In addition to cases provided for elsewhere in these Rules, the Council shall take its decision by a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast on the following matters:
the convening of an extraordinary Assembly session (Article 19 of the Statutes)
the adoption and amendment of Regulations (Article 23 of the Statutes).
c) Tied votes
In the event of an equal number of votes being cast in favour and against, the question put to the vote shall not be adopted.
Rule 24
VOTING PROCEDURES
a) Show of hands
Voting shall normally be by show of hands.
b) Roll-call
At the request of any five members present or represented, a vote shall be taken by roll-call. Members' names shall be called in alphabetical order and the vote of each member present or represented shall be recorded in the summary record of the meeting.
c) Secret ballot
All elections as well as any decisions relating to individuals shall be voted on by secret ballot.
Rule 25
ELECTIONS
a) For any election, an absolute majority of votes cast shall be required for any candidate to be elected on the first round.
The only ballot papers to be counted as votes cast shall be those that bear the name(s) of a candidate or candidates that have been duly nominated and which do not bear more names than there are posts to be filled.
b) Where a second ballot is required, it shall only be open to those candidates who obtained the largest number of votes on the first round and shall be limited to twice the number of posts to be filled.
c) Where an election is for several posts at the same time, those candidates that satisfy the conditions of the two preceding paragraphs shall be elected in descending order of votes cast for them and within the limits of the number of posts to be filled.
d) Should two or more candidates receive the same number of votes, as many further ballots as necessary shall be held.
Rule 26
APPLICATION OF ASSEMBLY RULES OF PROCEDURE
Where no specific provision on matters of procedure is included in these Rules, the provisions of the Rules of Procedure for the Assembly shall apply, mutatis mutandis.
Rule 27
REPORT TO THE ASSEMBLY
In its report to the Assembly, the Council shall present a summary of its achievements and of action undertaken by itself or under its aegis during the ongoing term of office, as well as draft resolutions, budgets, programme and financial framework.
Rule 28
WRITTEN PROCEDURE
The President may, if she or he judges proper, consult the members in writing should the approval of the Council be required for measures of exceptional urgency and importance while the Council is not meeting. The proposed measure shall be adopted if it is approved by at least one-half of the membership of the Council.
Rule 29
AMENDMENT PROCEDURE
These Rules of Procedure may be amended by a decision taken by the Council with a two-thirds majority of votes cast and, if appropriate, after having sought a legal opinion on the proposals.
