Ministers Deputies
Encyclopedia
The Ministers’ Deputies are the representatives of the Council of Europe
Committee of Ministers
at Strasbourg
.
While the Committee of Ministers is the executive organ of the Council of Europe, it actually only meets once year in Strasbourg, in what are known as the Ministerial sessions. Its day to day work is carried out by the Deputies, who are the Permanent Representative
s, mostly of Ambassador
ial rank, the heads of their countries’ diplomatic missions in Strasbourg. So most of the time that the Committee of Ministers is quoted as having done something, it is actually the Deputies who have taken the decision. Their decisions have the same weight and effect as the Committee of Ministers.
The Deputies currently meet at least once a week in plenary, usually on a Wednesday, in the great Committee of Ministers meeting room at the front of the Palace of Europe, and several times a week in committee, as one of their Rapporteur Groups or ad hoc working groups. The frequency of meetings has increased considerably since 1989. They have regular special human rights
meetings in their capacity of supervising the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
.
The chairmanship of the Deputies changes every six months, at each session of the Committee of Ministers, following the English alphabetical order of member States. The current chair (May - November 2010) is the Ambassador of Macedonia
.
There is also a Bureau, set up in 1975 to assist the Chairmanship, which consists of the current chair, the two previous and the three future chairpersons.
and Iceland
only opened missions there in the 1990s.
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
Committee of Ministers
Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe or commonly the Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It comprises the Foreign Affairs Ministers of all the member states, or their permanent diplomatic representatives in Strasbourg...
at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
.
While the Committee of Ministers is the executive organ of the Council of Europe, it actually only meets once year in Strasbourg, in what are known as the Ministerial sessions. Its day to day work is carried out by the Deputies, who are the Permanent Representative
Permanent Representative
A Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
s, mostly of Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
ial rank, the heads of their countries’ diplomatic missions in Strasbourg. So most of the time that the Committee of Ministers is quoted as having done something, it is actually the Deputies who have taken the decision. Their decisions have the same weight and effect as the Committee of Ministers.
The Deputies currently meet at least once a week in plenary, usually on a Wednesday, in the great Committee of Ministers meeting room at the front of the Palace of Europe, and several times a week in committee, as one of their Rapporteur Groups or ad hoc working groups. The frequency of meetings has increased considerably since 1989. They have regular special human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
meetings in their capacity of supervising the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
.
The chairmanship of the Deputies changes every six months, at each session of the Committee of Ministers, following the English alphabetical order of member States. The current chair (May - November 2010) is the Ambassador of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
There is also a Bureau, set up in 1975 to assist the Chairmanship, which consists of the current chair, the two previous and the three future chairpersons.
History
The system of Permanent Representatives was set up by the Committee of Ministers in May 1951. It was the following year that they took a separate decision to appoint a deputy to whom they delegated mostly of the work. Legally, therefore, the Deputies and the Permanent Representatives are distinct, although for practical purposes they are almost always the same person. While they currently all reside in Strasbourg, this is not obligatory, and IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
only opened missions there in the 1990s.