Resolution No. 4 on The terms of reference of the Committee of Senior Officials of CEMAT and its bureau

endorsed at the 13th session of the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT), in Ljubljana, on 17 September 2003, in order to be presented to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for adoption

The ministers responsible for regional planning of the member states of the Council of Europe, taking part in the 13th session of CEMAT,

approved the terms of reference of the Committee of Senior Officials of the CEMAT and its bureau as appended to this resolution and decided to forward them to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for adoption.

Annex

I. Terms of Reference of the Committee of Senior Officials of the CEMAT

1. Name of committee: Committee of Senior Officials of the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning of the Council of Europe (CSO – CEMAT – Council of Europe)

2. Type of committee: Committee of Senior Officials

3. Source of terms of reference: European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning (CEMAT) of the Council of Europe for endorsement; Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for adoption.

4. Terms of reference: Under the responsibility of the Committee of Ministers with the approval of the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning (CEMAT) of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Senior Officials has the following tasks:

a. to devise a policy leading to sustainable development, and in particular encouraging implementation of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent (the Guiding Principles);

b. to implement the Guiding Principles in the light of the results of the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning of the Council of Europe; to study and prepare further developments of the Guiding Principles and propose, if appropriate, a review of their implementation to the ministers responsible for spatial planning;

c. to propose to the Committee of Ministers a three-year work programme, prepared under the responsibility of the CEMAT, in a long-term perspective as an instrument for implementing the Guiding Principles;

d. to consider, for the purposes of preparing the work programme, the activities of states, international intergovernmental organisations, networks, associations and NGOs relevant to sustainable development, in order to promote co-ordination and complementarity between the different activities, including those carried out in the framework of international conventions;

e. to disseminate information on and publicise activities for sustainable development, in particular those resulting from the Guiding Principles and their implementation;

f. to approve any report to be submitted to the European conferences of ministers responsible for spatial planning of the Council of Europe.

5. Membership and participation

a. The governments of member states are invited to appoint senior officials with responsibilities in fields relating to spatial planning and sustainable development;

The Council of Europe will defray the travelling and subsistence expenses of one representative from each of its member states in central and eastern Europe and from states that enjoy special guest status with the Parliamentary Assembly;

b. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) participate in the work, sending representatives, without the right to vote, to meetings of the Committee of Senior Officials;

c. European states that are non-members of the Council of Europe, states with observer status to the Council of Europe and the following organisations may send representatives, without the right to vote or defrayal of expenses, to meetings of the Committee of Senior Officials:

– European Union (EU)
– Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
– World Bank (WB)
– European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
– European Investment Bank (EIB)
– Nordic Environment Financing Co-operation (NEFCO)
– European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)
– Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN-ECE)
– United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UN-CSD)
– United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
– United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
– United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT)
– United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
– United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
– Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC)
– Central European Initiative (CEI)
– European Environmental Agency (EEA)

d. Non-governmental organisations, admitted by the Committee of Senior Officials in conformity with the rules governing relationships between the Committee of Senior Officials of the CEMAT and non-governmental organisations, adopted by the Committee of Senior Officials at its 77th Meeting on 28 November 2001, may send representatives, without the right to vote or defrayal of expenses, to meetings of the Committee of Senior Officials.

6. Structures and working methods:

a. The Committee of Senior Officials shall meet at least once a year. It can establish expert groups. It shall adopt rules of procedure and its working methods and structures.

b. The Committee of Senior Officials shall report to the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning of the Council of Europe and keep the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe abreast of its activities.

7. Duration: Unlimited.

II. Terms of Reference of the Bureau of the Committee of Senior Officials
of the CEMAT

1. Name of committee: Bureau of the Committee of Senior Officials of CEMAT (CHF-CEMAT- BU)

2. Type of committee: Bureau

3. Source of terms of reference: European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning (CEMAT) of the Council of Europe, for endorsement; Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, for adoption.

4. Terms of reference: Under the guidance and instructions of the Committee of Senior Officials of the CEMAT, the Bureau of the Committee of Senior Officials of the CEMAT shall have the following tasks:

a to prepare the meetings of the Committee of Senior Officials;

b. to examine questions entrusted to it by the Committee of Senior Officials and take measures to this effect;

c. to take urgent measures between meetings of the Committee of Senior Officials and submit those measures to its approval.

5. Membership is to comprise

a. the Chair of the Committee of Senior Officials, a representative of the state which will organise the next ministerial conference and a representative of the state which has organised the previous conference; and

b. two members elected by the Committee of Senior Officials;

on the basis that

c. the terms of office of members under a. and b. above will last three years;

d. the Council of Europe will defray the travelling and subsistence expenses of one representative from each of its member states in central and eastern Europe.

6. Structures and working methods: The Bureau will meet once a year. It can invite experts to attend its meetings on specific items of the agenda and on decision of the Chair. The working languages will be English and French.

7. Duration: Unlimited.