File n° 56 

I. – International parliamentary assemblies or gatherings
on a world scale or with a specific theme

1. – The Inter-Parliamentary Union (ipu)

The Inter-parliamentary Union, which is the world organization of the Parliaments of sovereign states, is the oldest international organization of a political nature. It was, in fact, set up in 1889.

The French group of the IPU is comprised of 50 M.P.s and 50 Senators. The President of the Senate and the President of the National Assembly are, jointly, chairmen by right of the French group. Nonetheless, in practice, the chairmanship of the group is carried out by an executive chairman who is alternately an M.P. and then a Senator, appointed by the general assembly of the group. The positions on the steering committee are divided equally between the National Assembly and the Senate with both assemblies covering half the operational costs.

The group’s remit is to represent the French Parliament at the Inter-parliamentary Union (in particular at its two annual plenary conferences) and to contribute to the carrying-out of its objectives.

2. – The Parliamentary Assembly of “Francophonie” (apf)

The International Assembly of French-speaking Parliamentarians was set up in Luxembourg in 1967. It now bears the name of the Parliamentary Assembly of “Francophonie” (Parliaments with an interest in French-speaking matters). It brings together parliamentarians from 63 member Parliaments and 10 observer Parliaments.

The French branch of the APF has 150 members, 90 M.P.s and 60 Senators, who are distributed proportionally according to the size of their political groups in each assembly. The chairmen of the friendship groups with French-speaking countries, in both the National Assembly and the Senate are members by right. The President of the National Assembly is Chairman, by right, of the French branch, which is, in practice, chaired by a Deputy Chairman, whom he appoints from among the M.P.s. The operational costs of the branch are covered equally by the two assemblies, with the National Assembly taking care alone of the expenses linked to the everyday running of the APF (mail, telephone etc.) and providing, for a token sum, the Parisian offices.

The French branch is represented on the different bodies of the APF (bureau, committees, AIDS network, female parliamentarians’ network) and participates annually in the two meetings of the Bureau, in the plenary Assembly as well as in election monitoring missions and seminars. As the APF is divided up into four geographical regions, the French branch is a member of the European region.

II. – International parliamentary assemblies on a regional scale

1. – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (pace)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was the first European assembly in the history of the European continent and is made up of 315 Representatives (and as many substitutes) from 46 countries.

The French Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has 36 members (i.e. 18 Representatives and 18 substitutes). Out of these 24 are appointed by the National Assembly and 12 by the Senate. The Chairman is elected by the delegation at the beginning of each Parliament. The budget of the delegation is made up of contributions from the two assemblies (two thirds being covered by the National Assembly and one third by the Senate).

The members of the delegation participate in the four annual plenary sessions of PACE which take place in Strasbourg, as well as the meetings of the ten general committees. The delegation is also represented at the meetings of the Standing Committee (four per year) and of the Bureau.

2. – The Assembly of the Western European Union (weu)

The Assembly of the Western European Union, which was set up in 1954 by the modified Treaty of Brussels, has its seat in Paris. It sits twice a year in plenary session but can also hold extraordinary sessions and organize meetings in its member countries. Generally speaking, the Assembly discusses all questions which come under the modified Treaty of Brussels. It has thus eased the carrying-out of certain projects in many fields, e.g. space observation. Following the transfer of operational activities from the WEU to the E.U. in 2000, it acts as the Inter-parliamentary European Security and Defence Assembly, focusing on the European Security and Defence Policy.

The French delegation to PACE is the same as that which represents the French Parliament at the Assembly of the Western European Union. On top of the two plenary sessions, it also participates in meetings of the bodies of the Assembly (Bureau, the Presidential Committee and the Standing Committee) and of the six committees.

3. – The Nato Parliamentary Assembly (nato pa)

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly brings together delegations of parliamentarians from the 26 member countries of the Atlantic Alliance. It has five standing committees and meets twice a year in plenary session. It ensures the link between the legislative assemblies and the international organization so as to facilitate democratic debate on the orientations and the policies being implemented in the framework of the Alliance.

The French delegation has 18 full members (11 M.P.s and 7 Senators) and as many substitutes. Each assembly covers the expenses relating to the travel arrangements of its representatives.

4. – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA)

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe was set up by the Madrid Conference of April 2 and 3, 1991. According to the provisions of its Rules of Procedure, it must fulfil several remits: the assessment of the implementation of the objectives of the organization, the debating of subjects dealt with by the Ministerial Council and the meetings of Heads of State and of Government, the development and promotion of mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflict and the strengthening and consolidation of democratic institutions in the member states. It has 317 parliamentarians.

The French delegation has 13 members (8 M.P.s and 5 Senators). Each assembly covers the expenses relating to the travel arrangements of its representatives. It participates in the three annual meetings (the five-day July meeting in a town in a member State, the four-day autumn meeting, given over, amongst other things, to the Mediterranean Forum and the two-day winter session in February, in Vienna) as well as those of the three committees.

5. – The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA)

The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly brings together delegations of parliamentarians from the 37 member countries of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, which was set up in Barcelona in November 1995 by the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of the Foreign Affairs Ministers. Originally a Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum (created in 1998), the Assembly held its first sitting in Athens in March 2004.

This Assembly is made up of 240 members, half representing the Parliaments of the European Union and half representing the Parliaments of the Mediterranean partner countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey). The latter have 120 Representatives, the national Parliaments of the 27 members of the EU have 75 Representatives and the last 45 Representatives are members of the European Parliament.

The French delegation has 3 members (2 M.P.s and 1 Senator). It participates in the two annual plenary sessions as well as the meetings of the three committees and working groups which follow the political, economic and cultural aspects of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

6. – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean Sea (PAMS)

The Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean Sea (CSCM- a branch of the Inter-parliamentary Union created in 1992) gave way to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean Sea in 2005. This move was formally decided in Nauplie (Greece) in February 2005 during the fourth and last CSCM, and the Assembly held its opening sitting in Amman in September 2006.

It is made up of 22 countries, 19 of which border the Mediterranean Sea, and 3 of which are assimilated (Jordan, Macedonia and Portugal).

The PAMS’ aims are to develop cooperation between its members by dealing with questions of mutual interest in order to reinforce trust between the Mediterranean states, to contribute to regional security and stability and to encourage a balanced development of these countries based on partnership.

The national delegations to the PAMS are made up of 5 parliamentarians. By agreement between the President of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate, 3 of them are M.P.s and 2 are Senators. The financial contribution is paid by both assemblies, in due proportion.

Lastly, the National Assembly participates, as an observer, in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea.