Chapter I
Organisation of the Chamber of Deputies
Section 1
Establishment of the Chamber of Deputies
Article 1. - The newly elected Chamber of Deputies shall convene on the day and at the time set in the convening document issued by the President of Romania, in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of Romania, republished.
Article 2. - (1) Before the Standing Bureau is elected, the sittings of the Chamber of Deputies shall be chaired by the oldest Deputy, acting as a senior President, assisted by the 4 youngest Deputies, acting as secretaries.
(2) If the senior President or one or several of the Secretaries referred to in paragraph (1) should be unable to perform their duties, they shall be rightfully replaced by the next oldest Deputy or, as the case may be, by the next youngest Deputies from amongst those present.
(3) During the time interval stipulated under paragraph (1), no parliamentary debates may take place, except for those regarding the validation of the Deputies' mandates.
Article 3. - (1) To validate the mandates, the Chamber of Deputies shall elect, in its first sitting, a Committee comprised of 30 Deputies, which shall reflect the political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies, as resulted from the establishment of the Parliamentary Groups.
(2) The Validation Committee shall work throughout the term of office of the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 4. - (1) The number of Deputies appointed by each Parliamentary Group in the Validation Committee shall be set such as to reflect the proportion of its Members in the total number of Deputies.
(2) Proposals for setting the number of Deputies belonging to each Parliamentary Group shall be made, under the terms of article 12, by the Group leaders and submitted to the Secretaries of the Chamber of Deputies.
(3) The senior President shall submit the proposals thereof to the Chamber in the decreasing order of the number of Parliamentary Group Members, and the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies shall rule on them based on the vote of a majority of the Deputies present.
(4) Proposals for the nominal composition of the Validation Committee shall be made by the Parliamentary Groups, within the limits of the number of seats approved.
(5) The composition of the Validation Committee shall be approved based on the vote of a majority of the Deputies present.
Article 5. - The Validation Committee shall elect a President, a Vice-President and a Secretary, who make up the Committee Bureau, and shall be organised into 9 Working Groups, comprised of 3 Members each, in observance of the proportion stipulated under article 4 (1).
Article 6. - (1) The Validation Committee Bureau shall distribute to the Working Groups the Deputies' election files, as received from the Central Election Bureau, except for those regarding the Members of the Working Groups.
(2) The lawfulness of the election of Deputies making up the Working Groups shall be verified by the Validation Committee Bureau.
(3) The Validation Committee Bureau and the Working Groups shall be under obligation to submit to the Committee proposals for the validation or invalidation of the Deputies' mandates, in writing, within 3 days of the setting up of the Committee. Such proposals shall be adopted based on the vote of a majority of the Bureau's or Working Groups' Members.
(4) After expiry of the 3 days' deadline, a discussion on the unsolved files shall take place in the plenum of the Validation Committee.
(5) The Validation Committee shall verify and pronounce on the following matters:
a) the legal contests contained in the files received from the Central Election Bureau, which are unsolved or the solution of which has violated the legal provisions on the solving procedure;
b) how each Deputy meets the eligibility terms and whether all the documents required by the legislation in force for the validation of his/her mandate have been filed.
Article 7. - (1) The Validation Committee shall draw up a report mentioning the Deputies for whom validation, invalidation, or, as the case may be, deferral of the validation of their mandate is being suggested, with a brief reasoning of the proposals for invalidation or deferral.
(2) The Validation Committee shall propose the validation of the mandates of Deputies whose files are complete and the election of whom is found to have been in compliance with the legal provisions.
(3) Where, with respect to eligibility terms, violation of legal provisions has been ascertained and where a final and irrevocable sentence has been passed as a result of crimes perpetrated by a Deputy during the voting process, the Validation Committee shall propose the invalidation of that Deputy's election.
(4) Deferral of a Deputy's mandate validation shall be proposed by the Validation Committee to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies if no clarifications could be made, within the stipulated time period, on the aspects relating to the solution of legal contests and if the Deputy in question has not filed all the documents required by the legislation in force for the validation of his/her mandate. Within 10 days of the clarification of the matters having grounded the deferral, the Validation Committee shall propose the validation or invalidation of that mandate, as the case may be.
Article 8. - The report shall be approved by the Validation Committee based on the vote of a majority of its Members.
Article 9. - (1) The Chamber of Deputies shall rightfully convene on the 5th day after the setting up of the Validation Committee, in order to debate the latter's report.
(2) The Validation Committee's report shall be presented to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies by the Committee President.
Article 10. - (1) As regards Deputies for whom there are no grounds for invalidation under article 7 (3), a list of their full names shall be drawn up, per constituency, in respect of which the Chamber of Deputies shall pronounce in a single ballot. As regards Deputies for whom invalidation of mandate has been proposed, the Chamber of Deputies shall debate and pronounce by a separate ballot for each individual case.
(2) The validation or invalidation of Deputies' mandates shall be done based on the vote by a majority of Deputies.
Article 11. - (1) The Chamber of Deputies shall be lawfully established after the validation of two thirds of the Deputies' mandates and after the Deputies in question have taken oath.
(2) Deputies who refuse to take oath shall be deemed invalidated. Refusal to take oath shall be ascertained by the Chairman.
Section 2
Parliamentary Groups
Article 12. - (1) The Parliamentary Groups are structures of the Chamber of Deputies. They may be comprised of at least 10 Deputies who stood on the lists of the same political party, political formation, political alliance or electoral alliance.
(2) Deputies of a political party or political formation may establish a single Parliamentary Group.
(3) Deputies who stood on the lists of one political alliance or electoral alliance but belong to a different political party may establish Parliamentary Groups of the political party to which they belong.
(4) Deputies who belong to the political parties, political formations, political alliances or electoral alliances that do not meet the numerical requirements to establish a Parliamentary Group, as well as independent Deputies may assemble in joint Parliamentary Groups or may become affiliated to other Parliamentary Groups established under paragraph (1).
(5) Deputies who represent organisations of citizens that belong to national minorities, who have obtained their Deputy mandates in compliance with article 62 (2) of the Constitution of Romania, republished, may establish a single Parliamentary Group.
Article 13. - (1) The Deputies who have not become Members of Parliamentary Groups established when the Chamber of Deputies was convened, the Deputies whose Parliamentary Groups have ceased to exist, as well as the Deputies who have become independent, following resignation, expulsion from the party, or after having left a Parliamentary Group, shall have the following rights, unless they have established Parliamentary Groups in compliance with the provisions of article 12 (1)-(4):
a) to speak in general debates, or in the debate on motions, for 20 seconds' time; they shall be able to cumulate such time in seconds for a single intervention made by a common representative;
b) to delegate a common representative, as an observer without a right to vote, in the meetings of the Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee;
c) to take part in the delegations abroad of friendship groups, Standing Committees, or based on personal invitations, with the consent of the Standing Bureau.
(2) Based on a decision by the Standing Bureau, the Secretary General shall make available to the Deputies stipulated under paragraph (1), for common usage, a meeting room, the adequate logistics, a car and technical staff comprised of a driver and a Secretary.
Article 14. - (1) In its first meeting, each Parliamentary Group, after being established, shall designate its own leadership comprised of the leader and, as the case may be, one or several vice-leaders and a Secretary.
(2) The leader of a Parliamentary Group shall have the following powers:
a) to present to the Chamber of Deputies the name of that Parliamentary Group, the number of its Members, its nominal composition and its leadership, as well as any changes occurring throughout the term of office;
b) to propose to the Chamber of Deputies the Parliamentary Group's representatives in the Validation Committee;
c) to represent the Parliamentary Group and negotiate on its behalf;
d) to appoint the representatives of his/her Parliamentary Group in the Standing Committees of the Chamber of Deputies, in the Special or Enquiry Committees thereof or in the Joint Committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate;
e) to appoint the representatives of his/her Parliamentary Group in the public institutions or authorities working under the Parliament of Romania, in interparliamentary friendship groups, or in international parliamentary structures Romania is a party to;
f) to submit proposals and present the candidates of his/her Parliamentary Group for managerial positions and for the positions of representative in various bodies of the Chamber of Deputies, offices that rightfully belong to that Group, according to the proportion of his/her Parliamentary Group in the original political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies and to the negotiations between Group leaders;
g) to request dismissal from office or replacement of his/her Parliamentary Group's representatives in the bodies of the Chamber of Deputies;
h) to attend the meetings of the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies and take part in the debates, without being entitled to vote;
i) he/she may call upon the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies for: a consultation break, a verification of the quorum, holding non-public sittings of the plenum, the closure of debates in the Chamber of Deputies;
j) to inform the Members of his/her Parliamentary Group on the activities of the Chamber of Deputies and its bodies;
k) to introduce to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies the representative of his/her Parliamentary Group who participates in the general debates;
l) to present the amendments brought by his/her Parliamentary Group to the draft laws and legislative proposals under debate in the Standing Committees of the Chamber of Deputies;
m) to propose that a draft law or legislative proposal should be sent back to the Committee, under the terms of the present Standing Orders;
n) to propose a voting method to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies;
o) to present the viewpoint of his/her Parliamentary Group as regards the proposal for waiver of the parliamentary immunity of one of the Members of his/her own Group;
p) he/she may delegate his/her powers to one of the Members of the leadership of his/her Parliamentary Group; should the latter be absent, his/her powers may be delegated to any Member of the Group.
(3) One of the vice-leaders of a Parliamentary Group shall rightfully deputise for the leader in his/her absence or whenever necessary. In the absence of both the leader of a Parliamentary Group and of his/her vice-leaders and Secretary, that Parliamentary Group shall decide upon the designation of a substitute for the time of their absence.
(4) The Secretary of a Parliamentary Group shall keep records of the attendance by that Group's Deputies, ensure that the minutes are being drawn up, and carry out any other duties assigned by the Parliamentary Group to which he/she belongs.
Article 15. - In the first sitting, for the setting up of the Chamber of Deputies, the Parliamentary Groups shall be presented in order of their size, as they have resulted from the elections.
Article 16. - (1) According to their proportion in the Chamber of Deputies, Parliamentary Groups shall have at their disposal staff employed for secretarial work, specialised personnel, the necessary logistics for carrying out their tasks, as well as cars, in compliance with the Standing Bureau's decision.
(2) Appointment and dismissal of the employed staff shall be based on a proposal by the leader of the Parliamentary Group, under the terms of the law. If an employee working for a Parliamentary Group should no longer be accepted by the Members of the same Parliamentary Group or if the Group should cease to exist, the Secretary General of the Chamber of Deputies shall see to it that the employee(s) of that Parliamentary Group be transferred to equivalent offices.
Article 17. - At the beginning of the first session of the term of office, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, together with the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups, shall assign to each Parliamentary Group its seats in the sitting hall.
Article 18. - Political parties that have not obtained mandates following the elections cannot establish Parliamentary Groups.
Article 19. - (1) Any change occurring in the composition of a Parliamentary Group shall be notified to the President of the Chamber of Deputies, under the signature of that Group's leader and, where applicable, of the Deputy who has changed his/her membership to that Parliamentary Group.
(2) The President of the Chamber of Deputies shall inform the Deputies, in a public sitting, of the changes occurring in the composition of the Parliamentary Groups.
(3) Each Deputy shall be entitled to inform the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies of any change in his/her membership to a Parliamentary Group.
Section 3
Election of the President of the Chamber of Deputies and of the other Members of the Standing Bureau
Article 20. - (1) After the lawful establishment of the Chamber of Deputies, the President of the Chamber of Deputies and, subsequently, the other Members of its Standing Bureau shall be elected.
(2) The President of the Chamber of Deputies shall belong to the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies and shall be its President. The Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies shall also be comprised of 4 Vice-Presidents, 4 Secretaries, and 4 Quaestors.
(3) The Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies shall be established as a result of negotiations between the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups, in observance of the political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies, as resulted from the original establishment of the Parliamentary Groups.
(4) The capacity as President of the Chamber of Deputies or that of Member of the Standing Bureau shall be terminated upon resignation, dismissal, or the loss of their capacity as Deputies.
Article 21. - (1) The President of the Chamber of Deputies shall be elected for the length of the Chamber's term of office, by secret ballot, using ballot papers that must state the full names of all the candidates proposed by the Parliamentary Groups, in alphabetical order. Each Parliamentary Group may make a single proposal.
(2) The candidate who won the vote of a majority of the Deputies shall be declared President-elect of the Chamber of Deputies.
(3) If none of the candidates has won the vote of a majority of Deputies after two ballots, new ballots shall be organised, following which the candidate who obtained a majority of the votes of the Deputies present shall be pronounced President of the Chamber of Deputies, if the quorum stipulated under article 67 of the Constitution of Romania, republished, has been met.
Article 22. - Once the President of the Chamber of Deputies has been elected, the activity of the senior President elected under article 2 shall rightfully cease.
Article 23. - (1) Election of the Vice-Presidents, Secretaries, and Quaestors who form the Standing Bureau shall take place following the proposals made by the Parliamentary Groups, in compliance with their proportion which reflects the original political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies, and the negotiation between the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups.
(2) For proposals to be submitted, the Chamber of Deputies shall approve the number of seats in the Standing Bureau - as negotiated by the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups -, the way they are supposed to be distributed, per offices, to the Parliamentary Groups established according to the original political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies.
(3) The nominal proposals for the offices stipulated under paragraph (1) shall be made by the Parliamentary Group leaders, within the number of seats set down under paragraph (2). The list of candidates proposed for the Standing Bureau shall be entirely subject to the vote of the Chamber of Deputies, and approved with a majority of the Deputies' votes. If no such majority can be reached, a new ballot shall be organised, where the list shall be approved based on a majority of the votes of the Deputies present. The ballot shall be secret, using voting balls.
Article 24. - The Vice-Presidents, Secretaries, and Quaestors of the Chamber of Deputies shall be elected at the beginning of each ordinary session, following a proposal by the Parliamentary Groups to which those seats were assigned, in compliance with the provisions of article 23.
Article 25. - The President of the Chamber of Deputies and any other Member of the Standing Bureau may be dismissed before the expiry of their term of office, based on the votes of a majority of Deputies. The ballot shall be secret, using ballot papers for the election of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and balls for the election of the other Members of the Standing Bureau. A proposal for dismissal shall be made in writing, and shall bear the signatures of the persons that initiated it.
Article 26. - (1)* Dismissal from office of the President of the Chamber of Deputies may be proposed by a majority of Deputies, when the political majority in the Chamber of Deputies changes.
(2)* Dismissal from office of the President of the Chamber of Deputies may also be proposed following a request by at least one third of the total number of Deputies, in one of the following instances:
a) he/she is in breach of the provisions of the Constitution of Romania;
b) he/she is in serious or repeated breach of the provisions of the Standing Orders of the Chamber of Deputies or of the Standing Orders of the joint sittings of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
(3) Dismissal of the President of the Chamber of Deputies may be requested by the Parliamentary Group that proposed him/her for that office.
(4)* The proposal for dismissal shall be submitted to the Standing Bureau, which shall formally verify that the terms stipulated under paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (7), as the case may be, have been met and then shall place the dismissal proposal on the draft agenda of the next plenary sitting. The debate on the dismissal proposal shall be held in compliance with the provisions of article 227. The debate shall be based on an advisory opinion by the Legal, Discipline and Immunities Committee, in connection with the instances stipulated under paragraph (2) a) and b).
(5) The President of the Chamber of Deputies whose dismissal has been requested may not chair the meeting of the Standing Bureau or the plenary sitting in which his/her dismissal is being debated. He/she shall be replaced by one of the Vice-Presidents, following a vote taken in the Standing Bureau.
(6) If the dismissal proposal is approved by the plenum of the Chamber, the election of a new President shall be organised, in compliance with the provisions of article 21.
(7)* If the President of the Chamber of Deputies should be dismissed, following a request by the newly established political majority, from amongst which the new President has been elected, the majority shall transfer, for the remainder of the term of office, a Vice-President's office to the Parliamentary Group having held the office of President of the Chamber of Deputies, so that the political configuration may be observed, in compliance with the provisions of article 20 (3). The Vice-President's office, which is being transferred, shall be established by renegotiation within the political majority in question and stated in the dismissal request submitted to the Standing Bureau. If the new President-elect should belong to a Parliamentary Group in the political majority that has proposed the dismissal, the political configuration shall be observed through renegotiation inside that majority.
Article 27. - (1) Dismissal from office of any other Member of the Standing Bureau may be requested by the Parliamentary Group that has proposed the Member in question.
(2)* Dismissal from office of any other Member of the Standing Bureau may also be proposed at the request of at least one third of the total number of Deputies, in one of the following instances:
a) they are in breach of the provisions of the Constitution of Romania;
b) they seriously or repeatedly breach the provisions of the Standing Orders of the Chamber of Deputies or the Standing Orders of the joint sittings of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
(3) The dismissal proposal shall be submitted to the Standing Bureau, which shall formally verify that the terms stipulated under paragraph (1) or (2)*, as the case may be, have been met, and then shall place the dismissal proposal on the draft agenda of the next plenary sitting. The debate on the dismissal proposal shall be held in compliance with the provisions of article 227. The debate shall be based on an advisory opinion by the Legal, Discipline and Immunities Committee, in connection with the circumstances stipulated under paragraph (2)* a) and b).
(4) The Members of the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies whose dismissal has been requested may not chair or, as the case may be, participate in chairing the meetings of the Standing Bureau or the plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies in which their dismissal is being discussed; following the vote by the Standing Bureau, they shall be replaced by one of the Members of the Standing Bureau who meets the terms of the Standing Orders, but may attend the meeting as an interested party.
(5) If the dismissal proposal is approved by the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies, the election of a new Member of the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies shall be organised, in observance of the original political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies, under article 23.
(6) If a Parliamentary Group in the Chamber of Deputies has ceased to exist, the offices pertaining to that Parliamentary Group shall be reassigned to the other remaining Parliamentary Groups, proportionally.
Article 28. - (1) The office of President of the Chamber of Deputies, vacated during a term of office for reasons other than dismissal, shall be filled in compliance with the provisions of article 20 (3) and article 21.
(2) The offices in the Standing Bureau vacated during a session for reasons other than dismissal shall be filled based on a proposal by the Parliamentary Group to which that office has been reassigned, under the terms stipulated under article 23.
Article 29. - Once the Standing Bureau has been elected, the length of service of the Secretaries appointed under the terms of article 2 (1) shall cease.
Article 30. - The decisions stipulated under articles 1-29 shall be adopted by a show of hands, unless otherwise provided for.
Section 4
Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies and Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee
Article 31. - (1) The Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies shall have the following powers:
a) to propose to the Chamber a date of opening and closure of the parliamentary session;
b) to request from the President of the Chamber to convene an extraordinary session;
c) to submit for approval by the Chamber of Deputies the latter's Standing Orders, as well as amendment proposals;
d) to submit for approval by the Chamber of Deputies the latter's draft budget and the budgetary year closure account. The draft budget shall be distributed to the Deputies, along with its supporting note and annexes, at least 7 days before the date of its submission to the plenum of the Chamber for approval;
e) to prepare and ensure a smooth running of the sitting of the Chamber of Deputies ;
f) to receive, in electronic format, the draft laws, legislative proposals, draft decisions of the Chamber of Deputies, amendments tabled by the Government, and reports by the parliamentary Committees and to post them on the web site of the Chamber of Deputies, in the same order in which they were submitted to the General Secretariat of the Chamber of Deputies. The above-mentioned documents may also be transmitted on paper, at the written request of the Deputies, which needs to be submitted at the beginning of each session;
g) to decide, as a first Chamber notified, on whether to retain legislative initiatives for debate and adoption or to refer those for which the Chamber of Deputies is a decisional Chamber to the Senate;
h) to distribute the working programme, agenda, newsletters on the legislative initiatives registered with the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, draft decisions by the Chamber of Deputies, adopted laws on which the Deputies may notify the Constitutional Court, as well as other documents that are not listed under point f) to the Deputies' pigeonholes;
i) to draw up the draft agenda of the Chamber of Deputies sittings and the draft working programme, which it shall refer to the Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee for debate and approval;
j) to solve any notification on any incompatibility, vacancy, blockage, obstruction or abusive behaviour by the Committee Bureau or a group of Deputies of a Standing Committee, which has remained unsolved by that Committee;
k) to organise the Chamber's relation with the parliaments of other states, with parliamentary organisations, based on consultations with the Board of Directors of the Romanian Group of the Interparliamentary Association, the Parliamentary Groups, the Foreign Policy Committee, and other Standing Committees depending on the sort of actions considered, and to inform the Chamber of Deputies on the measures agreed upon, including the nominal composition of delegations;
l) to submit to the Chamber of Deputies, for approval, the composition of the permanent representations to world or regional parliamentary organisations, following consultations with the Parliamentary Groups and in observance of the original political configuration of the Chamber;
m) to endorse and submit to the plenum of the Chamber, for approval, the organisational chart, list of positions and the regulations of the Service Divisions in the Chamber of Deputies;
n) to manage and control the Service Divisions in the Chamber of Deputies;
o) to approve the regulations on the security and access of persons into the premises of the Chamber of Deputies;
p)* to propose to the Chamber of Deputies the appointment of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General;
r) to carry out any other duties stipulated in the present Standing Orders, other legal provisions, or assignments given by the Chamber of Deputies.
(2) The meetings of the Standing Bureau shall be attended by the Government's Representative for the Relation with Parliament, the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups established in the Chamber, and the meetings on the Committees' work shall be attended by the Presidents of the Standing Committees of the Chamber of Deputies.
(3) Debates in the Standing Bureau shall be recorded in verbatim reports and posted on the web site of the Chamber of Deputies, except for those pronounced confidential.
(4) The Deputies may consult the verbatim reports or may obtain a copy of them, except for those pronounced confidential by the Standing Bureau, which may only be consulted.
Article 32. - The Standing Bureau shall be convened at the request of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, or at the request of at least 4 of its Members.
Article 33. - The powers of the President of the Chamber of Deputies shall be as follows:
a) to convene the Deputies in ordinary or extraordinary sessions, under the provisions of the present Standing Orders;
b) to chair the plenary sittings of the Chamber of Deputies, with the mandatory assistance of two Secretaries, and to ensure that order is being maintained during debate and that the provisions of the present Standing Orders are being complied with;
c) to give the floor, conduct the debate, sum up the issues under debate, establish the voting order, state the matters put to the vote and announce the result of votes;
d) to chair the meetings of the Standing Bureau;
e) to notify the Constitutional Court under the terms stipulated in article 146 a), b), c) and e) of the Constitution of Romania, republished;
f) to ensure the draft laws adopted or rejected by the Chamber of Deputies are immediately referred to the Senate, for debate, or, as the case may be, that the voted laws are referred to the President of Romania, for promulgation, within the lawful time limits;
g) to represent the Chamber of Deputies in its domestic and foreign relations;
h) to present annual explanatory reports, in the plenum, on the way in which the President's funds have been used;
i) to perform any other duties stipulated in the present Standing Orders, as well as the assignments established by the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 34. - The Vice-Presidents shall take over the President's powers by rotation, either at his/her request or if he/she should be unavailable, and perform any other duties assigned by the Standing Bureau.
Article 35. - The Secretaries shall draw up the list of persons to take the floor, based on their requests, in the order in which the requests were submitted; they shall present the proposals, amendments and any other communications submitted to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies, make the roll call, record the voting results, keep records of the decisions adopted, ensure that the verbatim reports of the plenary sittings of the Chamber of Deputies are being drawn up, assist the President of the Chamber of Deputies in fulfilling his/her powers, and carry out any other assignments received from him/her or the Standing Bureau.
Article 36. - (1) The Quaestors shall monitor the manner in which assets are being managed, the functioning and quality of the Chamber of Deputies Service Divisions and make appropriate proposals to the Standing Bureau. They shall exercise financial control over the expenditures incurred, submit the draft budget of the Chamber of Deputies and the annual budgetary year closure account to the Standing Bureau, ensure that order is being maintained within the premises of the Chamber of Deputies, and perform any other duties, in compliance with the requests of its President or the Standing Bureau.
(2) In exercising their auditing powers, the Quaestors shall be supported by a control body comprised of 2 auditors, and subordinated solely to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies.
(3) At the end of each parliamentary session, the Quaestors shall submit a report on the results of their audits to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 37. - The Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee shall be comprised of the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups established in accordance with the original political configuration, and shall have the following powers:
a) to approve the agenda and working programme of the sittings of the Chamber of Deputies, as well as the amendments or additions to the agenda or working programme;
b) to propose to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies a manner of organising debates in the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies by allocating to each Parliamentary Group the time assigned for taking the floor in the plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, in accordance with its share in the total number of Deputies; allocation of the time assigned for debates shall be mandatory in political debates and optional in general debates on a draft law or a legislative proposal;
c) it may include on the agenda the debate on a draft law or a legislative proposal for which the deadline for report submission is overdue.
Article 38. - (1) The Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee shall rule with a majority resulting from the proportion of the vote of each Member present. Such proportion is the result of the share in the total number of Deputies of the Parliamentary Group represented by the leader, in accordance with the original political configuration.
(2) The meetings of the Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee in the Chamber of Deputies shall be attended by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, with no right to vote, and, where applicable, by the representative of the Government of Romania or the President of the parliamentary Committee that has exceeded the deadline for report submission.
(3) The Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee in the Chamber of Deputies shall convene on a weekly basis, usually on Wednesdays or whenever necessary, at the request of a Parliamentary Group leader, of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, or of the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies.
(4) The Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee shall meet and work rightfully in the presence of over half of the number of the Parliamentary Group leaders who represent the majority of the Deputies, and shall be chaired by the President of the Chamber of Deputies.
Section 5
Committees of the Chamber of Deputies
1. Common provisions
Article 39. - The Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall constitute its working bodies, established for the purpose of carrying out the powers stipulated by law and by the present Standing Orders. The Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall prepare the working documents for its plenary sittings and exercise parliamentary control.
Article 40. - (1) The Chamber of Deputies shall establish Standing Committees, and may establish Enquiry Committees or other Special Committees.
(2) The Chamber of Deputies shall also establish Mediation Committees or other Joint Committees with the Senate.
(3) The Standing Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall be comprised of 11 to 33 Deputies, except for the Standing Orders Committee, which shall be comprised of a representative of each Parliamentary Group in the Chamber of Deputies. The number of Members of the Standing Committees shall be established, for each particular case, by the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies, following a proposal by the Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee in the Chamber of Deputies. The objectives, number of Members, nominal composition and leadership of the Enquiry or Special Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall be approved by the plenum at the time of their establishment.
(4) A Deputy cannot belong to more than one Parliamentary Committee, except for the Members of the Standing Orders Committee, the Information and Communication Technology Committee, and the Committee for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, who may also belong to another Standing Committee. Throughout their terms of office, the Members of the Standing Bureau may opt for one of the Standing Committees.
Article 41. - (1) The composition of the Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall reflect its original political configuration.
(2) The number of seats in each Committee allotted to each Parliamentary Group or to independent Deputies shall be approved by decision of the Chamber of Deputies, following a proposal by the Parliamentary Group Leaders Committee.
Article 42. - The proposals for membership of the Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall be made by the Parliamentary Groups, within the number of the seats approved by the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies, under the present Standing Orders, and within the time limit established by the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 43. - (1) The number of Members in each Committee of the Chamber of Deputies shall be established by leave of the Parliamentary Groups leaders, in compliance with the original political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies.
(2) Should there be no disagreement on the number of Members in the Committees of the Chamber of Deputies according to paragraph (1), the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies shall approve, in a decision, the composition of its Committees, by number and names, by show of hands of a majority of the Deputies present.
Article 44. - Should the Parliamentary Groups be unable to reach an agreement on the composition of one or several Committees, the Standing Bureau shall submit for approval and, based on the vote of a majority of the Members present, the Chamber of Deputies shall rule on the candidacies endorsed by each of the Parliamentary Groups, in observance of the original political configuration of the Chamber.
Article 45. - (1) On their first meeting convened by the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, the Standing Committees shall elect their Bureaus, comprised of one President, 2 Vice-Presidents and 2 Secretaries each, except for the Standing Orders Committee, the Bureau of which shall be comprised of one President, one Vice-President and 2 Secretaries. Positions in the Bureau of the Standing Orders Committee shall be filled in order of the size of the Parliamentary Groups.
(2) The composition of a Committee Bureau shall be established following negotiations between the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups, in observance of the original political configuration of the Chamber, as resulted from the initial establishment of the Parliamentary Groups.
(3) Nominal proposals for the positions provided for in paragraph (1) shall be made by the leaders of the Parliamentary Groups within the number of seats established under paragraph (2).
(4) The entire list of candidates for a Committee Bureau shall be put to the vote of its Members, and approved with a majority of the votes cast by the Deputies present.
(5)* Dismissal of a Member from a Committee Bureau shall be decided based on the vote of a majority of the Deputies in that Committee, at the request of the Parliamentary Group having proposed him/her, or of more than half of the number of Committee Members.
Article 46. - The Bureau of each Committee of the Chamber of Deputies shall:
a) propose the meeting agenda and submit to that Committee the list of all the legislative initiatives and other matters falling within its competence;
b) propose the draft Rules of Procedure of that Committee and any amendment to them;
c) propose the duties conferred upon the Deputies in that Committee;
d) adopt decisions in matters related to the smooth running of the Committee meetings, establish the duties of the staff of the Committee, and ensure that they are being complied with;
e) where necessary, establish sub-Committees, based on the Committee's approval, setting their mission, composition and leaders;
f) invite representatives of the civil society, of owners', vocational or trade union associations, of central or local public administration, and other legal entities, as well as natural entities, following a request by Committee Members, by the Government, or by the interested persons, to attend the Committee meeting;
g) organise advisory meetings with the representatives of civil society, owners' and vocational associations, trade unions, central or/and local public administration, following the proposal by Committee Members;
h) approve the presence of the persons interested in attending the Committee meetings, under the terms provided for in article 140 (1) sentence II.
Article 47. - The President of a Committee shall:
a) chair the Committee meetings;
b) be entitled to propose that the Committee meetings be attended by other persons as well, for the purpose of ensuring their proper functioning;
c) convene the Committee Bureau in order to establish how the activities provided for in article 46 are being carried out;
d) ensure that the Committee is being represented in its relation with the Government of Romania, the Standing Bureau of the Chamber, and the other Committees in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate;
e) carry out other powers required for the smooth running of the Committee meetings, as stipulated in the present Standing Orders, the Rules of Procedure of the joint sittings of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, as well as the Rules of Procedure of the Committee in question;
f) require secretarial and specialised staff from the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, to assist the Committee and its Members in their work, as well as the necessary logistics for the Committee's work, and cars, similarly to the Group leader.
Article 48. - The Committee Vice-Presidents shall carry out, in turn, the President's powers, in his/her absence or according to a delegation that he/she has issued.
Article 49. - The Committee Secretaries shall:
a) keep records of attendance of the Committee meetings by its Members;
b) ensure that all the Committee documents are being drawn up;
c) count the votes cast in Committee meetings;
d) see that minutes and verbatim reports are being drawn up or that the Committee proceedings are recorded, as the case may be;
e) monitor the proper operation of the Committee's equipment, and the work of the staff;
f) carry out any other activities needed for the proper functioning of the Committee, following the Bureau's or its President's instructions.
Article 50. - Before approval of the agenda, the Chairman shall put to the vote all the proposals for amendments or additions to the agenda.
Article 51. - (1) A Committee meeting shall be convened at least 24 hours in advance by the Committee President or, in his/her absence, by the Vice-President who deputises for him/her.
(2) Attendance of the Deputies in Committee meetings shall be mandatory.
(3) For a Committee meeting to take place in accordance with the Standing Orders, the presence of a majority of Committee Members shall be necessary.
(4) The decisions by the Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall be adopted with the vote of a majority of the Members present.
(5) In the event that a Deputy is unjustifiably absent from the Committee meettings, an amount of money representing the 21st part of his/her monthly emolument shall be withheld per each day of absence, in addition to the travel allowance due to him/her.
(6) A Deputy absent from the Committee meetings may be deputised for by another Deputy in the same Group, based on a power of attorney signed by the leader of that Parliamentary Group.
Article 52. - (1) The meetings of Parliamentary Committees may be held at the same time as the plenary sittings of the Chamber of Deputies, based on an approval by the Standing Bureau, at the request of the Committee President.
(2) The meetings of the Parliamentary Committees may not be held at the same time as a plenary sitting dedicated to a final vote, according to the agenda. A Committee meeting shall be rightfully suspended when the President of the Chamber of Deputies requests the presence of the Deputies in the plenary sitting.
(3) The Standing Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall work, as a rule, at the Parliament's premises. In exceptional instances, and based on prior approval by the Standing Bureau, the Committees may work outside the Parliament's premises.
Article 53. - The meetings of the Chamber of Deputies Committees shall be open, unless otherwise ruled in their plenum. The meetings of the Committees of the Chamber of Deputies may be broadcast on the internal TV network of the Chamber of Deputies and on the radio and television stations.
Article 54. - (1) Ministers may attend Committee meetings. If their attendance has been requested, their presence in the meeting shall be mandatory. The Committee President shall ensure that the Government is notified, at least 24 hours in advance, of the date, time and place of the Committee meeting.
(2) Once per session, Ministers shall present a work report and their Ministries' strategies before the competent Committees of the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 55. - (1) The Deputies and Senators who have tabled proposals that are the grounds for a Committee meeting, such as authors of legislative proposals, authors of amendments etc., as well as Legislative Council experts shall be invited to attend that Committee meeting.
(2) Committees may invite interested persons, representatives of non-governmental organisations and experts from public authorities or from other specialised institutions to attend their meetings. The representatives of non-governmental organisations and the experts may present their opinions on the matters that are under discussion in the Committee, or may hand over documents regarding the matters under discussion to the Committee President.
(3) Only Deputies who are Members of a standing Committee or their authorised substitutes shall be entitled to vote in Committee meetings.
(4) Following a proposal by the Committee Bureau, the president, or a Deputy, the Committee may decide to limit the speaking time. Deputies, Senators and guests shall refer solely to the matter under debate. Otherwise, the President may withdraw their right to speak. No one may take the floor unless by leave of the President.
Article 56. - (1) At the beginning of debate on an an item on the agenda, the Committee shall designate one or more rapporteurs from amongst its Members, following a proposal by the Committee President or by another Member.
(2) The rapporteur shall participate in the drawing up of the Committee report or opinion, which will be subject to the Committee's approval, and may read the report in the plenum of the Chamber.
(3) The reports and opinions shall mandatorily comprise, apart from the opinion of a majority of the Committee Members, the admitted amendments, the reasoned contrary opinions of the other Deputies who are Members in the Committee, and the rejected amendments.
Article 57. - (1) As a rule, voting in the Committee shall be taken by a show of hands.
(2) Under certain circumstances, decided upon based on the vote of the Committee Members, a ballot may be resorted to.
Article 58. - (1) As regards the progression of Committee meetings, minutes shall be drawn up, verbatim reports may be drawn up or recordings may be taken, that may be consulted by the Deputies.
(2) At the end of each meeting, the Committee Bureau shall ensure that a summary of the proceedings is prepared and a press release is made.
(3) A summary of each Committee meeting shall be published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part II, on a weekly basis. The summary shall comprise the matters under debate, the result of the votes on law articles and draft laws, and the full names of the persons present and absent.
2. Standing Committees of the Chamber of Deputies
Article 59. - The Standing Committees shall be elected for the entire duration of a term of office. The names and scopes of activity of the Standing Committees shall be as follows:
1. Economic Policies, Reform and Privatisation Committee
- economy restructuring at macroeconomic level and at sectorial level; reconstruction and development programmes; economic prognosis; free market economy means and institutions; issues relating to price and competition; free enterprise; privatisation; economic activity of the Authority for the Valorisation of State Assets, financial investments companies, autonomous régies and state or mixed-capital trading companies; capital import and export;
- other issues relating to the strategy of economic development and reform policies.
2. Budget, Finance and Banking Committee
- state budget and budgetary execution; budget of state social securities and its execution; financial policies; system of taxes and fees, insurances and reinsurances; monetary balance; circulation of money, credits and credit systems, interests, discounts; stock market and effects; foreign loans of the state or guaranteed by the state; investments made by means of budget credits.
3. Industries and Services Committee
- industry and its branches; transports, (home and foreign) trade, tourism; consumer protection; development strategies of industries and services; ensuring resources of raw materials and energy for national economy; development of small and medium-sized enterprises in industry and services; specific issues relating to privatisation in industry and services and the development of the private sector in these branches; industrial commodities and services markets; investment strategies; quality of industrial products and services; standards and brands; protection of investments and brands; technical progress and technological development; effectiveness and competition capability of products and services on the domestic and foreign markets.
4. Agriculture, Forestry, Food Industry, and Specific Services Committee
- programmes in the field of agriculture, flower growing, stock breeding, fishery, forestry, wild game; specific issues relating to privatisation in agriculture; free enterprise, forms of property, association, crediting, leasing; management of land resources; activityof state or mixed-capital companies and rÈgies in agriculture, forestry and food industry; services of agriculture, land reclamation, food industry and forestry.
5. Human Rights, Religious Issues and National Minorities' Issues Committee
- human and citizen's rights; minority issues; freedom of conscience; issues relating to religious denominations; freedom of expression using other means than mass media.
6. Public Administration, Territorial Planning and Environmental Protection Committee
- local autonomy; administrative reforms; administrative and territorial organisation; by-laws of civil servants; urban systems; urban and rural networks; local public finance; environmental systems and environmental protection; quality of air, water, soil; protection of flora, wild life and human settlements; rehabilitation of damaged areas; technologies for the control and removal of polluting emissions; water management, territorial planning; constructions.
7. Labour and Social Protection Committee
- individual labour relations (individual labour contract, work time, leaves, labour safety, wage system, labour jurisdiction, legal status of employed women); collective labour relations (collective negotiations, collective labour contract, jurisdiction of collective labour conflicts); legal status of trade unions and employers' organisations; system of social securities (pensions, emoluments, unemployment benefits, state allowances); social assistance (material relief, free services); material relief for persons in need: elderly persons, disabled persons, minors and others; employment issues.
8. Health and Family Committee
- protection of the population's health; health care; organisational structure of the health care system; social issues of the family, mother and child, elderly persons and disabled persons; demographic issues.
9. Education, Science, Youth and Sports Committee
- education in all forms and at all levels; scientific research; sporting activity; youth issues; protection of intellectual property.
10. Culture, Arts, and Mass Media Committee
- art and cultural institutions; protection of national cultural patrimony; activity of the press and other mass media.
11. Legal, Discipline and Immunities Committee
- constitutionality of draft laws and legislative proposals; Standing Orders in the field of civil, criminal, or infringement law, civil, criminal, administrative procedure, judicial organisation; other mainly legal regulations; issues of parliamentary discipline, incompatibilities and immunities.
12. Defence, Public Order and National Security Committee
- defence, public order, and national security issues.
13. Foreign Policy Committee
- issues and programmes relating to Romania's foreign policy; bilateral dialogue with similar Committees of other states' parliaments and of international parliamentary bodies; endorsement of treaties, conventions and other international instruments to which Romania has adhered; hearing of persons to be appointed as ambassadors of Romania abroad, followed by a consultative opinion.
14. Committee for the Research of Abuse, Corruption and for Petitions
- examination of the petitions received and research of the abuses reported in such petitions; commencement of enquiries on the abuses notified, where the Chamber of Deputies decides so as a result of a request put before the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies, under the Standing Orders.
15. Standing Orders Committee
- interpretation of the Standing Orders, monitoring and review of speeches on procedure issues delivered in the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies, and drawing up of proposals for amending the Standing Orders at the beginning of ordinary sessions, where appropriate; the recording and regularity of the parliamentary common laws; review of the parliamentary procedures in other states or in pan-European parliamentary assemblies and prompt information of the Chamber and the Standing Bureau; drawing up and submission of proposals for amending and completing the Standing Orders of the Chamber of Deputies to the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies; review of notifications tabled by the Chamber, the Standing Bureau, or the President of the Chamber regarding the Standing Orders and presentation of its/his/her viewpoint in the Chamber of Deputies; endorsement of the Rules of Procedure of the Standing Committees.
16. Information and Communication Technology Committee
- information and communications technology, state-of-the-art technologies typical this field, adhesion to the international regulations and standards, respectively, and intellectual property in the field.
17. Committee for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men
- elimination of any form of discrimination on the basis of sex, and improvement of woman's condition in society;
- integration of the principle of equal opportunities for women and men into legislative initiatives, into policies and programmes regarding both women and men;
- ensuring that the provisions regarding equal opportunities for and treatment of women and men resulting from the international documents ratified by Romania are being implemented.
Article 60. - (1) Replacement of a Member in a Committee of the Chamber of Deputies shall be made following a request by the Parliamentary Group having endorsed him/her, based on approval by the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies.
(2) If a Parliamentary Group should change its composition or cease to exist, the Chamber of Deputies may rule on whether the Deputies thus having become independent should be allowed to remain in the Committees, within the number of seats still available.
(3) A Committee Member's capacity may be terminated either by resignation or following the proposal of the Parliamentary Group to which the Deputy in question belonged, if he/she no longer is a Member of that Group. In this instance, the Parliamentary Group may propose that another Deputy be elected as a Committee Member.
Article 61. - The Standing Committees of the Chamber of Deputies shall examine the draft laws, legislative proposals, draft decisions of the Chamber of Deputies, opinions and amendments, with a view to drawing up reports or opinions, as the case may be; they shall debate and rule on other matters referred to them by the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies; they may conduct parliamentary enquiries, and carry out other tasks, in compliance with the provisions of the present Standing Orders and of the Rules of Procedure of the joint sittings of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Article 62. - The Standing Bureau shall send the draft laws, legislative proposals, draft decisions of the Chamber, and amendments formulated by the Government to the Standing Committees notified on the subject matter, within the competence of which the matter provided for in the draft/proposal in question falls, for examination and for the purpose of drawing up the necessary reports. The Bureau may also notify other Committees of such documents and request their opinion.
Article 63. - If the Standing Bureau should notify two or more Committees on the subject matter of a legislative initiative, the Committees in question shall draw up a joint report. If the Committees notified on the subject matter work together, the Committees' meetings shall be chaired by their Presidents, by rotation.
Article 64. - (1) Any Standing Committee may submit to the Standing Bureau a reasoned request to draw up a joint report, to participate in drawing up a joint report or to issue its opinion on a draft law or a legislative proposal submitted to another Committee for examination.
(2) The request shall be submitted within 5 days of the notification of the Committee which is to draw up the report or issue its opinion, provided the time limit for submitting the report is observed.
(3) Should the request be approved, the amendments already submitted shall be referred to the Committee in question as well.
(4) Should a Standing Committee estimate that a draft law or a legislative proposal that has been placed before it does not fall within its competence, it may submit to the Standing Bureau a reasoned request to refer that legislative initiative to anther Committee, no later than 3 days of it being notified.
(5) Should the Standing Bureau reject a Committee's requests under paragraphs (1) and (4), the Chamber shall rule on the matter by putting it to the vote.
Article 65. - (1) A Standing Committee notified on the substance matter itself shall set a time limit within which the opinion(s) of the other Committees examining the draft law or legislative proposal should be delivered to it, following consultations with the Committees in question and bearing in mind the time limit for submitting the report.
(2) The time limit for delivering an opinion (opinions) may not be under half the time limit that has been allocated to the Committee notified on the subject matter to submit the report.
(3) If the time limit should not be observed, the Committee notified on the subject matter may draw up its report without further waiting for the opinion(s) in question.
(4) Deputies who do not belong to a Committee notified on the subject matter, as well as the Government, may table amendments within a time limit that may not be under half the time limit allocated to the Committee notified on the subject matter to submit its report, from the time when that draft law or legislative proposal is announced in the plenum of the Chamber.
(5) The Committee notified on the subject matter may finalise and submit the report only after expiry of a time limit that may not be under half the time limit allocated to the Committee notified on the subject matter to submit its report.
Article 66. - Should their attendance be needed, both the Rapporteurs of the Committees notified for offering their opinion and the Legislative Council experts shall be invited to attend the meetings of the Committee notified on the subject matter.
Article 67. - (1) The report by the Committees notified on the subject matter shall refer to all the opinions by the other Committees that have examined the draft or proposal in question, to all the amendments, either admitted or rejected, to the Legislative Council's opinion, and to the opinions offered by other public authorities, if such opinions have been given.
(2) The report shall comprise reasoned proposals for the admission without amendments of the document under scrutiny, for its rejection or for its admission with amendments and/or additions, and shall be forwarded to the Standing Bureau.
(3) If a Committee should examine, on the subject matter, several draft laws and legislative proposals with the same regulatory object, a single report shall be drawn up, under articles (1) and (2).
Article 68. - (1) If a Committee should examine on the subject matter several legislative initiatives with the same regulatory object, a single report shall be drawn up.
(2) The first legislative initiative shall be retained by the Committee as the original draft, for which an approval proposal shall be made. For the other legislative initiatives, a rejection proposal shall be made. Their provisions shall be deemed amendments to the draft proposed for approval.
(3) If the Chamber of Deputies is the decisional Chamber, it shall request the Senate to submit to it the legislative initiatives that constituted the grounds for the form adopted by the Senate.
(4) If urgency procedure has been approved for one of the legislative initiatives dealt with in paragraph (1), the report shall be drawn up in urgent procedure.
Article 69. - (1) The Standing Bureau shall approve the time limits set for report submission following consultations with the Presidents of the Committees notified on the subject matter; the Standing Bureau may approve alterations of the time limits no more than two times, following a written request by the President of the Committee notified on the subject matter. The time limits approved by the Standing Bureau, if the Chamber of Deputies is the first Chamber notified, may not, as a rule, be less than 10 days or exceed 15 days. If the Chamber of Deputies is the decisional Chamber, such time limits may not, as a rule, be under 14 days or exceed 60 days.
(2) For the draft laws and legislative proposals for which the Chamber of Deputies is the first Chamber notified, the report shall be printed and distributed to the Deputies at least 3 days before the date set for debating the draft law or legislative proposal in the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies. For those for which the Chamber of Deputies is a decisional Chamber, such time limit shall be at least 5 days.
(3) For draft laws dealing with the ratification of international treaties and conventions, or loan agreements, the Standing Bureau may choose to adopt them in urgent procedure.
Article 70. - The draft shall be referred for re-examination to the Committee notified on the subject matter if, following debates in the plenum, a reasoned request to do so is made, or important amendments to its contents are brought. The Chamber of Deputies shall pronounce on this measure by putting it to the vote, following a proposal by its initiator, the Chairman, a Parliamentary Group, or the President or the Rapporteur of the Committee notified. The Chairman shall set a time limit for drawing up an additional report, and shall submit the time limit to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies for approval.
Article 71. - (1) At the request of one or several of its Members, any Standing Committee may, within its competence, commence an enquiry on the work carried out by the Government or the public administration, with the consent of the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies.
(2) In order to obtain the consent thereof, the Standing Committee shall submit to the Chamber a reasoned request, adopted with the vote of a majority of its Members, stating the matters that form the subject of the enquiry, its purpose, the necessary means and the deadline by which the Committee's report is to be placed before the plenum to the Chamber of Deputies.
3. Special Committees of the Chamber of Deputies
Article 72. - (1) Following a proposal by 50 Deputies belonging to at least two Parliamentary Groups, the Chamber of Deputies may set up special Committees to endorse certain complex legislative documents, draw up legislative proposals or for other purposes stated in the decision for setting up the Committee. The legislative proposals thus drawn up shall not be examined by other Committees as well.
(2) The same decision shall also state the name and objectives of the Committee and its composition. The composition of the Committee and its Bureau shall be established following a proposal by the Parliamentary Groups Leaders Committee, in observance of the original political configuration of the Chamber of Deputies.
(3) The special Committees set up under article (1) shall have the same status as the Standing Committees.
(4) The Members of the special Committees shall preserve their capacity as Members of the Standing Committees as well.
(5) Should the provisions of article 39-58 not suffice, the other issues relating to the organisation and functioning of a Committee shall be regulated by the latter's Bureau.
4. Enquiry Committees of the Chamber of Deputies
Article 73. - (1) Where clarification is deemed necessary of the causes of and the circumstances under which events or actions with harmful effect have occurred, as well as to establish the conclusions, liabilities and steps to be taken, the Chamber of Deputies may decide to commence a parliamentary enquiry.
(2) Such an enquiry may be conducted by a Standing Committee, under article 71, or by a Parliamentary Enquiry Committee set up for that purpose.
Article 74. - (1) The investigation of actions or activities that form the subject of criminal enquiries or are on cause-lists in courts of law may not be the subject of a parliamentary enquiry.
(2) A parliamentary enquiry shall rightfully cease at the time of a judicial procedure being started in relation to the actions or activities making its object, in which case the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies shall inform the criminal investigation authorities that they may have access to all the documents referring to that case, existing in the archives of the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 75. - Following a request by at least 50 Deputies of at least two Parliamentary Groups, the Chamber of Deputies may decide on setting up an Enquiry Committee, the provisions of articles 39-58 and article 72 (2)-(5) being applicable.
Article 76. - (1) In view of the hearing, the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee may send citations to any person who may know something about an action or circumstance likely to serve in finding out the truth in the matter that forms the subject of the Committee' work.
(2) The persons having received a citation shall be under obligation to come before the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee.
(3) Following a request by the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee, any person acquainted with actions or circumstances related to the object of the investigation, or being in possession of evidence, shall be under obligation to tell about them or produce them within the time limits set. Under the law, the institutions and organisations shall be under obligation to respond to the requests of the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee within the time limit set by the latter.
(4) When, in order to clarify actions or circumstances needed for finding out the truth, it is necessary to draw up expert's examination reports, the Parliamentary enquiry Committee shall request such expert's examinations to be carried out.
(5) The provisions of the law regarding the citation, appearance and hearing of witnesses, as well as those regarding the producing and handing over of objects or documents, or the performing of expert's examinations, shall apply accordingly.
(6) The President of the Committee conducting the enquiry shall advise the person being heard that he/she is under obligation to tell the truth, to withhold nothing of what he/she knows, and that failure to comply with that obligation shall entail criminal liability.
(7) During the investigations, the Committee may also request the access to classified information, under the law.
(8) The expenditures needed to conduct an expert's examination and take other procedure steps pertaining to the committee's work shall be approved by the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, following a request by the President of the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee.
Article 77. - The work of the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee shall be terminated once a report on the enquiry has been drawn up, which shall be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, within 15 days of it being submitted. The maximum time limit for an enquiry conducted by a Committee shall be 180 days, within which the Committee shall be under obligation to submit the final report. Following a reasoned request by the Bureau of the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee, the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies may extend that time limit only once by no more than 60 days.
Article 78. - (1) The conclusions, liabilities and steps contained in the parliamentary enquiry report, as debated in the Chamber of Deputies, shall be reflected in the content of a decision that, after adoption, shall be forwarded to the competent authorities for examination and solutions, together with the report, if need be.
(2) In order to solve the issues resulting from the decision of the Chamber of Deputies and the report by the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee and the competent authorities may have access to all the documents based on which that report was drawn up, which shall be kept in the archives of the Chamber, under the law in force.
(3) The authorities having been notified of the decision of the Chamber of Deputies and the report by the Parliamentary Enquiry Committee shall be under obligation to inform the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, within 30 days of the solution being adopted, about the solutions adopted and their reasoning. The Standing Bureau shall submit the information received from the notified authority to the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies.
Article 79. - The provisions of articles 76, 77 and 78 shall also apply to the Standing Committees carrying out enquiries under article 71.
5. Mediation Committees*
Article 80. - (1) If one of the Chambers should adopt a draft law or a legislative proposal in a different wording from the one approved by the other Chamber, the President of the Chamber of Deputies and the President of the Senate shall start the mediation procedure.
(2) For that purpose, the Standing Bureau shall propose to the Chamber of Deputies, after consultations with the Parliamentary Groups, a number of 7 Deputies to form the Mediation Committee, in observance of the political configuration of the Chamber.
(3) The Deputies approved by the Chamber of Deputies, together with 7 Senators designated by the Senate, shall make up the Mediation Committee.
Article 81. - (1) The Mediation Committee shall convene at the headquarters of one of the Chambers following a summoning by the President of the Committee notified on the subject matter from the Chamber that adopted the draft last, and shall lay down the rules based on which it shall carry out its work, including the time limit within which it is to present its report.
(2) The proceedings shall be chaired, by rotation, by a Deputy or a Senator, appointed by the Committee.
Article 82. - The committee's decisions shall be made with the consent of a majority of its Members. In the event of a 7-vote tie, the vote of the person chairing the Committee meeting at the time of voting shall prevail.
Article 83. - (1) The Committee's work shall cease once the report is submitted, the approval of which shall take place under article 82, as well as if the Committee is unable to reach an agreement on its report within the time limit set.
(2) Unless the Mediation Committee reaches an agreement on the texts which are divergent within the time limit set under article 81 (1) or one of the Chambers has approved the report by the Mediation Committee, the divergent texts shall be subject to debate in the joint sitting of the two Chambers, under the Rules of Procedure of such sittings.
