Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of Kosovo

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Document Information:

Year: 2006
Country: Kosovo
Language: English
Document Type: Domestic Law or Regulation
Topic: Assembly and Protest

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PROVISIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF SELF GOVERNMENT

RULES OF PROCEDURE
OF THE ASSEMBLY OF KOSOVO

20 May, 2005
Pristina
Amended on 1 June 2006 UNITED NATIONS
United Nations Interim
Administration Mission
in Kosovo

UNMIK NATIONS UNIES
Mission d’Administration
Intérimaire des Nations
Unies au Kosovo

The Assembly of Kosovo,
Pursuant to Chapter 9.1.26, i) of the Constitutional Framework and Rule 4.4. of the Rules
of Procedure of the Assembly of Kosovo,

With the aim of laying down the rules for the organization and functioning of the Assembly,
including the Presidency, Committees, Parliamentary groups, Administration and other
procedural issues in the Assembly,

Hereby Adopts the following:

RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ASSEMBLY OF KOSOVO

CHAPTER 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Rule 1: Main provisions
These Rules of Procedure establish organization and functioning of the Assembly of
Kosovo, the President and Presidency of the Assembly, Parliamentary Committees and
other bodies of the Assembly.

Rule 2: Definitions

The definitions used in these Rules of Procedure shall have the following meaning:
Amendment: is a proposal to substantively change, delete or add a provision to the
Constitutional Framework, and all other acts adopted by the Assembly.

Declaration: is a general policy statement voted upon and approved by the Assembly;
Draft law: is a proposal for a law submitted to the Plenary, through the Table Office, for
debate and a vote.

Law: is a binding legislative act approved by the Assembly of Kosovo, which regulates a
specific area.

Lead Committee: is the parliamentary committee within whose remit? a particular law
or act of subordinate legislation falls, and which, under the Rules of Procedure, takes the
lead role in reporting to the Assembly on that legislation. If an issue falls within the remit
of more than one functional committee, the Assembly, upon a proposal from the
Presidency, may designate one to be the lead committee.

Motion means:
(a) a written substantive proposal submitted to the Table Office; or
(b) a written procedural proposal presented to the Assembly for debate and
vote in accordance with these Rules.

Substantive motion: is a proposal for
(a) a resolution;
(b) an amendment to a draft law, or
(c) other acts issued by the Assembly

Official documents of the Assembly : means any questions, motions or draft laws
circulated to Members of the Assembly, written answers to questions, recommendations
or reports provided by the Committees, minutes as well as other material submitted for
debate by the Assembly or any of its Committees. It does not include the records of
Assembly Proceedings.

Parliamentary Group: means the association of not less than 5 %, respectively 6
Members of the Assembly who have informed the President and the Presidency of the
Assembly about their intention to act as a parliamentary group.

Rapporteur: means a member of a certain committee who is appointed by the committee
to report on the draft law at the meetings of the Assembly or the committee itself. A
committee may appoint different rapporteurs to report about different matters.

Resolution: is a written motion which expresses through voting the will of the Assembly.
Readings: are the stages through which a law passes, in compliance with these Rules.
Plenary session: means a meeting of the Assembly held within a specific time.
Sponsor: means a Parliamentary Group, a rapporteur of a Committee, a Member of the
Assembly, Prime Minister or a Minister who prepared a substantive motion, a draft law,
or another act for debate.

Table Office: means an office within the Assembly administration, where the Members
of the Assembly, sponsors and other authorized presenters are to submit questions,
motions and draft laws, etc. that are to be circulated to the Members of the Assembly or
submitted to the Assembly.

Urgent matter: means a matter that is related to a genuine emergency which could not
be brought before the Assembly within a reasonable time by other means and upon which
the Assembly takes a decision.

Working Day: means a day of the week from Monday to Friday both inclusive,
excluding public holidays, during a week when the Assembly would normally meet.

CHAPTER 2
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASSEMBLY

Rule 3: The inaugural Session

1. The inaugural session of the Assembly of Kosovo shall be convened at the latest
within thirty (30) days after the certification of the election results.

2. The inaugural session is summoned by the President of the previous Assembly,
while it is initially chaired by the oldest Member of the Assembly, assisted by
the youngest one, until the new President of the Assembly is elected.

3. The Chair shall request from the parliamentary parties to appoint one Member in
the Committee on Mandates and Immunities. After the verification of mandates,
Members shall take a solemn oath. The text of the oath shall read as follows:

“I, the deputy of the Assembly of Kosovo, elected through a free ballot, solemnly swear
today that honestly and truly, with devotion and commitment, with all my being, with all
my abilities, shall work in the interest of Kosovo and all its citizens protection and
respect of the constitutionality and lawfulness, for the protection of the territorial and
institutional integrity, for guaranteeing freedoms and human rights in accordance with
the domestic laws and European standards.
I swear.”

The Chair shall read the text, while the Members shall take the Oath by pronouncing the
words “I swear.” Each of the members shall sign the text of the Oath.

4. The Assembly at its Inaugural Session, or at a meeting thereafter, shall set up an
ad hoc Committee on the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly. The Committee
shall be established and function in accordance with the procedures specified in
Rules 41.and following. The Committee shall prepare draft Rules of Procedure
and present them to the Assembly for consideration and approval. The Rules of
Procedure to be adopted must be consistent with the provisions of the
Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government.

Rule 4: Election of the Presidency

1. The Presidency of the Assembly consists of 8 members.

2. The chairperson of the inaugural session requests from the representatives of the
parties or coalitions that are entitled to appoint the members of the Presidency of the
Assembly to state the names of the members they are appointing, as follows:

a) Two members to be appointed by the party or coalition having obtained the
highest number of votes in the Assembly elections;
b) Two members to be appointed by the party or coalition having obtained the
second highest number of votes;
c) One member to be appointed by the party or coalition having obtained the
third highest number of votes;
d) One member to be appointed by the party or coalition having obtained the
fourth highest number of votes; and
e) One member to be appointed among the members of the parties having
declared themselves to represent the Kosovo Serb community; and
f) One member to be appointed from among the members of the parties having
declared themselves to represent communities other than the Kosovo Albanian
and Kosovo Serb communities.

3. In the case of the political entity or coalition having obtained the highest number of
votes, the acting Chairperson shall also request the representative to state which of the
two candidates to the Presidency is to serve as President of the Assembly.

4. The Chairperson of the inaugural session requests from the Assembly to elect through
voting the Presidency and the President of the Assembly. Subsequently, the President
assumes the duty.

CHAPTER 3
THE PRESIDENCY

Rule 5: The mandate of the Presidency

1. The mandate of the President of the Assembly and of the members of the
Presidency shall be in accordance with the mandate of the Assembly’s composition.

2. The Assembly shall suspend its proceedings from the first day of the election
campaign. During the said period the Presidency shall continue its proceedings in
order to ensure the continuity of the Assembly of Kosovo.

3. The President of the Assembly may submit his/her resignation to the Assembly.
The written statement of resignation shall be submitted in advance to the
Presidency of the Assembly. Upon the approval of the resignation the political
party or the coalition that appointed the former President of the Assembly, shall
propose a new candidate for President pursuant to rule 4 of these Rules of
procedures.

4. The same procedure applies in the case of resignation of any of the members of
the Presidency.

5. The dismissal of the President or a member of the Presidency of the Assembly is
conducted at the proposal the political party or a parliamentary group which has
appointed him/her and in accordance with the procedure for their appointment.

Rule 6: Duties of the Presidency

1. At the beginning of the electoral term the Presidency shall ensure the agreement
of the parliamentary groups regarding the number of committees, appointments
for chairpersons of committees and deputy-chairpersons, upon which the
Assembly will take a decision.

2. The Presidency is responsible for the work program of the Assembly. It shall
review and prepare the agenda of the following meeting of the Assembly and
shall ensure an agreement amongst the parliamentary groups on the form and
duration of the debate on a particular item of business.

3. The Presidency shall meet at least one week before the next session of the
Assembly to review and prepare the agenda of the following meetings of the
Assembly. The invitation with the agenda and the required materials will be
distributed to the deputies lately three working days before the plenary meeting.

4. The Presidency shall attempt to ensure that a reasonable proportion of the time in
plenary session is made available for issues brought forward by the parliamentary
groups which are not represented in the government. The time made available in
this way should not be less than one hour per meeting. If no agreement is reached
on these issues, the Assembly shall decide in plenary session at the beginning of
its meeting.

5. The Presidency shall ensure that any substantial motion supported by sixth or
more deputies of the Assembly is placed on the agenda of the plenary session of
the Assembly within three working weeks of securing this degree of support. The
Assembly shall take a decision on the matter.

6. The Presidency of the Assembly shall appoint the Secretary of the Assembly, who
reports directly to the Presidency. The Secretary of the Assembly performs the
duties in close co-ordination with the President of the Assembly.

7. The Presidency approves the draft budget of the Assembly, prepared by the
Budget Committee in cooperation with the administration of the Assembly.

8. The Presidency decides on the financial means and rules by which the deputies
and the staff of parliamentary groups abide, as well as on their accommodation
and equipment. The Presidency shall also decide on the rights and duties of the
staff of this staff with regard to the documentation and facilities of the Assembly.

9. The Presidency shall maintain external parliamentary relations and other
international activities that fall within the scope of its powers, in accordance with
the Art. 9.1.28(b) of the Constitutional Framework.

10. The Presidency shall exercise other duties as are specified in these Rules of
Procedure.

Rule 7: Meetings of the Presidency

1. The President of the Assembly shall convene and chair meetings of the Presidency.
2. The President of the Assembly must convene a meeting of the Presidency if a
parliamentary group or five percent, respectively 6 deputies of the Assembly so demand.

3. The Presidency shall take decisions by consensus. Absent a consensus, except in the
cases specified in the preceding paragraph and Rule 40, it shall decide by a majority vote
of those present and voting, provided that at least five members are present. In the event
of a tied vote, the President’s vote shall decide the matter.

4. The representative of the President of Kosovo and the government may take part in
the meetings of the Presidency without voting right. The Secretary takes part in the
meetings of the Assembly pursuant to the official duty.

5. If needed, the Presidency of the Assembly may invite for specific issues the leaders of
the parliamentary groups.

Rule 8 Duties of the President of the Assembly

1. The President shall represent the Assembly, convene and chair its meetings, maintains
order and performs other duties as specified in these Rules of Procedure. His
interpretation of the Rules during an Assembly meeting shall be final.

2. The President of the Assembly of Kosovo shall exercise the duties of the President of
Kosovo, if the President of Kosovo is unable to perform his/her duties temporarily.

Rule 9: Acting for the President of the Assembly
1. A member of the Presidency may act for the President in his or her absence upon the
request of the President.

2. Where the President is absent or requests a member of the Presidency to act in his or
her place, the President of the Assembly shall decide with a special authorization on a
replacement among Members of the Presidency.

3. If the President of the Assembly is unable to exercise his/her duties, he/she will be
replaced by a member of the Presidency of the same political party.

Rule 10 Chair

In chairing the sessions of the Assembly, the President shall be assisted by one of the
members of the Presidency in accordance with the principle of rotation determined by the
Presidency.

CHAPTER 4
PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS

Rule 11 Status and funding of the Parliamentary Groups

1. The parliamentary group is a political formation that consists of no less than 5 %,
respectively 6 Members of the Assembly, on account of a common political aim.

2. The formation and naming of the parliamentary group shall comply with the
Constitutional Framework and the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.

3. The name of the leader and members of the parliamentary group shall be
communicated to the President and the Presidency of the Assembly in writing.

4. 4. A deputy shall not belong to more than one parliamentary group.
5. The parliamentary group shall be assisted by an administrative staff that is to be
remunerated pursuant to the guidelines of the Presidency issued under Rule 6.8.

6. Upon the decision of the Presidency, the parliamentary groups shall be allocated a
yearly fund in proportion to the number of seats they have in the Assembly.

CHAPTER 5
MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY

Rule 12: Rights and responsibilities of the Members of the Assembly
1. The members of the Assembly have an equal right and responsibility to participate
fully in the proceedings of the Assembly, acting in accordance with their convictions
and conscience. This shall include, but not be limited to, the rights to initiate draft
laws according to the Rule 33 and resolutions, to question members of the
Government during the period provided for that purpose about the policies and
actions of the Government, to vote on all proposed decisions by the Assembly and to
take part on an equal basis with other Members of the Assembly in all debates of the
Assembly.

2. The Member of the Assembly shall receive an identification document which
contains the text of his/her immunity.

3. The member of the Assembly is entitled to additional rights to be provided by a
specific act of the Assembly.

Rule 13: Immunities of Members of the Assembly

1. Members of the Assembly shall be immune from all civil and criminal
proceedings with regard to words spoken or written or other acts performed in
their capacity as Members of the Assembly. This immunity does not include acts
which openly encourage violence among communities.

2. The Member shall also be immune from arrest and prosecution with regard to his
or her actions unless the Assembly of Kosovo takes a decision to waive his
immunity.

3. The request to waive the immunity of a Member shall be made by the competent
body in charge of criminal prosecution, while the decision to waive the immunity
of a Member shall be taken by the Assembly following the recommendations of
the Committee for Mandates and Immunities.

4. A Member whose immunity has been waived shall be entitled to, personally or
through an authorized person, appeal to the Special Chamber of the Supreme
Court on Constitutional Framework Matters, which shall decide the matter.

5. With the exception of paragraph 2 detention may be awarded against the Member,
without the prior consent of the Assembly, when he or she is caught committing a
serious criminal act in flagranti, punishable by five (5) years or more of
imprisonment.

Rule 14: Loss of the status as a Member of the Assembly

A Member of the Assembly shall cease to be a Member of the Assembly:
1. If he or she is convicted of a criminal offence in Kosovo and sentenced to serve a
prison term for a period of six months or more;

2. If he or she is serving a sentence imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal
for Former Yugoslavia or under indictment by the Tribunal and has failed to
comply with an order to appear before the tribunal.

3. If a Member of the Assembly throughout a period of six (6) months attends none
of the sessions of the Assembly or of a Committee of which he or she is a
Member, and cannot show good cause to the satisfaction of the President of the
Assembly, the President of the Assembly shall propose to the Assembly that the
Member concerned cease to be a Member. The Assembly shall decide on the
matter in the next plenary session. The opinion of the Committee for Mandates
and Immunities is required on this matter.

4. In such a case the Member may submit to the Assembly in writing any arguments
which show good cause for his/her failure to attend the sessions, and shall also be
permitted to address the Assembly briefly if he or she wishes to do so.

5. The Member of the Assembly may give up his or her status as a Member of the
Assembly by informing the President of the Assembly in writing about his or her
wish to do so. The President of the Assembly shall inform the Assembly and
SRSG on this Member’s request for resignation.

Rule 15: Code of Conduct for the Members of the Assembly

The Members of the Assembly shall comply with the Code of Conduct that is annexed to
these Rules of Procedure and forms part of them.

CHAPTER 6

PRESIDENT OF KOSOVO

Rule 16: Election of the President of Kosovo

1. Immediately or at latest within 15 days of its inaugural meeting, and following the
appointment of the President of the Assembly and of the Presidency, or thereafter
whenever the office becomes vacant, the Assembly shall proceed to the election
of the President of Kosovo.

2. A nomination for the post of the President of Kosovo shall require the support of
the party having the largest number of seats in the Assembly, or of at least twenty-
five deputies.

3. The election of the President of Kosovo shall be conducted by secret ballot. Any
candidate receiving the votes of two-thirds or more of the Members of the
Assembly shall be declared elected.

4. If in the first ballot no candidate is successful, a second secret ballot should take
place, again on the basis that a two-thirds majority is required.

5. If no candidate is successful in the second ballot, in the further secret ballots any
candidate receiving the votes of an absolute majority of the Members of the
Assembly shall be declared elected.

Rule 17: Dismissal from Office of the President of Kosovo
1. If a motion for the dismissal from office of the President of Kosovo is supported by at
least fifty Members, the Assembly shall, following a debate, vote upon the motion.

2. Where a motion is tabled in accordance with paragraph 1, the debate and vote of the
Assembly shall be conducted within five working days of the tabling of the motion.

3. The motion must receive the support of two-thirds of the Members of the
Assembly to be successful.

CHAPTER 7
PRIME MINISTER AND GOVERNMENT
Rule 18: Election of the Prime Minister and Government
1. The President of Kosovo shall propose to the Assembly a candidate for Prime
Minister of Kosovo within 15 days of his or her election by the Kosovo
Assembly, as well as in the case of the resignation of the Prime Minister; or if
the post becomes vacant for any reason.

2. Within 15 days of his or her nomination, the candidate proposed for Prime
Minister shall present to the Assembly the government program and a list with
the proposals for the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

3. The Government of Kosovo, consisting of the candidate for Prime Minister,
Deputy Prime Minister and the candidates for Ministers and Deputy Ministers, is
elected where the candidates obtain the votes of a majority of the Members of the
Assembly. The Assembly shall decide on the voting method for the election of
the Government.

4. If the proposed Government is not elected, the President of Kosovo shall within
ten days propose a new candidate for the post of the Prime Minister. The
procedure set in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Rule shall apply.

Rule 19: Motions of No-Confidence in the Prime Minister

1. The Assembly of Kosovo may express its lack of confidence in the Prime
Minister based on the motion supported by at least of one fourth, respectively 30
Members of the Assembly and only by electing at the same time a new Prime
Minister together with new Ministers by a majority vote of the Members of the
Assembly.

2. The motion shall be signed by at least one fourth, respectively 30 Members of the
Assembly. The motion of non-confidence must contain a named proposal for the
successor of the Prime Minister. The President of Kosovo must comply with this
proposal.

3. The Assembly shall decide on a motion of no confidence within five days.
4. The term of office of the Prime Minister shall end when the new Prime Minister is
elected.

Rule 20: Motion of the Prime Minister for a vote of confidence

1. The Prime Minister may initiate a motion of confidence. This motion may be
combined with the vote on a draft law.

2. The motion is voted forty-eight hours after its submission.
3. The motion should be supported by the majority of the Members of the Assembly.
4. If the Assembly fails to elect a new Prime Minister within twenty-one days, the
Assembly may propose SRSG to dissolve the Assembly

CHAPTER 8
APPROVAL OF THE LIST OF THE RECOMMENDED JUDGES AND
PROSECUTORS

Rule 21: Approval of the list for the appointment of the recommended judges and
prosecutors

1. Upon the recommendation of the Kosovo Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (KJPC),
The Assembly of Kosovo, within 30 days, shall consider and approve the list of judges
and prosecutors and forward it for appointment to the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General taking into consideration the established criteria for the appointment of
judges and prosecutors.

2. The Assembly may seek additional clarifications from the KJPC regarding the
candidates recommended for appointment as judges and prosecutors. In such cases the
time limit for a decision by the Assembly may be postponed for 10 (ten) days from the
day additional information is received.

3. If no action is taken by the Assembly to forward the KJPC recommendation to the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General within the time frame prescribed in
paragraph 1 of this Rule, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General may take
action on the basis of the recommended appointments proposed by the KJPC.

4. Requests for the dismissal of judges and prosecutors in Kosovo shall be provided by
the KJPC to the Assembly for information at the same time that such requests are
submitted to the SRSG.

5. The Assembly shall be informed on such requests in a plenary session and may seek
additional clarifications regarding such requests from the KJPC.

CHAPTER 9
BUSINESS OF THE ASSEMBLY

Rule 22: Order in the meetings of the Assembly

1. The Assembly shall conduct its proceedings pursuant to a defined calendar that is
proposed by the Presidency in consultations with the Government, representatives of
the parliamentary groups and committees, and adopted by the Assembly..

2. The Assembly proceeds in plenary session and committees.

3. The Presidency of the Assembly shall decide about the date and agenda of the meeting
of the Assembly.

4. The plenary sessions of the Assembly shall usually take place twice per month. The
plenary week begins usually on Thursday and ends on Friday. The Presidency may
depart from this order whenever it deems it to be necessary.

5. Debate on a draft law or substantive motion shall be in accordance with the following
order:

a) The sponsor of the draft law or substantive motion shall speak first;
b) If the Government is not the sponsor, the Assembly may ask for Government
opinion.
c) The Chairperson or raportueer of the relevant lead committee;
d) Chairpersons of Main Committees;
e) Chairpersons of Parliamentary Groups;
f) All other MPs shall have the right to discuss about a draft law or substantive
motion in the order as determined by the President of the Assembly;
g) At the end of the debate, the sponsor of the draft law or substantive motion
shall have the right to respond and the President of the Assembly shall then
close the debate.

a) Any Minister or Member who has spoken shall have the right to respond to
the discussion of another Member or Minister where that Member or Minister
has made reference to first Member’s or Minister’s name or earlier discussion.
b) The right to respond in accordance with (a) shall be limited to two minutes
immediately after the end of the relevant discussion.
c) Where an MP or Minister uses the right to respond in accordance with (a), a
rebuttal of up to one minute is allowed by the original speaker, immediately
following the response.

7. If not otherwise decided by the Assembly, a discussion in the Assembly shall not
exceed ten (10) minutes for all Members of the Assembly. The discussions about
the agenda shall not exceed 2 minutes.

8. Deputies wishing to discuss shall submit their names to the President of the
Assembly, who shall determine the order in which they are called in accordance
with chronology of their notification.

9. When the President considers that is in interest of the discussion, may allow a
deputy to speak longer than the time at his/her disposal.

10. The President of the Assembly shall maintain order in the Assembly and shall call
to order any Member of the Assembly or Member of the Government who:

a) The speaker departs from the matter opened for discussion;
b) Engages in a threatening act that disturbs the order in the work of the Assembly;
c) Engages in discourteous and inappropriate conduct,
d) Raises an issue outside the scope of the debate or motion,
e) Intentionally assaults or resists any police officer or officer of the Assembly
acting under the authority of the President of the Assembly, or
f) Disregards the authority of the President of the Assembly.
g) Uses unparliamentary language either spoken or in writing, that are used in
the Assembly or a committee that are:
i. offensive, defamatory or threatening;
ii. personal attacks or insults;
iii. obscene language;
iv. conducive to inter-community violence.

11. The President of the Assembly may direct a Member of the Assembly or Minister
who has, in his or her opinion, used non-parliamentary language, to withdraw such
words or, if necessary, take action in accordance with paragraph 13 of this rule.

12. A Member or Minister shall comply with any directions given by the President of
the Assembly about conduct for which he or she has been called to order
including, but not limited to the following measures:

a) Withdrawal of non-parliamentary language;
b) Immediately ending the speech;
c) Removal from the Assembly proceedings, including committee meetings, for
the remainder of the day; or
d) Where further action is required, including a request for the intervention of
one or more police officers, the President of the Assembly shall consult the
Presidency prior to ordering such a disciplinary measure. Police officers shall
act upon the instructions of the President of the Assembly in this regard.

13. In case of grave disorder arising in the Assembly, the President of the Assembly
may adjourn the session forthwith, or may suspend it for a specified time.

14. The Presidency of the Assembly may issue rules regarding the conduct of the
public, representatives of the press and other persons, observing Assembly
proceedings. The President of the Assembly shall require any persons not
complying with such rules to withdraw. Police officers shall act upon any
instructions given by the President of the Assembly in this regard.

Rule 23: Agendas

1. The Presidency shall prepare a draft Agenda for the upcoming Assembly session and
make it immediately available to the Members of the Assembly.

2. At the beginning of the session the draft Agenda shall be deemed approved, unless
one or more parliamentary groups or six (6) Members of the Assembly propose in
writing to the President an amendment to the Agenda, which should be put to a vote.

3. If any member deems it necessary at anytime to amend the Agenda to accommodate
an urgent item of business, such a proposal shall be made in accordance with Rule 29.

4. The Presidency shall consult parliamentary groups when setting the agenda for
Assembly sessions.

5. The Presidency shall consult the parliamentary groups at least once a month regarding
broad timetabling issues such as the number of hours per day, the number of days
per week and the number of weeks per year, for which the Assembly should
normally plan to sit.

6. The Presidency shall, upon its own initiative or in response to a request by the Prime
Minister or by one or more parliamentary groups representing not less than one-
third, respectively 40 (forty) Members of the Assembly, convene the Assembly for
an extraordinary session in order to deal with an urgent matter. The request shall
state the matter or matters to be considered, and the reasons why they are considered
urgent and important in such a way as to justify recalling the Assembly. In such

cases, only the items of business that form the basis of the request shall be
considered.

7. If the draft law is adopted in the First Reading, Assembly then assigns the Lead
Committee the duty to review the draft law.

Rule 24: Publicity and registering of the plenary sessions

1. Sessions of the Assembly are public, unless otherwise decided by the Assembly.
They may be broadcast in accordance with such arrangements as the Presidency
shall decide. A record shall be made of all plenary sessions of the Assembly with
each contribution being recorded in the language in which it was made. Minutes
shall contain a resume of discussions and decisions taken by the Assembly.

2. The record referred to in paragraph 1 shall be published and

a) filed in the Assembly archives; and
b) made available to the public pursuant to the law.

Rule 25: Interpellation

1. A Parliamentary Group may file a motion of interpellation to debate an issue related
to the work of the Government or a Ministry.

2. The Agenda of a session may include one interpellation debate, which shall be
limited to a maximum of two (2) hours.

3. If more than one Parliamentary Group has an interpellation request pending, the
Presidency shall accord each Parliamentary Group the opportunity to hold an
interpellation debate, in the order of their submission, over the course of the
upcoming sessions.

4. An interpellation motion shall be submitted in writing and include:
a) a concise formulation of the issue;
b) a justification for the motion
c) the name and authorized signature of the Parliamentary Group in question.

5. The interpellation is forwarded to the Presidency of the Assembly. As soon as the
text of interpellation is received, the Presidency of the Assembly shall submit it to
the Government, which is obliged to review it within seven (7) days.

6. The interpellation shall be included in the Agenda within seven (7) days of receipt of
the answer by the Government. If the government does not reply to the request for
interpellation as foreseen in paragraph 5, it shall be placed as the last item on the
Agenda of the ongoing plenary session of the Assembly. If the Assembly is not in
session it shall be placed as the first item on the Agenda for the next Assembly
session. The Assembly cannot reject the inclusion of the interpellation in the
Agenda, with the exception of the cases when it does not meet the formal condition
stipulated in paragraph 4 of this Rule.

7. The Parliamentary Group which proposes the Interpellation Debate shall have the
right to start the debate for a period not exceeding ten (10) minutes. The same
parliamentary group has the right to close the debate not exceeding five (5)
minutes. Other Members have the right to debate the Interpellation question, in
accordance with the Rules of Procedure. Time allocation to Parliamentary Groups
shall reflect their representation in the Assembly.

8. The Prime Minister or the minister to whom the request is addressed is obliged to
present and argue the opinion of the Government regarding the issue raised by
interpellation.

9. The parliamentary group who requested the interpellation may demand that a motion
be voted upon at the end of the interpellation debate; within its allotted time,
provided the motion was included in the initial request for interpellation.

10. The interpellation debate cannot carry over to the next session of the Assembly.
11. An interpellation on the same issue cannot be submitted more than twice during a
budgetary year.

Rule 26: Questions to the Government for Oral Answers

1. The agenda of each session shall include a Question Period, which shall be limited
to 50 minutes.

2. Any member of the Assembly may ask a question, to be answered by any member
of the Government during the question period, provided that such question is tabled in
writing at the Table Office no less than 48 hours prior to the Session.

3. The formulation of Question must respect the conditions of Rule 22.10.
4. The member filing the question will deliver orally the same question during the
Question Period.

5. The question must not be longer than one (1) minute.
6. The answer to the question must not be longer than three (3) minutes.
7. A supplementary question may be asked orally to the same member of Government
and must not be longer than one (1) minute.

8. A supplementary answer may be made orally and must not be longer than two (2)
minutes.

9. A member who has filed a question in accordance with the Rules of Procedure will
have the right to ask the question to the Government even if the Government has not
prepared a reply.

10. A question may be addressed to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister may
defer the question to one of his ministers at his discretion.

11. If a question has not been answered within 2 sessions, the question will be
published in the Bulletin of the Assembly.

Rule 27: Questions for written answers

Members may submit questions for written answer to the Prime Minister or any
other Minister, about his or her area of responsibility. The answer shall be given
no later than two (2) weeks from the date the question was submitted, and shall be
included in the records of Assembly Proceedings for the day on which it is
answered, or the first day thereafter on which the Assembly sits in plenary session.
The list of unanswered questions within the required period of time shall be
published in the bulletin of the Assembly and distributed to the deputies.

Rule 28: Statements by Ministers

At any plenary session of the Assembly, a Minister may, upon his/her request, in
agreement with the President of the Assembly, make a statement to the Assembly
about any matter within the scope of his or her responsibilities. If necessary more
than one Minister may make a statement during one day. The Minister making the
statement in the Assembly should agree beforehand with the President of the
Assembly on its approximate length and it should, in any event, be no lengthier
than is necessary. After the statement has been made, the President of the
Assembly shall permit comments to be made or questions to be put on behalf of
parliamentary groups and also by individual Members of the Assembly. The
Minister who has made the statement shall have the right to respond briefly to any
comments or questions that may be put.

Rule 29: Urgent Matters

1. At any plenary session, any Member, in agreement with the President of the
Assembly, may propose that the Assembly should immediately consider an
urgent matter. If the President of the Assembly is satisfied that the matter
merits the Assembly’s immediate attention, he/she shall permit the Member
concerned to put his proposal to the Assembly, and then put it to a vote. If the
Assembly resolves to consider the matter, it shall do so during that meeting
while the timetable and order shall be adjusted accordingly.

2. The Assembly shall decide on the proposals of the parliamentary groups
regarding urgent matters.

Rule 30: Procedural Motions

1. At any plenary session of the Assembly, a member is entitled to propose any of the
following procedural motions to:

a) adjourn debate;
b) adjourn the session;
c) refer a matter to a committee;
d) end debate;
e) challenge whether or not the rules of procedure have been violated; or

f) challenge whether or not the rights of a deputy have been violated.
2. A motion to adjourn debate, with a specified date for the next debate, and a motion to
adjourn the session shall require an immediate vote, without debate.

3. A motion to refer a matter to a committee must specify the committee and the reason
for the referral. If the President of the Assembly finds the motion in order, the matter
shall be debated immediately with the normal rules applying to such a debate.

4. A motion to close debate may be debated only by the chairpersons of parliamentary
groups and is voted immediately in accordance with the rules.

5. Where a motion challenging a potential violation of the rules of procedure is made,
the President of the Assembly shall decide immediately, or, if necessary, upon a
further review, whether the motion is in order. In such cases the President shall
instruct the violator of the rules to comply with the rules of procedure.

6. Where an MP has moved a motion that his or her rights as an MP have been violated,
the President of the Assembly shall review the motion and, within one (1) working
day or at the latest in the next session of the Assembly, report to the Assembly as to
whether or not the rights of an MP have been violated. If the rights of the MP have
been violated, the President of the Assembly shall order the violator to take action to
remedy the violation.

7. A motion to adjourn debate, adjourn the session, refer a matter to a committee or close
the debate requires the support of one parliamentary group before it can be debated.

8. A motion to challenge the application of the Rules of Procedure and the motion on
the violation of the rights of a Member can be made by even one Member. This
motion is submitted to the Committee on Judicial, Legislative and Constitutional
Framework Matters, which has to express its recommendation in the first Assembly
Plenary Session to follow.

Rule 31: Quorum and Voting

1. A majority of the members of the Assembly shall constitute a quorum.
2. Meetings of the Assembly shall be suspended if the number of Members present
falls below one third of the total. If less than one third of the members are
present, a bell shall be rung for a period of five minutes and a count shall then
begin. If this count shows that fewer than one third of the total number of
Members are present, the President of the Assembly shall then suspend the
session for such period as he or she considers may afford the possibility of
securing the attendance of at least the required minimum number of Members.

3. The decisions taken in the meetings of the Assembly are valid if more than half of
the total number of Members of the Assembly (quorum) were present at the time
the decision was taken. The laws, decisions and other acts of the Assembly shall
be considered adopted if voted for by the majority of the deputies present and
voting, unless otherwise provided by the Constitutional Framework and these
rules.

4. Voting shall be by one of the following means:

a) A simple yes or no by means of a show of hands;
b) Secret ballot; or
c) By means of a recorded vote that includes:
(i) Electronic voting; or
(ii) Roll-call of each Member.

5. Where the President of the Assembly or one parliamentary group requests, a
recorded vote shall be held upon the decision of the Assembly. Where a recorded
vote is held, each member’s vote “for” or “against”, or abstention, shall be
recorded by name.

6. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast for and against any proposal,
it shall be deemed to have been defeated.

Rule 32: Submission of substantial motions

1. A substantive motion that is an amendment shall be submitted in writing, preferably
even electronically to the Table Office no later than eight (8) working days prior to
the debate on the resolution or draft law to which the amendment relates, to ensure
the amendment is properly drafted and translated into Albanian and Serbian.

2. Except for urgent matters, a substantive motion that is a resolution shall be submitted
to the Table Office eight working days prior to debate. The Table Office shall be
responsible for translation into Albanian and Serbian, its editing and distribution to all
Members no later than five (5) working days prior to debate.

3. Where a substantive motion relates to a document, that document should be attached
to the motion at the time defined in the preceding paragraph.

CHAPTER 10
ADOPTION OF LEGISLATION

Rule 33: Introduction of Laws in the Assembly
1. A draft law may be introduced for discussion to the Assembly by:
a) The Government
b) a committee;
c) a Member of the Assembly, supported by five Members that have signed the
draft law;
d) a parliamentary group;
e) in cases when the Assembly through a decision directs the government to draft
a law for debate in the Assembly, in accordance with Rule 34.

2. When a draft law is introduced for debate in the Assembly it shall include also:

a) The subject of the law;
b) The objectives to be achieved by the law;
c) How the objectives are to be achieved; and
d) the budgetary impact of the first and following years associated with the law.
e) the main facts for the implementation of the law.

3. Every draft law shall be:

a) translated into Albanian, Serbian and English by competent government or
Assembly staff; and

b) Submitted to the Table Office of the Assembly in written and electronic form
4. The Table Office shall immediately register and distribute the draft law to the deputies.

Rule 34: Instructions for preparing a Draft Law

1. When a Member of the Assembly submits to the Table Office a motion that the
Assembly should instruct the Government to prepare a draft law, the Presidency
shall request the opinion of the Government..

2. When the Presidency agrees to make time available for consideration of the
proposal, it shall be circulated to all Members of the Assembly, together with any
comments by the Government.

3. Where a proposal of a Member, according to the Paragraph 1 is supported by at
least five Members, the Presidency of the Assembly shall include it for debate
within no later than three sitting weeks.

4. Where the Assembly adopts the proposal, the Government shall prepare a draft
law accordingly within three months.

Rule 35: First Reading of Draft Laws

1. The first reading of the draft law shall take place no earlier than ten working days and
no later than three working weeks from the day of its distribution.

2. The first reading represents the approval in principle of the draft law. No amendments
to the draft law shall be proposed at the first reading.

3. The sponsor may withdraw the draft law during the first reading, before the procedure
of voting it in principle takes place.

4. Where a draft is approved at the First Reading, the draft law shall be referred to the
Lead Committee and the Committee on Judicial, Legislative and Constitutional
Framework matters and the Budget Committee. The Functional committee is the lead
committee.

5. In specific cases, the draft law may be referred to several committees simultaneously,
in which case one of them shall be made the lead committee.

6. When a committee has been designated to review a draft law, it shall report its
recommendations to the Assembly no later than two (2) months after the first reading,
unless an extension is approved by the Assembly. However, the lead committee shall
consider the draft law for the first time at least two weeks after the adoption in the
first reading.

7. The functional – lead or main committee may review the draft law in principle even
before the first reading of the draft law takes place in plenary session.

8. The lead committee upon reviewing the draft law is obliged to submit a report to the
Assembly at least five (5) working days before the second reading.

9. The proposals for amendments together with the budgetary implications shall be sent to
the Committee on Budget and Finance for an opinion. The Committee on Budget and
Finance shall give its opinion at least four (4) working days before the Plenary Session.

10. The Annual Budget of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) shall
be reviewed in accordance with these rules, except

a) The lead committee will be the Budget Committee;
b) The Budget Committee shall be the only committee that can make
recommendations to the Assembly with regard to the budget.

11. Where a member of the Presidency requests, any draft law shall be submitted to the
Committee on Rights and Interests of Communities for an opinion with regard to the
draft law, and in this case the draft law shall be submitted for an opinion to the
committee on Rights and Interests of Communities no later than 24 hours after the
first reading.

Rule 36: Consideration of Draft Laws by Committees

1. Committees in considering draft laws shall abide by the general provisions
regarding Committees.

2. The review of a draft law in the committee means the drafting and submission of
the report with recommendations to the Assembly:

a) As to amendments that are considered desirable; and
b) As to whether, subject to these amendments, the draft law can be
recommended for approval at its Second Reading.

3. Where more than one Committee is engaged in considering a draft law, each
Committee should inform the Lead Committee of its emerging conclusions. In
particular, the attention of the Budget Committee shall be drawn to any proposed
amendments. Where a Committee, including the Budget Committee, considers
that the draft law or proposals of Lead Committee have implications for its area of
responsibility, such Committee may make reference to this in its
recommendations of the Lead Committee to the Assembly.

4. Committees considering a draft law shall report in writing to the Assembly, setting
out in particular the texts of any amendments to the draft law that are proposed.
Either the Chairperson of the Lead Committee, or a rapporteur, shall be permitted
to address the Assembly to amplify the written report.

Rule 37: Second Reading of Draft Laws

1. In addition to the proposals made by the Lead Committee and deputies, the
Assembly shall also consider the amendments proposed by the Budget
Committee, the Committee on Rights and interests of Communities,

parliamentary groups and the government. The sponsor of the amendment is
entitled to justify his/her proposal upon request.

2. Amendments shall be considered individually in the order in which they arise in
the text of the draft law, unless a group of amendments have an impact on other
articles. In such case they can be considered where they first arise in the text, and
may be the subject of a single vote. It shall be for the President of the Assembly
to decide where this applies. The lead committee shall also determine the order in
which amendments should be considered pursuant to their substantial nature when
they arise at the same place in the text.

3. When all amendments that have been selected for consideration have been
approved or rejected, the text of the draft law, as amended, shall then be
considered, after time has been allotted for further debate prior to a final vote.

4. Means and procedures for introducing substantive amendments by entitled entities
is detailed in a special instruction.

Rule 38: Third Reading of Draft Laws

1. The Assembly may decide to present a draft law for the third reading together
with other adopted amendments, if it failed to receive the necessary votes during
the second reading Amendments that were considered and rejected at the Second
Reading, or that are closely similar to such amendments, may however not be
proposed again.

2. The procedure for considering further amendments and then the draft law, as
amended if any further amendments have been approved, shall again be as set out
in Rule 37, paragraphs 1 – 4.

Rule 39: Signature of Laws Adopted by the Assembly

Laws that have been approved by the Assembly either at their Second Reading or
at a Third Reading shall be signed by the President of the Assembly within ten
(10) working days, but not before the deadline set out in rule 40.1. They shall then
be sent to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United
Nations (SRSG) for promulgation. They shall become effective on the day of the
promulgation by the SRSG, unless otherwise specified by law.

Rule 40: Challenges to Laws on the Basis of Their Effect upon Vital Interests of
Communities

1. Within forty eight hours of the approval of a law by the Assembly under the
procedures of either Rule 37, 38 any Member of the Assembly, supported by five
or more additional Members, may submit a motion to the Presidency claiming
that the law or certain of its provisions violates vital interests of the Community to
which he or she belongs. The motion shall set out a reasoned explanation of the

claimed violations. A motion may be based on the grounds that the law, or
certain of its provisions, discriminates against a Community, adversely affects the
rights of the Community under either Chapter 3 of the Constitutional Framework
for Provisional Self-Government (Human Rights) or Chapter 4 (Rights of
Communities and Their Members), or otherwise seriously interferes with the
ability of the Community to preserve or express its ethnic, cultural, religious or
linguistic identity.

2. The Presidency shall request the sponsors of the law or provisions to provide
reasoned arguments in reply within three days. At the same time, the Presidency
shall request the sponsors and the objectors each to designate a representative to
serve, if necessary, on the special panel provided for in the following paragraph.
However, the Presidency shall in the first instance attempt to submit a consensus
proposal to the Assembly within five days of the sponsors’ reply.

3. If the Presidency fails to submit such a consensus proposal within the five day
period, a special three member Panel, consisting of representatives of the sponsors
and objectors and one member, who shall preside, designated by the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations (SRSG), shall
automatically be seized of the matter. The Panel shall within five days issue a
decision recommending that the Assembly rejects the motion, that the Assembly
rejects the law or provisions at issue, or that the Assembly adopts the law with
amendments proposed by the Panel. The Panel shall take its decisions by a
majority of its Members.

4. The Assembly shall decide whether to accept the consensus proposal of the
Presidency, if such a proposal is submitted, or the recommendation of the Panel.
No amendments other than those proposed either by the Presidency (paragraph 2
above) or the Panel (paragraph 3 above) may be introduced at this stage. If the
Assembly rejects the consensus proposal of the Presidency, or the
recommendation of the Panel, or accepts a proposal of the Presidency or a
recommendation of the Panel for the rejection of the motion, the law as previously
approved by the Assembly shall stand.

CHAPTER 11
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES

Rule 41 Function of committees
1. The number of committees and their structure shall be decided by the Assembly
pursuant to the proposal of the Presidency.

2. The committees shall be obliged to process the matters referred to them without delay.
The committees shall recommend to the Assembly final decisions that may relate
only to items of business referred to them or to questions directly connected

therewith. They may however take up other questions falling within their terms of
reference.

3. Insofar as the rules governing procedure in committee do not provide otherwise, the
provisions on the plenary shall apply accordingly to the committees.

Rule 42: Appointment of Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons of Committees

1. A Minister may not be a member of a Committee.
2. No Member of the Assembly shall be Chairperson of more than one Committee.
3. The Presidency shall assign to each parliamentary group represented in the Assembly
the right to nominate Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of Committees.

4. The parliamentary groups shall nominate the chairpersons for various committees in
accordance with the agreement reached in the Presidency. In reaching the agreement
for the distribution of posts for Chairpersons of the committees among parliamentary
groups, the Presidency shall consider the proportion of the power (representation) of
the parliamentary groups.

5. For the post the Chairperson of the Committee on rights and interests of
Communities, the nomination shall be made by the parliamentary group
representative of a community other than the majority community.

Rule 43 Meetings of the Committee

1. Meetings of a Committee shall be convened by the Chairperson of the Committee or
one of authorized Deputy Chairpersons within of the scope of the timetable drawn up
by the Presidency, unless the chairperson of the committee decides to have a meeting.

2. The Chairperson or one authorized Deputy Chairperson shall be obliged to convene a
meeting on the next possible date if one third of the committee members so demand.

3. The date and the agenda shall be determined by the Chairperson or one authorized
Deputy Chairpersons unless the committee has taken a prior decision thereon. The
agenda shall be communicated to the committee members at least four working days
before the meeting takes place. The agenda may be modified by the decision of the
committee.

4. Each Committee shall meet if necessary at least once in every two working weeks.

Rule 44: Committees – Other Provisions

1. Committee meetings shall be open to the public, except where a Committee is
a).debating matters of security in Kosovo, even those that fall under the reserved
powers of the SRSG;

b).debating the details of a commercial contract involving the PISG and a third party
in which confidential commercial matters are being discussed; or

c).preparing draft or final recommendations, including the writing of any relevant
report, to the Assembly.

d).As well as in other cases as considered by the committee

2. When considering a draft law, Committees shall invite the sponsor of the draft law to
take part in their meetings.

3. Committees may hire expert advisers in accordance with procedural and financial
guidelines issued by the Presidency.

4. A committee may invite other persons or representatives of institutions and of civil
society to attend the meetings of committee.

5. A committee may invite any such person or body to submit evidence and produce
documents.

6. Committees may hold joint meetings with other committees. A committee may
provide other committees with information or documents upon their request.

7. Provisions for the authority of the President of the Assembly applies for the
Chairperson of the committee accordingly. The Chairperson of the committee shall be
obliged to convene a meeting on the next possible date if the President of the
Assembly, the Presidency, a parliamentary group or one third of the committee
members so demand.

8. One representative of the government shall be invited to attend the meetings of the
committees.

9. Committees may decide that a member of the government, a minister or deputy
minister is to be summoned. The members of the government have the right to be
heard in the committee meetings at any time.

Rule 45 Public hearings

1. For the purpose of obtaining information on a subject under debate, a committee
may hold public hearings of experts, public organizations, representatives of
interests groups and other persons who can furnish information.

2. The committee may enter into the general discussion with the persons furnishing
information insofar as this is necessary to clarify the facts.

3. In preparation for a public hearing, the committee shall advise the persons
furnishing information of the questions which they will be asked.
Rule 46 Reports

1. Committee reports to the Assembly on items of business as a rule shall be made in
writing. The reports of the Lead Committee may be supplemented orally by the
Chairperson of the Lead Committee or a member or its rapporteur.

2. The reports shall contain the recommendations of the committee together with the
reason therefore and the dissenting opinion.

Rule 47 Lead Committee

1. The Assembly appoints through a decision one of the functional committees as the
Lead Committee to report on the draft law. Provisions set out in Rule 41 and
following are applicable accordingly.

2. Main task of the Lead Committee is to review the referred draft law or motion,
compile the list of amendments, provide recommendations and point out the
conflicting amendments.

3. In the line with its coordination duties between the Committees, the Lead Committee
shall accept at least two weeks in advance of the Second Reading the proposals and
reports on the work already done by the other committees and the deputies.

4. Reporting to the Assembly on the draft law is made only by the Lead committee.
5. The report shall contain the proposals of the Lead Committee on which the Assembly
will decide in the Plenary, as well as its second part, reasons and dissenting opinions
and the comments of the committees concerned.

6. The rapporteur or the Chairperson of the Lead Committee shall amplify the work
and the results of the Committee on the draft law before the Assembly.

Rule 48: Main and Functional Committees

1. The two main committees of the Assembly are: Budget Committee and
Committee on the Rights and Interests of Communities. Specific provisions
applicable to the Budget Committee are set forth in Rule 51, and specific
provisions applicable for the Committee on the Rights and Interests of
Communities are set forth in Rule 52.

2. The Assembly shall establish:
a) an ad hoc Committee on the Rules of Procedure, in accordance with Paragraph
4 of Rule3;

b) Other permanent functional committees as follows:
1. Committee on Budget and Finance,
2. Committee on Rights and Interests of Communities and Return,
3. Committee on Judicial, Legislative and Constitutional Framework Matters,
Gender Equality, Petitions and Public Claims
4. Committee on International Cooperation and Euro-Atlantic Integrations,
5. Committee on Education, Science, Technology, Culture, Youth and Sports,
6. Committee on Economy, Trade, Industry, Energy, Transport and
Telecommunication,
7. Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Rural Development and Spatial
Planning,
8. Committee on Health, Labor and Social Welfare and Missing Persons,
9. Committee on Public Services, Local Administration and Media,
10. Committee on Emergency Preparedness,
11. Committee for mandates and immunities.

3. Responsibilities and the scope of work of each of the committees shall be defined
with a specific act of the Assembly.

4. The Assembly shall determine the number of functional committees and number
of members for each functional committee at proposal of the Presidency. In
principle, every member of the Assembly may serve in only one committee.

5. The membership of all functional committees shall reflect the diversity and
membership of the assembly. If a parliamentary group represented in the the
Assembly does not have a seat on a given functional Committee, it shall have the
right to send its member to all meetings of that committee in an observer capacity.

6. The parliamentary groups shall appoint committee members and their substitutes.
7. The President shall appoint non-attached Members of the Assembly as
committee members, who participate actively in the meeting of the functional
committee without having the right to vote.

8. In addition to the President each of the committees, both main and functional,
shall have two vice-presidents, that shall belong to different Parliamentary groups
from that of the President, and with at least one of the them being of an other
community than the President.

9. Posts as Chairpersons and Vice- Chairpersons of Committees shall be distributed
between the political groups represented in the Assembly by the Presidency in the
manner described in Rule 42.

10. Thereafter, the Assembly shall appoint the members of Committees on the basis
of a proposal of the Presidency, except in the case of the Committee on the Rights
and Interests of Communities, for which special provision is made in Rule 52,.
The Presidency shall seek to ensure, in so far as is possible, that the representation
in any Committee, including any members appointed as Chairperson or Vice-
Chairperson, shall be proportional to their representation in the Assembly.

Rule 49 Subcommittees

1. To facilitate its work, each committee may, from among its members, set up
committees for specific tasks. The decision for the creation of the subcommittee
together with the list of its members shall be communicated to the Presidency.

2. The establishment of the subcommittee requires the support of two thirds of
committee members.

3. Two or more permanent committees shall be entitled to request the establishment
of a joint subcommittee on items of common interests. Creation of the joint
subcommittee requires the support of the Presidency.

4. The parliamentary groups shall nominate the members for the subcommittee.
They may only in exceptional cases nominate another member who is not member
of the committee, which establishes a subcommittee and shall inform the
Presidency of the Assembly of the matter.

5. In establishing the subcommittee the proportionality of representation of the
parliamentary groups shall be considered. Each parliamentary group on the
committee must, upon its request, be represented by at least one member in the
subcommittee.

6. A subcommittee shall carry out the activities under the competence of the
committee and within the scope of tasks for which it has been established,
pursuant to the authorizations of the committee.

7. The subcommittee shall report to the committee about its work.

Rule 50: Investigative Committee and other committees

1. The Assembly may establish an ad-hoc committee with all the powers of a
functional committee to investigate a specific issue. Where the Assembly decides
to establish such a committee, its decision shall include:

a) The composition of the ad hoc Committee, in accordance with Rule 42; and
b) Where the Assembly identifies a specific issue, it shall authorize the
committee to call on every citizen of Kosovo to testify at the Committee; the
Assembly shall also determine the procedures, the timeframe of the committee
and the permissible expenses for the work of the Committee.

2. Where the Assembly deems it necessary, it may create other ad-hoc committees
for other tasks within its authorities.

Rule 51: The Budget and Finance Committee

1. The Budget and Finance Committee shall have twelve members. The
representation of the parliamentary groups on the Committee, including for this
purpose the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons, shall in so far as possible reflect
their representation among the membership of the Assembly as a whole.

2. The Budget and Finance Committee shall review:
a) budgetary and financial matters;
b) the annual budget of the PISG, in accordance with Rule 35, paragraph 10; and
c) the budgetary implications for the first and the following years reported with a
draft law and make recommendations to the appropriate Functional
Committee or Assembly.

3. The Budget and Finance Committee shall also be responsible for examining the
annual reports and the audited financial statements of the Kosovo Consolidated
Budget relevant to the budget of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government
and other audit reports relating to the operations of the Assembly, the President,
the Government, Ministries or other activities of the Provisional Institutions of
Self-Government supported directly or indirectly by the Kosovo Consolidated
Budget. The Budget and Finance Committee shall submit reports to the Assembly
on its findings from time to time and the Assembly shall find opportunities to
debate such reports.

Rule 52: The Committee on the Rights and Interests of Communities

1. The Committee on the Rights and Interests of Communities shall be composed of
two members from each of Kosovo’s Communities elected to the Assembly, with

Communities represented in the Assembly by only one Member being represented
in the Committee by that Member.

2. The membership composed as specified in paragraph 1 shall include the Chairperson,
who shall be nominated by a parliamentary group representing a community other
than the majority community, and two Vice-Chairpersons, selected in the manner
prescribed in Paragraph 3 of Rule 42.

3. In considering proposed laws, the Committee, by a majority vote of its members,
may decide to make representations regarding the proposed law with a view to
ensuring that Community rights and interests are adequately addressed. Any such
representations may be addressed to the appropriate Functional Committee of the
Assembly, or to the Assembly itself, as may seem appropriate and must be
submitted within two weeks after the first reading by the Assembly.

4. A matter may be referred to the Committee for an advisory opinion by the Presidency
of the Assembly, (Main or a Functional Committee of the Assembly) or a group
comprising ten or more Members of the Assembly.

5. Where a member of the Presidency has submitted a request for an opinion to the
Committee, in accordance with Paragraph 11 of rule 35, the Committee may, where
a majority of the members of the Committee agree, decide to make
recommendations regarding the draft law and any such opinion shall be submitted
within two weeks after the first reading..

Rule 53: Authority of the Committees in Monitoring the Implementation of Laws

1. Each Committee shall, within the scope of its authority, have the right to monitor the
implementation of a law by the Government of Kosovo or respective ministry.

2. The relevant ministry shall report to the functional committee about the
implementation of the law without request, at least once in every year.

3. In order to fulfill the authority given above, the committees shall:
a) perform controls and studies of the effectiveness of the laws in force on issues
within the scope of their authority, their implementation, and make
recommendations for measures to be taken in concrete situations;

b) produce a list containing inter alia:
i. the date of the promulgation of the law
ii. the date of its publication in the official gazette
iii. the list of the provisions of the law that need to be implemented by the
government
iv. the list of the government’s decisions implementing those provisions

c) exercise control over the overall activity of relevant ministries; and
d) report in writing and orally once a year to the plenary sessions of the Assembly .
4. If the Ministry fails to report or if its reporting is deemed incomplete, upon request of
the committee the issue shall be put to the agenda of the next plenary session.

CHAPTER 12
USE OF LANGUAGES IN THE ASSEMBLY

Rule 54: Use of languages in the Assembly
Meetings of the Assembly and of its Committees shall be conducted in the Albanian
and Serbian languages with interpretation being provided as needed. Assembly
Members from Communities other than the Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serb
Communities shall be permitted to address the Assembly and its Committees in their
own languages. In such cases, interpretation into the Albanian and Serbian languages
will be provided for other Members of the Assembly or Committee, as needed.

Rule 55: Language of the documents

1. All official documents of the Assembly shall be printed in the standard Albanian
and the Serbian languages. The Assembly shall endeavor to make official
documents which concern a specific Community other than the Kosovo Albanian or
Kosovo Serb Communities available in the language of that Community. Assembly
Members from such Communities may submit documents in their own language for
consideration by the Assembly and its Committees. In such cases, translation into
the Albanian and Serbian languages will be provided for the other Members of the
Assembly or Committee, as required.

2. The records of Assembly Proceedings shall however only reproduce each
contribution in the language in which it was made.

CHAPTER 13
ADMINISTRATION OF THE ASSEMBLY

Rule 56: The Administration of the Assembly
1. The administration of the Assembly shall be responsible for offering professional,
administrative and technical support for the needs of the Assembly, the Presidency,
Committees, parliamentary groups and Members of the Assembly.

2. The manner of organization of the work of the administration of the Assembly shall
be set out in a special act adopted by the Presidency as proposed by the Secretary
to the Assembly.

3. The Secretary is the head of the administration of the Assembly under the authority
of the Presidency.

CHAPTER 14
RELATIONS WITH THE SRSG

Rule 57: Relations with the SRSG
The SRSG shall receive all agendas and documents that are circulated to the Members of
the Assembly, at the same time as they are circulated to Members. He or his designated

representative, shall be entitled to attend plenary sessions of the Assembly, and address
the Assembly by prior arrangement.

CHAPTER 15
AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ASSEMBLY

Rule : 58 Amendments to the Rules of Procedure

1. The Presidency shall keep the Rules of Procedure under review and may from
time to time propose to the Assembly amendments that it considers necessary.

2. Any Member supported by at least ten (10) other Members, may submit a
proposal to the Presidency of the Assembly to amend the Rules of Procedure.

3. The decision to amend the Rules of Procedure shall be made by the Assembly
with the majority of votes of the Members of the Assembly.

4. Until the new rules of procedure are adopted the Assembly shall act pursuant to
the previous rules.

Rule 59: Procedures for amending the Constitutional Framework

With the support of two thirds of the Members of the Assembly, and in accordance with
the Constitutional Framework (Chapter 14.3), the Assembly of Kosovo initiates the
process of amending the Constitutional Framework.

CHAPTER 16
DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSEMBLY

Rule 60: Dissolution of the Assembly

1. Any proposal for the Assembly to request the SRSG to dissolve the Assembly, under
the terms of paragraph 8.1 (b) of the Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-
Government, must be submitted to the President of the Assembly, who shall arrange
for it to be discussed by the Assembly within five working days.

2. Without prejudice to the competencies of the SRSG, at least two thirds of the
Members of the Assembly may request the SRSG to dissolve the Assembly. This
request shall be communicated to the to the SRSG by the President of Kosovo.

CHAPTER 17
Interpretation of the rules of procedure

Rule 61: Departures from the Rules of Procedure
Departures from the provisions of the Rules of Procedure may be decided upon the
decision of two thirds of the Members of the Assembly present, unless such a departure is
incompatible with provisions of the Constitutional Framework.

Rule 62: Interpretation of the Rules of Procedure

If doubts arise during a sitting of the Assembly as to the interpretation of Rules of
Procedure, the President of the Assembly or a member of the Presidency chairing the
meeting shall take a decision on the case of question. The President or the member of the
Presidency chairing the meeting can decide to refer the issue to the Presidency.

CHAPTER 18
FINAL PROVISIONS

Rule 63: Unfinished business
At the end of the electoral term of the Assembly all items of business submitted to it shall
be deemed to have been disposed of. This shall not apply to the laws adopted by the
Assembly and forwarded for promulgation, or to the petitions and items of business
which do not require a decision by the Assembly.

Rule 64: Entry into force

These Rules of Procedure shall enter into force on the day of approval by the Assembly.
At that point, the provisions of Provisional Regulations shall cease to have effect.
After approval these Rules of Procedure shall be published in the Official Gazette.

Rule 65: Annexes to the Rules of Procedure

The following annexes are parts of these Rules of Procedure:
1. The Code of conduct of the members of the Assembly.
2. Supplementary rights of the deputies, until a specific act is issued.

No. 02/53 President of the Assembly of Kosovo
20 may 2005 __________________________
Academic Nexhat Daci
ANNEX No1

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY

General Principles

1. Members have a duty to uphold the law and to act on all occasions in accordance with
the public trust placed in them, observing in particular the following principles:

(a) Selflessness. Members shall take decisions solely in terms of the public
interest. They shall not take decisions in order to gain financial or other

material benefits for themselves, their families, or their friends.
(b) Integrity. Members shall not place themselves under any financial or other
obligation to individuals or organizations that might influence them in the
performance of their official duties.

(c) Objectivity. In carrying out public business, including matters to do with
public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for
rewards and benefits, Members shall make choices solely on merit and the public
interest.

(d) Accountability. Members are accountable for their decisions and must
submit themselves to such scrutiny as is appropriate to their office.

(e) Openness. Members shall be as open as possible about all the decisions and
actions that they take. They shall give reasons for their decisions and restrict
information only when the wider public interest clearly demands it.

(f) Honesty. Members have a duty to declare any private interests that might be
relevant to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts that might
arise in a way that protects the public interest.

(g) Leadership. Members shall provide support to these principles by leadership
and example.

Oral Declaration of Interests before Participating in Proceedings of the Assembly or
its Committees

2. Where a Member, or a member of his or her immediate family, has a personal financial
interest in any matter being considered by the Assembly, or by any Committee of
which he or she is a member, he or she shall declare that interest orally before taking
part in the proceedings relating to the matter.

3. This requirement also extends to situations where the Member expects to have a
personal financial interest in a matter, although he or she may not have such an interest
at the time of the proceedings.

Restrictions on voting

4. Even when a declaration has been made in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3 above,
a Member shall not vote on a matter where a particular decision might result in a
financial benefit for him or her that would not also be received by a wider category of
persons who are not themselves Members of the Assembly or relatives of Members of
the Assembly.

Prohibition of Paid Advocacy in the Assembly

5. A Member shall not advocate or initiate any course or matter in any proceedings of the
Assembly or its Committees in return for payment or benefit in kind whether direct or

indirect. This shall also apply if the payment or benefit is receivable by a member of
his or her immediate family.

6. Without prejudice to the requirement, set out in paragraphs 2 and 3, to make an oral
declaration of any relevant personal financial interests before participating in any
discussion of a matter in the Assembly or in any of its Committees, Members shall
also inform the President of the Assembly in writing of all financial interests they or
their immediate family may possess and financial benefits they may receive in the
following categories:

(a) Employment, trade, profession or vocation (apart from Membership of the
Assembly) for which remuneration is obtained, or in which the Member
has any financial interest;

(b) Directorships of public or private companies for which remuneration is
obtained (even if it is paid through a related company);

(d) Contracts for journalism, other writing, lecturing etc;
(e) Gifts, including hospitality or travel, above a value to be specified by the
President of the Assembly relating to or arising out of their membership to
Assembly;

(f) Financial sponsorship as a candidate for election to the Assembly, other
than by a political party, coalition or citizens’ initiative which the Member
represents, that exceed 25% of the Member’s election expenses; and

(g) Financial support as a Member of the Assembly, other than by a political
party, coalition or citizens’ initiative which the Member represents.

7. This written declaration should be made to the office of the President of the Assembly
within thirty days of the inaugural session of the Assembly and should be updated
thereafter within thirty days of any material change occurring.

ANNEX No.2

ADDITIONAL RIGHTS OF ASSEMBLY MEMBERS

Rule 1: Additional Rights of Assembly Members

1.1 Once the term of office of a Member of the Assembly has been certified, the
Member of the Assembly shall be entitled to all the rights that he or she is entitled

to as a Member of the Assembly, including the additional rights, with the aim of
providing conditions for successful exercise of the function that he or she holds.

These rights shall include:
a) The right to remuneration in monthly salaries;
b) The right to additional remuneration;
c) The right of the member to reimbursement of official duty travel and
accommodation expenses, both national and international;
d) The right to use the Assembly Services;
e) The right to information;
f) The right to be provided with Member’s Identity Documents.

Rule 2: The right to remuneration by monthly salary

2.1 Once the term of office of a Member of the Assembly has been certified, the
Member shall have the right to remuneration in monthly salaries, which are
determined by the Presidency of the Assembly on the recommendation of the
Budget Committee.

2.2 After his or her term of office has terminated normally, the Member of the
Assembly shall be entitled to a monthly salary defined in Rule 2.1 for twelve (12)
months, if he or she does not, during this time, return to the workplace that he or
she had before being appointed a Member of the Assembly or if he or she does
not take up other employment.

2.3 A Member of the Assembly whose term of office has terminated on the grounds
set out in the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, Rule 12, as well as on the
grounds of his or her resignation, shall not be entitled to a monthly salary.

2.4 If the term of office of a Member of the Assembly terminates because of his or
her death, the family of the Member of the Assembly shall, on the occasion of his
or her burial, be entitled to an amount of money equaling to two months salary, as
well as to an amount of monthly salary set out in Rule 2.1 for one year, staring
from the day when the term of office terminated.

Rule 3: Additional remuneration

3.1 Apart from monthly salaries set out in Rule 2.1, each Member of the Assembly
shall be entitled to additional remuneration for participating in sessions of the
Assembly, for his or her work in the Committees of the Assembly and for taking
part in other bodies outside the usual activities of the Assembly.

3.2 By a special decision of the Presidency of the Assembly, a Member of the
Assembly shall be given additional remuneration for participation in each session
of the Assembly.

3.3 If a Member of the Assembly misses a session of the Assembly and fails to
provide proper justification, he or she shall not receive the additional
remuneration set out in Rule 3.2 for that session.

3.4 A Member of the Assembly shall be given additional remuneration for his or her
work in the Committees of the Assembly.

3.5 Incomes under Paragraph 3.4. shall be given to a Member proportionally to his or
her attendance in the Committee sessions, through the month.

3.6 The Chairpersons of the main and functional Committees shall receive additional
remuneration, the amount of which shall be set out according to a special decision
by the Presidency of the Assembly.

3.7 Parliamentary Group Leaders shall receive a separate additional income, to be
determined by the Presidency.

3.8 Committee Members will be paid for their work in the Committees, separately for
all the Committees they work in.

3.9 The decision on the amount of monthly salaries and additional remunerations
shall be made by the Presidency of the Assembly following recommendations of
the Budget Committee.

Rule 4: Incomes of members of the Presidency of the Assembly

4.1 Members of the Presidency of the Assembly shall, aside from their usual monthly
salaries as Members of the Assembly, be entitled to additional remuneration for
their work in the Presidency of the Assembly.

4.2 Members of the Presidency of the Assembly shall receive additional remuneration
for participating in meetings of the Presidency and sessions of the Assembly.

4.3 Members of the Presidency of the Assembly who miss a meeting of the
Presidency or an Assembly session and fail to provide a proper justification shall
not receive the remuneration set out in Rule 4.2.

4.4 The decision on the amount of additional remuneration for members of
Presidency shall be made by the Presidency of the Assembly following the
recommendations of the Budget Committee.

Rule 5: Remuneration for the activities of Members of the Assembly outside the

usual activities of the Assembly.

5.1 A Member of the Assembly, who engages in activities on behalf of the Assembly
outside the usual activities of the Assembly and beyond his or her obligations as a
Member, shall be entitled to remuneration. The amount of remuneration shall be
decided upon by the Presidency and shall be commensurate to the value of work
performed.

Rule 6: The right of the Member to reimbursement of official duty travel and

accommodation expenses, both national and international

6.1 A Member of the Assembly who travels on official duty either nationally or
internationally – outside of his or her place of abode, whether individually or as a
member of a delegation representing the Assembly or its bodies – shall be entitled to
compensation for travel and accommodation expenses and also to a per diem rate.

6.2 The amount of compensation for travel and accommodation expenses and per
diems shall be set out in accordance with the standards that apply for the PISG of
Kosovo, based on a special decision by the Presidency of the Assembly.

Rule 7: The right to use the Assembly Services

7.1 All Members of the Assembly have the right to use all the services of the
Assembly. These include: the Assembly building, professional services of the
Assembly, computer services, the Internet and other electronic services, library,
interpretation, transport and other services.

7.2 The services set out in Paragraph 7.1 of this Rule may be used only through the
Assembly Secretariat, by notifying it for each individual service needed.

Rule 8: The right to information

8.1 Each Member of the Assembly has the right to be informed on the work of the
Assembly and to express his or her opinions on certain issues. These opinions
may be expressed to the Chairmanship of the Assembly, directly or through
questions raised, or at debates in sessions of the Assembly.

Rule 9: The right to identity documents

9.1 The Assembly Secretariat shall be obliged to provide every Member of the
Assembly with identity documents.

9.2 An identity document shall contain the basic data on the Member of the
Assembly, the Assembly of Kosovo and a short text on the right of the Member of
the Assembly to freely and without obstructions enter Kosovar institutions and
other public institutions, as well as his or her right to move freely and without
obstructions throughout the territory of Kosovo.

9.3. A Member shall be provided with a special immunity document

UNITED NATIONS
United Nations Interim
Administration Mission
in Kosovo

UNMIK NATIONS UNIES
Mission d’Administration
Intérimaire des Nations Unies
au Kosovo
PROVISIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF SELF GOVERNMENT

Assembly of Kosovo,

Pursuant to Chapter 9.1.26 (f) of the Constitutional Framework and the Rule 4.4 of
Assembly Rules of Procedures, under proposal of Committee on drafting of Assembly
Rules of Procedures in the Plenary Session commenced on May 20
th , 2005 issued the
following

DECISION

1. The Rules of Procedures of the Assembly of Kosovo are adopted.

2. The Committee Rules on Procedures is authorized to make the legal and linguistic
standardization of Rules of Procedures and to publish it as brochure available to all
deputies.

Nr. 02-456/05

Pristine, May 20
th,, 2005 President of the Assembly of Kosovo
Academic Nexhat DACI

Copy to:
– Deputies of the Assembly
– Administration Staff
– Archive