1996 LAW 312

(August 12)

Official Journal No. 42,857 of 16 August 1996

By means of which the permanent delegations of the Colombian Congress are regulated before the International Parliaments and the National Government is given powers.

COLOMBIA CONGRESS

DECRETA:

ARTICLE 1o. The affiliation of the Congress of Colombia to Regional Parliaments or International Organizations of a parliamentary character will only be recognized by the ratification or accession laws of Constitutive Treaties.

PARAGRAFO. When it comes to a Regional Parliament or International Body of Parliamentary character in formation, the participation and delegation of the Congress of Colombia will be provisional until the issuance of the ratification of the law of the Treaty Establishing. The choice of the respective Permanent Delegation shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Articles 4o., 5o., and 6or. of this law.

ARTICLE 2o. The Chambers Directives of the Chambers, will advance the administrative process of affiliation or ratification to the Regional Parliaments or International Organizations of Parliamentary character.

ARTICLE 3o. Only Congressional Congressmen may be members of the Colombian Delegations in the different Regional Parliaments or International Organizations of Parliamentary character.

PARAGRAFO. The quality of a member of a Permanent Delegation will be automatically suspended at the end of the constitutional period or for the loss of the investiture of Congressman.

ARTICLE 4. The number of members of each Permanent Delegation shall be, as indicated in the Treaties, Statutes or Additional Protocols of the respective International Organizations.

the Permanent Delegation of the Congress of Colombia to a Regional Parliament or an International Parliamentary Body will be made up of Senators and Representatives to the House, in an equal amount of 50% for both Houses.

Determined the number of Delegates that will correspond to each House, these will be elected in plenary session of the respective Chamber, applying the electoral system and for the corresponding constitutional period, as long as the The Treaties establishing the Constitution, the Statute or the Additional Protocols of the Regional Parliaments or the International Bodies of a Parliamentary character do not direct the direct popular choice of their members.

PARAGRAFO. Each Permanent Delegation will be composed preferably by members of the Second Senate Committee of the Republic and the Second Committee of the House of Representatives nominated by the respective Committees. plenary sessions in which the election will be held.

ARTICLE 5o. Within fifteen (15) days following the initiation of the constitutional period, the Commissions of the Chambers Directives of the Chambers will meet together to determine the composition. number of the permanent delegations of Colombia to the different Regional Parliaments and International Organizations of a parliamentary character, in accordance with the provisions of their Constitutional Treaties, Statutes or Additional Protocols.

ARTICLE 6o. Within fifteen (15) days of the meeting that the item is treated by 5or. of this law, the election of the Permanent Delegations shall be carried out, after fixing of the date with five (5) days, at least in advance.

PARAGRAFO. The Permanent Delegates elected during the remainder of the 1994-1998 constitutional period shall cease to be in office on 20 July 1998.

ARTICLE 7o. The candidates for the managerial posts that correspond to Colombia in the Regional Parliaments or International Organizations of a parliamentary character, will emerge from internal elections held by the main members of the Permanent Delegations.

ARTICLE 8. The foreign trips to be performed by the members of the Permanent Delegations for the performance of their duties shall be authorized in accordance with the exception provided for in the number 6o. Article 136 of the Political Constitution of Colombia and the exception that it deals with the number 6o. Article 52 of Law 5a. of 1992.

ARTICLE 9o. The members of the Permanent Delegations and the Representatives of the Congress of Colombia in the Working Committees of the Regional Parliaments will report written reports to the President of the Senate of the Republic or the President of the House of Representatives, as appropriate within ten (10) days following the term of each Commission to the outside of the respective Chamber of Representatives. The recipients of the reports will order their publication in the Congress Gazette.

ARTICLE 10. The Inter-Parliamentary Relations Committee of the National Congress, which will be composed of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Senate Committees of the Senate of the Republic and Representatives and Presidents of the Permanent Delegations of the Congress to the Regional Parliaments and International Organizations of Parliamentary character.  Its Board of Directors will be elected in the same way as the Permanent Commissions.

The Commission will be at least once a month. The following functions are:

a) Coordinate the operation of the Colombian Parliamentary Groups before each Regional Parliament or International Parliamentary Bodies;

b) To report periodically to the Senate of the Republic and the House of Representatives, at least to the initiation of the ordinary session and to the resumption of the session, on the legal situation of the parliaments. Regional and international parliamentary bodies, their composition and status of the Colombian participation, as well as the anomalies presented in the performance of the functions of the Members of the Permanent Delegations;

c) Coordinate official visits to Colombia by the dignitaries of regional parliaments or international organizations of a parliamentary nature, as well as the conduct of ordinary and extraordinary meetings of these organizations, when Colombia is home to the same;

d) Ensure compliance with the provisions of Articles 4o., 5o., 6, or. and 9or. of this law.

PARAGRAFO. For the purposes of these purposes and of the tasks to be carried out by their officials, the Commission shall make its own rules of procedure, in a term not less than 60 days from the date of its installation.

ARTICLE 11. Authorize the National Government, until December 31, 1995, to cancel the annual fee for holding the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Council of the European Parliament, the European Parliament, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Parliament, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Parliament, of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Parliament, of the European Parliament provided that the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Colombia and the Government of the Republic of Colombia is in force the Andean Parliament.

ARTICLE 12. This Law governs from your sanction.

The President of the honorable Senate of the Republic,

JULIO CESAR GUERRA.

The Secretary General of the honorable Senate of the Republic,

PEDRO PUMAREJO VEGA.

The President of the honorable House of Representatives,

RODRIGO RIVERA SALAZAR.

The Secretary General of the honorable House of Representatives,

DIEGO VIVAS TAFUR.

COLOMBIA-NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Publish and execute.

Dada en Santa Fe de Bogota, D.C., 12 August 1996.

ERNESTO SAMPER PIZANO.

The Minister of the Interior,

HORACIO SERPA URIBE.

The Foreign Minister,

MARIA EMMA MEJIA VELEZ.