ECPRD European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation

Grafik: Logo des Europäischen Zentrums für Parlamentarische Wissenschaft und Dokumentation (EZPWD)

The Bundesrat is a member of the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD), which was set up in 1977 at the request of the Conference of Speakers of European Parliamentary Assemblies. The Centre is an international network for cooperation between parliamentarians on research, documentation and information.

Goals

The ECPRD aims to improve parliamentary cooperation between its members in the fields of information, parliamentary research and documentation and to promote exchange of information, ideas and experience on topics of shared interest.

This cooperation seeks to avoid duplication of effort when conducting often laborious data-searches, whilst also facilitating access to Community and national databases. The Centre also collects studies drawn up by individual parliaments, promotes exchanges of such studies and helps to ensure they are circulated widely.

Members

The European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the chambers of parliaments from Member States in the European Union and Council of Europe are ECPRD members. In addition, states with special guest or observer status in the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly also have access to the centre.

Structure

The ECPRD has three main organs: the co-directors (with two co-secretaries), the Conference of Correspondents and the Executive Committee.

The ECPRD's work is directed and coordinated by two co-directors with two co-secretaries, nominated by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from the ranks of their senior officials. The two co-directors are in charge of organising all the centre’s activities, and are assisted in this work by the two secretaries and other officials from their institutions.

The Secretary-General of each member Parliament appoints a senior official as EPCRD Correspondent to represent the parliament in the annual Conference of Correspondents. In his or her own parliament, each Correspondent is in charge of links to ECPRD, and also participates in determining the centre's work programme as a member of the Conference of Correspondents.

The Executive Committee is made up of the two co-directors, the two co-secretaries and five Correspondents appointed by the Conference. The Correspondents on the Executive Committee are elected to this position for three years, with a view to ensuring both renewal and continuity in committee membership. The Executive Committee does preparatory work for Conference of Correspondents meetings and ensures continuity in the centre’s work between these meetings. The Bundesrat is currently represented in the Executive Committee through its ECPRD Correspondent.

Working method and Bundesrat participation

In the EPCRD context, working groups, seminars and surveys by individual parliaments on particular topics offer parliamentarians scope to work together. Print publications and information available on the Internet are also key components of this cooperation.

The Bundesrat is represented in the annual Conference of Correspondents on a regular basis. It also participates in seminars and working groups whenever possible if the matters addressed are relevant to areas handled by its parliamentary officials.

Processing requests for information from other parliaments is also a focal point of the Bundesrat's activities in this context.

Liaison officers in the Bundesrat:

Claus Dieter KoggelECPRD Correspondent
Lena HeldtDeputy ECPRD Correspondent


Contact:

workPhone:  030 18 9100-497 / -491

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