Výbor pro koordinaci zahraniční bezpečnostní politiky

15. 7. 20149:41

Committee for the Foreign Security Policy Coordination

The Government of the Czech Republic, under Resolution No 32 of 11 January 1999 on the establishment of a Committee on the Coordination of Foreign Security Policy, as amended by Government Resolution No 813 of 22 August 2001, Government Resolution No 164 of 12 February 2003, Government Resolution No 1109 of 10 November 2004, Government Resolution No 434 of 19 April 2006, and Government Resolution No 727 of 27 June 2007, inter alia approved the Statutes of the Committee on the Coordination of Foreign Security Policy.

Statutes of the Committee for the Foreign Security Policy Coordination

Article 1

Introductory provisions

1. The Committee for the Foreign Security Policy Coordination (hereinafter referred to as ‘Committee’) is a standing working body of the National Security Council responsible for the national coordination of the Czech Republic’s foreign security policy.

2. The Committee was established under Government Resolution No 32 of 11 January 1999.

Article 2

Committee activities

1. The Committee is responsible for the national coordination of the Czech Republic’s foreign security policy, with an emphasis on the Czech Republic’s international status and on relations with international security organizations.

2. In the field of foreign security policy, the Committee in particular

a) is responsible for the interdepartmental coordination of preparatory measures and activities,

b) discusses materials submitted by ministries and other administrative authorities and, where necessary, recommends the discussion of such materials by the National Security Council

c) evaluates developments in the situation in crisis areas that could potentially threaten the Czech Republic’s security interests, and proposes the implementation of essential preventive measures to the National Security Council,

d) discusses and coordinates the approach of the ministries and other administrative authorities in relation to international security organizations,

e) coordinates ministries’ activities geared towards the provision of information to the public about the operations of international security organizations,

f) assesses the foreign-policy acceptability of proposals for the Czech Republic’s possible involvement in peacekeeping, humanitarian and rescue operations,

g) discusses the financial framework for the Czech Republic’s participation in foreign civil operations and missions of international government organizations, and every year presents the Government, via the Minister for Foreign Affairs, with recommendations concerning the volume of funding required for this purpose in the next year,h) discusses and coordinates the scale of the Czech Republic’s participation in individual foreign civil operations and missions of international government organizations, and makes recommendations to members of the Government concerning the deployment of experts in respect of such operations and missions,

h) coordinates ministries’ activities in connection with the Czech Republic’s involvement in the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, the European Security and Defence Policy, the North Atlantic Alliance, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the security operations of the United Nations and other international government organizations.

Article 3

Composition of the Committee

1. The Committee has 16 members.

2. The Chairman is the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Executive Vice-Chairman is the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

3. Other Committee members are:

a) the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development,

b) the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs,

c) the Deputy Minister for Defence,

d) the Deputy Minister of the Interior,

e) the Deputy Minister for Finance,

f) the Deputy Minister for Health,

g) the Deputy Minister for Agriculture,

h) the Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade,

i) the President of the Administration of State Material Reserves,

j) a representative of the Office of the President of the Republic,

k) the director of the National Security Office,

l) the director of the Office for Foreign Relations and Information,

m) the director of the Security Information Service,

n) the director of Military Intelligence,

o) the director of the Office of the Ministry of the Environment,

p) the director of the Secretariat of the National Security Council.

Article 4

Chairman and members of the Committee

1. Committee meetings are convened by the Chairman of the Committee on a regular basis in due time, such being at least once every three months, and as required. Any member of the Committee may submit a proposal for the convocation of an extraordinary meeting to the Chairman; the Committee Chairman is then obliged to convene a Committee meeting within 15 days.

2. Committee members attend all meetings; only in exceptional cases may they be represented by a delegated member of staff from their office. A delegated member of staff must produce authorization granted by the Committee member he is representing.

Article 5

Committee Secretariat

1. The role of the Committee’s Secretariat, which is responsible for the Committee’s activities, is played by the Security Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2. The manager of the Committee Secretariat is appointed and removed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Article 6

External cooperation

1. The Committee may invite representatives of ministries and other administrative authorities who are not Committee members, and other experts, to meetings as required. The Chairman of the Committee makes decisions on the invitation of such persons pursuant to proposals from Committee members.

Article 7

Sub-committees and expect working groups

1. The Committee may set up sub-committees and expert working groups composed of its members, the representatives of ministries and other administrative authorities and invited experts, and appoint the leaders thereof, in order to discuss material issues.

2. The leaders of sub-committees and expert working groups manage the meetings thereof and submit materials prepared by their sub-committee or expert working group to Committee meetings for assessment.

Article 8

Rules of procedure and organization rules

1. The Committees rules of procedure and amendments thereto are subject to the approval of the National Security Council.

2. The Committee’s internal structure and the organization of the Committee’s work are laid down in the Committee’s Organization Rules, which are subject to the Committee’s approval.

3. Meetings of sub-committees and expert working groups are governed by the rules of procedure of those bodies.

Article 9

1. Amendments to the Statutes of the Committee on the Coordination of Foreign Security Policy are subject to approval by the Government.

2. These Statutes are available to the public at the website and at the seat of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. The consolidated text of the current Statutes is published on the website.

3. These Statutes enter into effect on 11 January 1999.

The NSC, under Resolution No 34 of 3 July 2008, inter alia approved the Rules of Procedure of the Committee on the Coordination of Foreign Security Policy.

Rules of Procedure for the Committee on the Coordination of Foreign Security Policy (CFSP)

Article 1

Opening provisions

1. The Rules of Procedure for the Committee on the Coordination of Foreign Security Policy (hereafter only the “Rules of Procedure”) is a binding, internal regulation of the Committee on the Coordination of Foreign Security Policy (hereafter only the “Committee”), which sets forth the procedures of the Committee.

2. The Rules of Procedure are issued in accordance with Article 8 of the Statute of the Committee, approved by Government Resolution No. 813, from 22 August 2001, as amended.

Article 2

Convening a meeting of the Committee

Members of the Committee are invited to any meeting of the Committee with a written invitation. In addition, in some cases, representatives from central administrative authorities and other experts may also be invited to a meeting of the Committee with a written invitation, according to the issue on the meeting’s agenda.

Article 3

The course of a Committee meeting

1. The Committee chair shall conduct any meeting of the Committee. In the chair’s absence, the executive deputy chair of the Committee or a member of the Committee so entrusted shall conduct the meeting.

2. The Committee is competent to negotiate and accept conclusions if more than an absolute majority of its members are present.

3. Members accept the conclusions of a Committee meeting by a vote, either in the form of a resolution or a proposal for a meeting of the National Security Council. Acceptance of a resolution or a proposal requires the agreement of an absolute majority of all members of the Committee or their designated representatives. In the event of a tie in voting, the deciding vote shall be the vote of the presiding member.

4. Committee meetings are not public and shall abide by these Rules of Procedure.

5. Individuals, who hold a security clearance at the corresponding level and extent, may participate in hearings on the various, particular issues.

Article 4

Silent procedure

During intervals between meetings of the Committee, the Committee can make decisions by silent procedure (in writing – utilising electronic communication). The one who prepares the written materials on a given matter sends them to the secretariat of the Committee with a request for the matter’s approval by silent procedure. The secretariat of the Committee sends the materials for approval by silent procedure, along with information on who is submitting the materials, to all the members of the Committee with a clearly established deadline, amounting to three working days unless established otherwise. Members of the Committee send their possible comments directly to the submitter and as a carbon copy to the secretariat of the Committee. If a Committee member does not answer before the established deadline, this is considered to be an expression of agreement. Upon receipt of comments, the submitter is obliged to carry out any necessary alterations and to send the modified materials and a brief memo on the manner of settling the comments received to the secretariat of the Committee, which subsequently distributes the materials to all Committee members. The materials are considered approved if no member of the Committee objects to their final version. In the case of an objection by a member of the Committee, the submitter of the materials shall present them at the next Committee meeting. A resolution on materials approved in this manner shall have the same force as if it had been approved in a Committee meeting. At the next session of the Committee, the chair, or a Committee member authorised by the chair, is obligated to inform the Committee about all resolutions approved “in writing” during the interval between Committee meetings.

Article 5

Concluding provisions

1. Changes and additions to the Rules of Procedure shall be subject to approval of the National Security Council.

2. In issues not set forth in these Rules of Procedure, the Rules of Procedure for the National Security Council shall be utilised as appropriate.

3. The Rules of Procedure shall be accessible to the public at the internet site and in the headquarters of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic. The valid Rules of Procedure shall always be publicised in their entirety at the internet site.

4. These Rules of Procedure shall enter into force on 3 July 2008.