Rules of Procedure for the Stability Council’s advisory board

On the basis of section 7 subsection (1), second sentence, of the Stability Council Act (Stabilitätsratsgesetz) of 10 August 2009 (Federal Law Gazette I, p. 2702), as amended by Article 2 of the Act of 15 July 2013 (Federal Law Gazette I, p. 2398), the Stability Council’s independent advisory board has established the following rules of procedure:

Section 1 – Tasks

The advisory board shall assist the Stability Council in monitoring compliance with the upper limit on the general government structural deficit, as per section 51 subsection (2) of the Budgetary Principles Act (Haushaltsgrundsätzegesetz). The board shall be independent in its activities and is only bound by the mandate established in section 7 of the Stability Council Act.

Section 2 – Membership

(1) The advisory board’s members shall include: one representative each from the Deutsche Bundesbank and the German Council of Economic Experts; one representative from the research institutes involved in preparing the Joint Economic Forecast; four experts appointed for a period of five years by the representatives of the Federation and Länder on the Stability Council, with each appointing two experts; and two experts appointed for a period of five years by the national associations of local authorities and the national organisations of the social security funds, with each appointing one expert. Nominations shall be made through written declarations to the chair of the advisory board. He or she shall inform the chairs of the Stability Council.
(2) The members have the right to step down from their positions by giving written notice to the chair of the advisory board.

Section 3 – Chair

(1) The advisory board shall elect a chair and a deputy chair by a majority vote of board members.
(2) The chair and deputy chair’s usual term of office shall be two years. The chair and deputy chair have the right to step down from their positions without leaving the membership of the board. Re-election is permitted.
(3) The chair or, in the event that the chair cannot attend, his or her deputy shall represent the board in external relations, in particular with the Stability Council.

Section 4 – Meetings

(1) The meetings of the advisory board shall be convened and led by the chair or in the event that the chair is unable to attend, by his or her deputy. If the deputy chair is also unable to attend, he or she shall be represented by the oldest member of the advisory board.
(2) The board shall be convened as necessary, but at least twice annually, usually in May and November. The board must also be convened if at least three members request it; these members must name a subject for discussion.
(3) Normally, the members of the board shall be invited in writing to the meeting at least two weeks in advance of the meeting date, with notification of the agenda, time and location of the meeting. The agenda shall be approved by the members at the beginning of each meeting. Meeting documents shall be sent to the members of the board in good time.
(4) The meetings of the board shall not be public. The members of the board may be accompanied at meetings by another person, as long as no other members of the board object. The chair must be notified ahead of the meeting about bringing an accompanying person, with the accompanying person’s name being provided; no special form is required for the notification.
(5) The board may call in guests for its discussions.
(6) Minutes shall be kept on the results of the board’s meetings. Minutes shall be sent to the members of the board; members may object to the minutes in written form up until the next meeting or may make verbal objections at the next meeting. The minutes shall be published only if a two-thirds majority of the board’s members requests this.

Section 5 – Decisions

(1) Decisions of the advisory board must obtain the vote of the majority of the members in order to pass.
(2) By way of derogation from the above, changes to these rules of procedure require a two thirds majority vote to pass. Decisions on changes to the rules of procedure may not be voted on until the meeting following the meeting in which the changes were initially discussed.

Section 6 – Statements

(1) The advisory board shall provide its statements and recommendations to the Stability Council in due time prior to the Council’s meetings.
(2) If a minority has a dissenting opinion on individual issues during the drafting of statements or recommendations, that minority shall have the opportunity to express this in the statements and recommendations.
(3) The chair of the board, or his or her deputy, in the event that the chair is unable to attend, shall participate in the meetings of the Stability Council in order to represent the board’s position as expressed in its statements and recommendations.
(4) The board shall publish its statements and recommendations.

Section 7 – Confidentiality

The members of the advisory board as well as accompanying persons and guests pursuant to section 4 subsection (6) shall be obligated to maintain secrecy with regard to the content of discussions and discussion documents labelled confidential by the board. This confidentiality obligation shall also apply to documents and information that are given to the board by the Stability Council or third parties and that are labelled as confidential.

Section 8 – Secretariat and research service

(1) The advisory board may make use of the secretariat of the Stability Council for technical and organisational matters.
(2) The board shall also have the option of establishing a research service, which is to be located at the chair’s institution. The chair shall take decisions on the hiring and firing of research personnel. The Federation and the Länder shall each bear half of the costs of research personnel.

Section 9 – Compensation

The compensation of the members of the advisory board shall be based on the Guidelines of the Federal Ministry of Finance on the Compensation of Members of Advisory Boards, Committees, Commissions and Similar Federal Institutions in their most recent version. Compensation shall be paid via the Federal Office for Central Services and Unresolved Property Issues (BADV).