Uredba o ratifikaciji Dogovora med Vlado Republike Slovenije in Svetom Evrope o statusu informacijskega urada Sveta Evrope v Republiki Sloveniji

With reference to Resolution (99) 9 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to create an Information Office of the Council of Europe to succeed the present Information and Documentation Centre (IDC) of the Council of Europe established under the aegis of the National and University Library in Ljubljana;
    Taking into consideration that the Information Office of the Council of Europe (IOCE) is an institution of the Council of Europe and thus the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe to which the Republic of Slovenia is a Contracting Party is to apply to it accordingly;
    Considering that it is necessary to conclude an Arrangement to regulate certain issues linked to the establishment of the Office in Ljubljana;
    Have reached the following arrangement:

Article 1

The IOCE, as an institution of the Council of Europe, shall possess juridical personality. It shall have the capacity to conclude contracts, to acquire and dispose of movable property (equipment) and to institute legal proceedings. In such matters, the Director of the IOCE will act on behalf of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Article 2

The IOCE may hold a bank account in foreign currency.

Article 3

1) The IOCE shall be exempt from customs duties, prohibitions and restrictions imposed on articles imported or exported for its official use. Articles imported under such exemption may be used for purposes other than those on the basis of which they were exempt from customs duties only under conditions stipulated in the regulations applicable.
    2) The IOCE shall be exempt from all import duties and other taxes imposed on the import or export, and from prohibitions and restrictions in respect of the import or export of its publications and documentation received from the Council of Europe.
    3) As a Council of Europe Institution the IOCE shall benefit from the provisions of the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe, concluded in Paris on 2 September 1949 and ratified by Slovenia on 8 November 1994.

Article 4

The IOCE is permitted to display the Council of Europe’s emblem on premises used by the Centre.

Article 5

1) The staff of the IOCE will essentially be made of individuals employed under the Staff Regulations and rules of the Council of Europe, deemed IOEC officials, posted to the Office.
    2) IOEC officials shall be exempt from social security regulations in force in the Republic of Slovenia.
    3) The exemptions provided for under Paragraph 2 hereof shall not preclude voluntary participation in the social security system of the Republic of Slovenia, provided that such participation is permitted by the respective Slovene legislation.
    4) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph1, the IOCE may propose contracts under Slovenian law for the performance of auxiliary services or functions. Individuals employed under such contract will not be deemed IOEC officials. By employing on this basis, nationals or permanent residents of the Republic of Slovenia, the IOCE shall observe the obligations imposed upon employers under the social security regulations of the Republic of Slovenia.

Article 6

1) IOCE officials shall enjoy the following privileges and immunities:
    a) immunity from legal process in respect of words spoken or written and all acts performed by them in their official capacity and within the limit of their authority;
    b) exemption from taxation on the salaries and emoluments paid to them by the Council of Europe.
    2) The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall inform the Government of the names of the IOCE officials, to whom the privileges and immunities provided for in Article 18 of the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe shall apply.
    3) IOCE officials shall not violate the legislation of Slovenia and shall refrain from acts incompatible with the performance of their official functions.
    4) Privileges and immunities are granted to IOCE officials in the interests of the Council of Europe and not for the personal benefit of the individuals themselves. The Secretary General shall have the right and the duty to waive the immunity of any official in any case where, in his opinion, the immunity would impede the course of justice and can be waived without prejudice to the interests of the Council of Europe.

Article 7

Qurestions concerning the interpretation, implementation and application of this Arrangement shall, where necessary, be resolved through the diplomatic channel with consultations and negotiations.

Article 8

1) The newly created IOCE will benefit of all resources, equipment and documentation previously at the disposal of the former IDC these assets remain the property of the Council of Europe.
    2) This Arrangement will enter into force on the date on which the Government of the Republic of Slovenia notifies the Secretary General of the Council of Europe by a Diplomatic Note of the completion of its internal procedures required for its entry into force.
    3) The Arrangement can be modified by mutual agreement of both contracting Parties. The amendments to the Arrangement shall be drawn up in the form of a separate Protocol, which will enter into force in accordance with the procedure stipulated in the second paragraph of this article.
    4) This Arrangement will cease to be in force six months after either of the contracting Parties gives notice in writing to the other of its decision to terminate the Arrangement, except as regards the normal cessation of the activities of the IOCE in the country.
    5) In this latter case, the present Arrangement shall be terminated at the date of closing the IOCE. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall communicate to the Government of the Republic of Slovenia the official date of the closing of the IOCE and such privileges and immunities that are necessary for the proper winding up of the IOCE shall continue to apply till the communicated date of closing.
    Done in Strasbourg, on 13 April 2007, in two copies in English.