Byelaws

The Öresund Committee is a political platform for local and regional authorities and shall work towards safeguarding the legitimacy of and mobilising broad public support for the integration process throughout the region.

The purpose of the Öresund Committee’s activities is to strengthen and publicise the region both nationally and internationally in order to lay the foundations for increased economic, cultural and social growth in the region. The basis for this ambition is a desire to promote sustainable long-term development across a broad front. The Öresund Committee will work to develop the entire Öresund Region in the direction of a functionally integrated region. The Öresund Committee will continually assess the progress of the integration process and present initiatives and submit proposals for how this process can be supported. The Öresund Committee will work to create mutual understanding for the cultural and social distinctions on both sides of the Öresund Sound while at the same time promoting the region’s shared social and cultural identity. The Öresund Committee will work to safeguard the common interests of the cross-border region in its relations with national and international authorities. The Öresund Committee will contribute towards promoting the image of the Öresund Region nationally and internationally with the aim of exploiting the collective strengths of the region in the international competitive market.

 

The principals for collaboration in the form of the Öresund Committee are as follows:

 

 

1. The Öresund Committee consists of 36 popularly elected politicians; 18 appointed by the Committee’s Danish principals and 18 appointed by the committee’s Swedish principals. A deputy is appointed for each committee member. Members sit on the committee for the duration of their mandate in their respective political body.

 

2. The political assemblies listed below appoint the number of members and deputies in the committee as stated.

Chair, Capital Region of Denmark, 1

Capital Region of Denmark, 7

Chair, Capital Region of Denmark Local Government Regional Council, 1

Mayor, City of Copenhagen, 1

Mayor, City of Frederiksberg, 1

Mayor, Bornholm Regional Municipality, 1

Chair, Region Zealand, 1

Region Zealand, 3

Chair, Zealand Local Government Regional Council, 1

Zealand Local Government Regional Council, 1

Region Skåne, 12

City of Malmö, 2

City of Helsingborg, 2

Lund Municipality, 1

Landskrona Municipality, 1

3. The Öresund Committee is the highest decision-making body for this form of collaboration. The committee approves the annual report, the annual accounts, the budget and byelaws, and it elects a President and a Vice President both of whom serve for one year at a time. The committee approves the overall objectives and plan of action. The members themselves appoint the members of the committee and their deputies. A deputy is called to sit on the committee only when an ordinary member of the committee is prevented from taking part. A deputy does, however, always have the right to attend the meetings of the Öresund Committee. Deputies have voting rights only when the ordinary member for whom they are deputising is not present. Documents relating to the meetings are sent to the deputies for information.

 

4. Each member has one vote. Decisions are reached by simple majority. If the numbers of votes cast for and against are equal, the President has the casting vote.

 

5. The committee constitutes a quorum when at least half of the Danish members and at least half of the Swedish members are present. See §4 paragraph 2.

 

6. The committee convenes twice a year with at least four weeks’ prior notice of the meeting. Committee members must receive the agenda no later than two weeks before the meeting. Proposals for consideration during committee meetings must be presented to the President no later than three weeks before the date of the meeting. If one third of the members of the committee (see §4 paragraph 2) so wish, the President shall convene an extraordinary meeting by giving due notice as above.

 

7. The decisions of the committee are recorded in minutes taken during the meeting. The President states what is to be recorded in the minutes. Each member has the right to have a brief record of reservation or dissent entered in the minutes and, in matters that are subsequently referred to another authority, to insist that the authority is made aware of this entry together with the content of the minutes. In the event that a member wishes to include a written comment with regard to his standpoint, the member shall inform the President of this, and the President shall then specify a deadline for the submission of this written comment. The minutes are signed by the President and sent to the members.

 

8. The committee ratifies the rules of procedure for the Executive Committee.

1. The Öresund Committee has an Executive Committee that consists of 12 members of the Öresund Committee; 6 from among the Danish members and 6 from among the Swedish members.

 

2. The Executive Committee meets as and when required, but on no less than 4 occasions a year. The Executive Committee constitutes a quorum when at least half of the Danish members and at least half of the Swedish members are present. See §5 paragraph 3. Each member has one vote. Decisions are reached by simple majority. If the numbers of votes cast for and against are equal, the President has the casting vote.

 

3. The Executive Committee consists of:

Chair for the Capital Region of Denmark

Member for the Capital Region of Denmark

Chair for Region Zealand

Chair for Capital Region of Denmark Local Government Regional Council

Chair for Zealand Local Government Regional Council

Mayor, City of Copenhagen

 

First Governor, Region Skåne

2 members for Region Skåne

Chair, Municipal Executive Committee, City of Malmö

2 of the Chairs of the Municipal Executive Committee of the City of Helsingborg, Landskrona Municipality and Lund Municipality according to a rotation system. (See Appendix).

 

4. The Executive Committee may, as an when required, appoint an ad hoc working group to deal with specific tasks. Such ad hoc working groups report to the Executive Committee. Both politicians and representatives for the public and private sectors may take part in the work of an ad hoc working group.

 

5. The decisions of the Executive Committee are recorded in minutes taken during the meeting. The President states what is to be recorded in the minutes. Each member has the right to have a brief record of reservation or dissent entered in the minutes and, in matters that are subsequently referred to another authority, to insist that the authority is made aware of this entry together with the content of the minutes. In the event that a member wishes to include a written comment with regard to his standpoint, the member shall inform the President of this, and the President shall then specify a deadline for the submission of this written comment. The minutes are signed by the President and sent to the members.

1. The Öresund Committee’s President and Vice President share the presidency both of the Öresund Committee and the Executive Committee. The President and Vice President shall be appointed from the Danish and Swedish members alternately to serve for one year at a time. This means that if the President is Danish, the Vice President shall be Swedish, and vice-versa.

 

2. The Presidency makes decisions regarding the appointment and dismissal of the Director of the Secretariat and the details of the Director’s conditions of employment. Decisions relating to the appointment, dismissal and conditions of employment for other members of staff at the Öresund Committee’s secretariat are made by the Director.

 

3. The authorised signatories for the Öresund Committee and the Executive Committee are the Presidency and the Director jointly.

 

4. The Presidency and the Director agree on internal communication within the Öresund Committee and external information to parties outside.

1. The Öresund Committee, the Executive Committee and any ad hoc working groups are served by the secretariat. The secretariat reports to the Executive Committee. The Öresund Committee’s Secretariat is responsible for implementing the decisions of the Öresund Committee and the Executive Committee. The secretariat carries out activities on which decisions have been reached, conducts information activities, manages contacts and undertakes routine administrative tasks. The secretariat is located in Copenhagen. The Öresund Committee is the registered office for the secretariat’s premises.

1. The member organisations of the Öresund Committee appoint a Liaison Group that is constituted from local and/or regional government officers. Each member appoints a representative. The Liaison Group meets in conjunction with the meetings of the Executive Committee and serves to provide the secretariat with support when preparing for the meetings.

1. The operations of the Öresund Committee are financed through contributions from the members. The contributions from Danish and Swedish members are apportioned on the basis of the respective numbers of inhabitants. The apportionment of contributions among the Danish and Swedish members respectively is decided reciprocally between the members concerned.

 

2. For special areas of interest and special initiatives, extra contributions or additional funding may be sought from the principals, from funds and foundations, and from public bodies, etc.

1. The Secretariat prepares and the Executive Committee approves proposals for action plans, overall budget and membership fees (allocations) for ratification by the Öresund Committee in May. The budget approved by the committee is sent to the members specified in §4 paragraph 2 in connection with the committee’s request for the members’ contribution specified in §9 paragraph 1.

 

2. The financial year follows the calendar year. Each year in May the auditor’s report for the previous year is presented to the committee and subsequently sent to the members specified in §4 paragraph 2 for approval.

Members’ expenses relating to daily allowances, accommodation and travel costs are paid by the principal for the respective member.

Each year the committee appoints an auditor and a deputy auditor.

Amendments to the byelaws of the Öresund Committee require a qualified majority of ¾ of the total number of members at two consecutive meetings of the committee.

1. A decision to dissolve the Öresund Committee requires a qualified majority of ¾ of the total number of members at two consecutive meetings of the committee.

 

2. In the event that the Öresund Committee is dissolved, any surplus or deficit is divided among the members specified in § 4 paragraph 2, in proportion to their financial contribution for the current year.

A principal may resign from the partnership with effect from 1 January by tendering one year’s notice.

New members may be invited to join the partnership on the approval of the committee.

These byelaws come into force on 1 January 2007.