The Member States should also be encouraged to appoint women as governors of the national central banks (NCBs) in order to achieve a gender balance in the Governing Council and the General Council of the ECB and on the General Board of the ESRB.

I. whereas the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East has been on the agendas of various international fora for a long time, in particular the UN Security Council and General Assembly and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and General Conference;

Furthermore, the EIB’s Board of Directors, on which the Commission and Member States are represented, shall approve each subordinated facility and monitor that the EIB is managed in accordance with its Statute and with the general directives laid down by its Board of Governors.

(c) five national central bank chairpersons, who shall be elected by and from the Members of the General Board who are also members of the General Council of the ECB for a period of two years;

8. Notes that five new Members joined the ECA in the course of 2006; reiterates its hope that it will be possible to devise a more rational structure for the ECA before the next enlargement; asks the ECA to consider existing models with a view to reducing the total number of Members; reiterates its call for consideration of proposals to introduce a rotating system similar to that applying to the Governing Council of the ECB or a system with a single Auditor-General; calls on the ECA to keep Parliament informed of the follow-up to this recommendation up to 30 September 2008;

However, in exceptional circumstances and unless not less than three Governors state their wish to retain the competence of the Governing Council for the adoption of specific opinions, ECB opinions may be adopted by the Executive Board, in line with comments provided by the Governing Council and taking into account the contribution of the General Council.