A Council of Bureaux, hereinafter referred to as "the Council", is hereby established by the Protocol.

The Council shall be composed of a titular and an alternate representative of ECOWAS and a titular and an alternate representative of each National Bureau.

The Council shall be composed of a titular and an alternate representative of ECOWAS as well as a titular and an alternate representative of each National Bureau. It shall choose from among its members, in alphabetical order and for a period of one year, a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman, in whose absence the members present shall designate one of their number to chair the meeting. It shall hold its first meeting not later than two months after the entry into force of this Protocol at the ECOWAS Executive Secretariat where the seat of the Council of Bureaux shall be provisionally fixed until the Council decides on its seat.

The Council of Bureaux shall meet at least once a year.

The Council shall meet at least once a year, at a place and date determined by the Council. At the initiative of its Chairman or at the request of at least one third of its members, the Council may be convened by notice sent to its members at least thirty days before the meeting.

The Council shall decide on the schedule of meetings.

The Council shall set the agenda for its meetings. It shall deliberate only on the matters included in the agenda. Questions submitted in writing to the Chairman at least ten days before the meeting of its members must be included in the agenda.

The Board shall decide on the agenda of its meetings.
<Each member of the Council shall have one vote. With the exception of the decisions specified in paragraph 12 of Article 6, decisions shall be taken by a majority of votes, at least half of the members being present or represented.

The Council shall appoint its Chairperson, who shall be a member of the Council.

The Council shall appoint its Chairperson for the period of one year to coordinate the activities of the Council.

The Council shall adopt its annual budget and fix the annual contribution to be paid by the members, which shall be of an equal amount for each of them.

The Council shall receive a mission statement from its members.

The Council shall be given a general mission of guidance, coordination and control over the entire ECOWAS Insurance Scheme established by this Protocol.

The Council shall determine the form of the contribution to be paid by the members.

The Council shall determine the form and content of the ECOWAS Brown Card.

The Council shall coordinate the ECOWAS Insurance Scheme.

The Council shall coordinate the functioning of the National Bureaux. To this end, it shall draw up a standard inter-bureau agreement which must be signed by all the Bureaux and to which it alone may make amendments. This agreement shall in particular fix the maximum amounts of the delegations of settlement powers which the National Bureaux shall grant to each other and the minimum management fee which they shall reimburse to each other for each file managed by them.

Any dispute between the National Bureaux and the Council shall be settled by the Council.

Any dispute between two or more National Bureaux concerning the interpretation or application of this Protocol shall be submitted to the Council. The Council shall itself decide on the dispute by an absolute majority. The decision taken shall be final and binding on the parties concerned. It shall be communicated to all the National Bureaux and the Council shall ensure its execution.

The Council may decide on its own initiative or at the request of the parties.

On its own initiative or on the initiative of any government signatory to this Protocol, the Council shall study and if it considers it useful, propose amendments to the legislation and regulations of the countries adhering to this Protocol, with a view to either improving the operation of the ECOWAS Brown Card system or harmonising the systems of compensation for damage caused by road accidents, or strengthening the prevention of such accidents