Greece 12
Spain 21
France 24
Ireland 9
Italy 24
Luxembourg 6
Netherlands 12
Portugal 12
United Kingdom 24
The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Council,
acting unanimously, for four years. Their appointments shall be
renewable.
The members of the Committee may not be bound by any mandatory
instructions. They shall be completely independent in the performance
of their duties, in the general interest of the Community.
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall determine the
allowances of members of the Committee."
65) Article 196 shall be replaced by the following:
"ARTICLE 196
The Committee shall elect its chairman and officers from among its
members for a term of two years.
It shall adopt its rules of procedure.
The Committee shall be convened by its chairman at the request of the
Council or of the Commission. It may also meet on its own initiative."
66) Article 198 shall be replaced by the following:
"ARTICLE 198
The Committee must be consulted by the Council of the Commission
where this Treaty so provides. The Committee may be consulted by
these institutions in all cases in which they consider it appropriate. It
may issue an opinion on its own initiative in cases in which it
considers such action appropriate.
The Council or the Commission shall, if it considers it necessary, set
the Committee, for the submission of its opinion, a time limit which
may not be less than one month from the date on which the chairman
receives notification to this effect. Upon expiry of the time limit, the
absence of an opinion shall not prevent further action.
The opinion of the Committee and that of the specialized section,
together with a record of the proceedings, shall be forwarded to the
Council and to the Commission.
67) The following Chapter shall be inserted:

"CHAPTER 4
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
ARTICLE 198a
A Committee consisting of representatives of regional and local
bodies, hereinafter referred to as "the Committee of the Regions", is
hereby established with advisory status.
The number of members of the Committee of the Regions shall be as
follows:
Belgium 12
Denmark 9
Germany 24
Greece 12
Spain 21
France 24
Ireland 9
Italy 24
Luxembourg 6
Netherlands 12
Portugal 12
United Kingdom 24
The members of the Committee and an equal number of alternate
members shall be appointed for four years by the Council acting
unanimously on proposals from the respective Member States. Thei