European Journal of Scientific Research (ISSN: 1450 ... - EuroJournals

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© European Journal of Scientific Research, Vol 7, No 5, 2005
formal leadership. Compared to the multi-level structure of the EU, the GCC structure is
both hierarchical and undemocratic.
THE SUPREME COUNCIL
The highest authority of the GCC is the Supreme Council, comprised of the heads of state
of each GCC member. .The Council's function is to set the domestic and foreign policies
of the GCC and to (when necessary) amend the GCC's charter and rules. When
necessary, the Supreme Council also functions as the Dispute Settlement Board. The
presidency is rotated yearly. Each Council member has one equal vote and unanimous
votes are required for approval of any major decision. The Supreme Council meets
annually for a GCC Summit (usually in November). The Supreme Council also has
primary authority over and responsibility for the Joint Strike Force.
THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL
The Ministerial Council, which is comprised of the foreign ministers of each state, is the
closest thing the GCC has to a legislative body although it may more properly be termed
(because it lacks decision making authority) a "working, policy group". The-Ministerial
Council meets quarterly and oversees a variety of Ministerial Committees and Expert
Committees which together consider a wide variety of issues and policies.
THE SECRETARIAT
The Secretariat, headquartered in Riyadh, is the Administrative arm of the Gee. The
Secretary General and two assistant secretaries-general are appointed by the Supreme
Council. Divided into a half-dozen operational units, the Secretariat prepares studies
related to cooperation and coordination, integrates plans and programs for common
action, and over see the administrative and financial regulations of the GCC as a whole.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES
The GCC has in fact made impressive gains in fostering cooperation in economic policies
and economic development among the member states. The members did establish. a
nearly barrier-free internal market by the end of the 1980s. Most impressive on the
economic front has been the development of a common oil policy, cooperation on
domestic and regional economic development programs, and the establishment of the
Gulf Investment Bank. While the GCC has done well at fostering the free movement of
goods and services between member states, it has had more limited success in achieving
the free movement of people because of the variations in policies on foreign labor and
variations in capital because of different approaches to investment law. As with the EU,
the GCC has found it difficult to establish common foreign and defense policies. In the
EU, this difficulty can be attributed both to the desire to retain sovereignty among
members and to distinctly different political and economic interests. In the Gulf; the
difficulties also reflect individual state's desire to retain control over defense policy (this
is particularly true of Saudi Arabia) (Bruce, 1996).