Second medium-term plan (1981-86)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting
on behalf of the Assembly, on 17 March 1980. See Doc. 4507, report of the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental
Work Programme.
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Having regard to the communication from the Committee
of Ministers, transmitting the draft second medium-term plan (1981-86)
to the Assembly (
Doc.
4461);
2. Having regard to the report of its Committee on the Budget
and the Intergovernmental Work Programme, and the opinions of various
operational Assembly committees (
Doc. 4507);
3. Recognising the heavy time schedule facing the Committee of
Ministers in the preparation of the plan, but regretting nevertheless
that the Assembly has been given so little time to formulate its
opinion that it has not been able to study and discuss the draft
plan in sufficient depth;
4. Reserving, therefore, the right to submit a supplementary
opinion, containing the points of view of those committees which
have not as yet had the time to prepare their contributions;
6. Regretting the circumstances which, as in 1976, delayed submission
for an opinion to the Assembly of the sectors dealing with education
and culture, themselves among the Council’s most important activities;
7. Welcoming the fact that a general introduction of considerable
substance has been included in the draft second medium-term plan,
meeting in its essential points the request, made by the Assembly
in its
Opinion No. 74
(1976), regarding the first medium-term plan, for a "general
policy statement seeting out an overall strategy for the next five
years",
8. Stresses the pre-eminent role of the Assembly in ensuring
that, in the words of the introduction to the draft plan, the Council
of Europe may "promote the position of the individual in a pluralist
democratic society in general and securing human rights in particular";
9. Considers that every sector in the plan should have political
relevance for the protection and reinforcement of democracy, the
rule of law, human rights, social justice, cultural development
and the correction of disequilibria in Europe;
10. Considers that greater attention should be paid to the potential
role of the Council of Europe in studying certain economic matters
not taken up in other international fora and presenting a particular
interest to the family of Council of Europe member states;
11. Expresses itself in favour of the Secretary General’s idea
of "reinforcing the role of expert committees in following up...
conventions and recommendations,... by providing the machinery for
a continuous review", and suggests that efforts should be made to
ensure co-ordination with the Assembly Committee on Parliamentary and
Public Relations which, for a number of years already, has been
pursuing this goal actively;
12. Reiterates its concern, expressed in
Opinion No. 74 (1976), that the
"plan must on no account be regarded as imposing a strait-jacket
on the Council of Europe’s activities", and that mechanisms must
be sufficiently flexible to ensure that problems of real concern
to the Assembly are properly and promptly discussed at intergovernmental
level;
13. Considers that one such method might consist in having that
part of the Council of Europe Secretariat which assists intergovernmental
activities continuously take stock of recent Assembly proposals
with a view to their integration into future medium-term plans and
work programmes;
14. Commends the important preparatory work undertaken in the
Committee of Ministers and by the Secretary General on the issue
of intensified co-operation between countries of Northern and Southern
Europe (called for,
inter alia, in
Assembly
Recommendation
861), and asks that a comprehensive scheme to correct imbalances
in Europe be included, after consultation of the Assembly, in the
final version of the second medium-term plan, either in the form
of a ninth field or by incorporating more such concerns in the existing
eight fields;
15. Considers that, in order to achieve the plan’s aim of increasing
the "accountability of the Council of Europe to the citizen", there
must be, inter alia, an increase
in the Council’s information budget, and greater resources put at
the disposal of the Assembly’s political groups;
16. Emphasises the noteworthy contributions that conferences of
specialised ministers are able to make to policy-making in specific
fields;
17. Recalls the importance attached by the Assembly to the holding
of periodic parliamentary and scientific conferences on specific
subjects, and expresses the wish that the conclusions reached at
such conferences be embodied in the plan in so far as they relate
to intergovernmental cooperation;
18. Welcomes the Secretary General’s emphasis on "complementarity"
in relations between the Council of Europe and in particular the
Commission of the European Communities, and considers such complementarity in
the general relationship with the European Communities all the more
important following the direct elections to the European Parliament;
19. Expresses itself in favour of the idea, expressed in the introduction
to the draft second medium-term plan, that the Council of Europe
could serve as a world-wide forum for the discussion of chosen subjects
of concern to the pluralist democracies of the world, and draws
attention to the important stimulus the Assembly could provide to
the intergovernmental side in this respect;
20. Supports the ongoing efforts to bring about closer co-operation
with the United Nations and its specialised agencies, and in particular
welcomes the exchanges of views held within the Committee of Ministers
on certain items on the agenda of the UN General Assembly;
21. Supports the Secretary General when he states that the Council
of Europe could play a role in furthering co-operation between Western
and Eastern Europe in a number of technical areas, particularly
those relating to the three "baskets" in the Final Act of the Helsinki
Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, special emphasis
being laid on co-operation in areas related to human rights;
22. Considers, nevertheless, that the above task, under present
political circumstances, must be carried out with prudence and with
due regard to the need for efficiency;
23. Regrets that the energy problem, which will put a severe strain
on the fabric of European democracy in the 1980s, has hardly been
mentioned at all in the draft plan, and hopes that the final version
will take account of the many general aspects of this problem area
which call for Council of Europe action;
24. Regrets, as it did in its
Opinion No. 74 (1976), with regard
to the first draft medium-term plan, that amongst the various objectives
and activities set out in the draft plan no priorities have been
established, so as to allow the Council of Europe to concentrate
its work in the most promising directions (as recommended also in
Resolutions (74) 4 and (74) 33 of the Committee of Ministers);
25. Considers, in this respect, that two fields in which current
work is under way stand out as being singularly important for the
future of Europe: correcting its regional imbalances, and giving
a new impetus to the concept of human rights by widening its meaning
and enlarging the number of rights protected;
26. Suggests that, to the extent that it is not possible to arrange
fields in the plan in an order of priority, such priorities nevertheless
be identified between sectors or objectives within each particular
field;
27. Believes that one general question to be asked, when considering
whether a certain project should be given priority, should be whether
it holds particular promise, in the words of Article 1.a of the Statute, of "achieving
a greater unity between the member states for the purpose of safeguarding
and realising the ideals and principles which are their common heritage,
and facilitating their economic and social progress";
28. Considers that, among the criteria to be derived from the
above quotation, the following four deserve special mention: the
European interest of the proposed activity, the non-overlapping
with similar activities at the level of other international institutions,
its political significance, and its prospect of producing results
on which governments will be able to act;
29. Asks its committees to take more fully into account, when
drafting recommendations to the Committee of Ministers, objectives
in the plan, thereby making it easier for the Committee of Ministers
and the Secretary General to establish priorities in annual work
programmes;
30. Proposes that a general description of present and future
activities of the Partial Agreements in the Social and Public Health
Field, the Resettlement Fund and the European Pharmacopoeia Commission
be included in the final version of the plan, so as to give a more
comprehensive picture of the Council of Europe’s range of intergovernmental
activities;
31. Emphasises, as it did already in its
Opinion No. 74 (1976), with regard
to the first medium-term plan, that the second medium-term plan
should be accompanied by at least an indication of the budgetary
means governments are prepared to set aside to ensure that it is
realised;
32. Urges member states to provide the Council of Europe, on the
basis of a formal undertaking, with the financial resources it needs
to fulfil its mission;
33. Issues the following opinion on the sectors and objectives
contained in the draft second medium-term plan:
Field I: Safeguard and promotion of human rights
The Assembly considers that its major concerns have been reflected
properly and with sufficient flexibility, both in the subdividing
of this field into different sectors and in the formulation of objectives.
It must be ensured, however, that sufficient means are made available
for the carrying out of such singularly important tasks as the extension
of the range of rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the
European Convention on Human Rights and other legal instruments
of the Council of Europe, improving the efficiency of the control
machinery established by the European Convention on Human Rights,
and the defence at world level of member states’ common conception
of human rights.
The Assembly, in this context, refers to its recently adopted Recommendation 890 (1980),
on the protection of personal data, in which it "recommends that
the Committee of Ministers instruct the Steering Committee for Human
Rights to examine, as part of the extension of the rights in the
European Convention on Human Rights, the desirability of including
in the convention a provision on the protection of personal data,
by amending Article 8 or 10, or by adding a new article to the convention".
Field II: Social and socio-economic problems such as
those concerning migrant workers
The Assembly believes that, in the present situation of economic
stagnation in member states, special attention must be given to
finding ways of reducing the social conflicts and the suffering
that results therefrom.
It in particular considers that:
- the European Social Charter and the European Code of Social
Security should be brought up to date, and the control mechanisms
strengthened, in accordance with Assembly Recommendations 839 (1978) and 873 (1979);
- social policies for the proper protection of the unemployed
should continue to be given priority until such time as there is
an appreciable decrease in the unemployment rate in the member states;
- the plan should contain cross-references between the various
sectors and objectives relating to children, with a view to the
drawing up, on a multi-disciplinary basis, of a European Charter
on the Rights of the Child as proposed by the Assembly in its Recommendation 874 (1979).
The Assembly welcomes the importance given in Sector 9 to
a number of Assembly concerns, such as the recognition in host countries
of the contributions made and to be made by migrant workers, the
strengthening of such workers’ rights, not least in the cultural
and educational field, the problems faced by second generation migrants,
and the cultural integration of the families of migrant workers.
The Assembly considers, however, that two additional objectives
could be added under Sector 9, namely:
- the creation of a European Centre for Documentation and
Statistics on International Migration, to work in close co-operation
with similar centres in member states;
- the harmonisation of the conditions for the issue, by
immigration countries, of residence and work permits for young second
generation migrants reaching adulthood or working age.
The Assembly draws attention to the important role that the
Office of the Special Representative of the Council of Europe for
National Refugees and Over-Population, if retained in the future,
could play in implementing this particular part of the plan (with
regard to activities in favour of refugees, see under Field VIII).
The Assembly furthermore strongly supports Objective 52 in
Sector 10 (population studies), regarding the organisation of a
new conference to review the overall population development in Europe
up to the year 2000. Population developments will affect future
policies across almost the whole range of government activities,
and the knowledge that could be gathered in the course of such a
conference, as well as from demographic studies in general, could
be most valuable.
Turning to economic questions in the proper sense of the term,
the Assembly hopes that the requisite resources, particularly in
the form of staff, will be made available for the important tasks
which the system of intergovernmental cooperation should undertake
in the economic field.
It lays particular emphasis on the urgent need to re-establish
a statistical documentation and analysis unit in the Economic Division,
for providing intergovernmental and parliamentary committees with
the data essential to the efficiency of their work.
The Assembly welcomes the creation, at its request, of a consumer
protection sector, which has already performed an important task,
and recommends that the sector’s structures be reinforced by the
replacement of the present ad hoc committee of experts by a steering
committee.
Finally, it is proposed that provision be made for a new sector,
covering "the problems of small and medium-sized businesses", where
government experts could study for the Committee of Ministers the
proposals which the Assembly will be making to it on the basis of
its report on the future of small and medium-sized businesses in
Europe.
Field III: Education, culture and sport
(The contribution under this section, still not complete,
will be included in a supplementary opinion.)
Sport: Sector 16
The Assembly welcomes the inclusion in Sector 16 of matters
such as sport for certain underprivileged groups, such as the handicapped
(Objective 93), the combating of doping in sport, the social protection
of sportsmen and the problem of sponsorship (Objective 94).
It considers, however, that the study of ways of lessening
political and nationalistic influences in international sport (Objective
94) should take into consideration the standpoints of various Council
of Europe member states with regard to the holding of the 1980 Moscow
Olympics.
Finally, the Assembly wishes to see greater emphasis laid
on such questions as commerce in sport, violence in sport, and the
career and status of sport instructors.
Field IV: Youth questions
While welcoming the considerable attention given in the plan
to youth matters, the Assembly considers that an alternative method
to devoting a special field to such issues might have been to have all activities of the Council of
Europe reflect the concerns of young people.
The Assembly nevertheless expresses its continued support
in favour of the activities of the European Youth Centre and the
European Youth Foundation.
Field V: Protection and promotion of public health
The Assembly welcomes the fact that the draft second medium-term
plan, unlike the first, contains a number of specific objectives
with regard to the promotion of public health.
It nevertheless considers:
- that
more emphasis should be laid on Objective 107, regarding the development
of preventive medicine, and more particulars given as to the concrete
action envisaged, not least as concerns preventive dental care which
is not brought up at all in the present version of the plan;
- that attention should be given to genetic research which,
apart from its relevance to medicine, also raises legal and ethical
questions worthy of joint European study;
- that it is becoming urgent to give a proper follow-up
to Assembly Recommendations
779 (1976) and 818 (1977),
which deal with the rights of the sick (including the mentally ill)
and dying, as well as the responsibilities of the members of the
medical profession.
The Assembly also stresses the importance of work on education
against drug and alcohol abuse, and considers that such activities
should be carried out in close collaboration with other bodies active
in this field, such as the European Communities and the World Health
Organisation.
Field VI: Protection of nature and management of natural
resources, the man-made environment and regional planning
(The contribution under this section, still not complete,
will be included in a supplementary opinion.)
Field VII: Local authorities, matters relating to regional
and municipal co-operation
(The contribution under this section, still not complete,
will be included in a supplementary opinion.)
Field VIII: Co-operation in the legal field, including
the harmonisation of national legislation and practice in specific
legal sectors, the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders
The Assembly makes the general observation that the sectors
and objectives in this field are expressed with the flexibility
necessary for the incorporation, in future, of possible suggestions
by the Assembly.
In addition to the matters already included in this field,
many of which it considers highly important, the Assembly would
propose including a sector on the Council of Europe’s contribution
to the development of democratic institutions in Europe.
The Assembly notes with satisfaction that Objective 159 on
the protection of refugees has been included in Sector 25 of Field
VIII, and stresses the need for it to be retained in the final version
of the plan. Much remains to be done to help the unfortunate victims
of political conflict, and the Assembly has recently demonstrated
its continuous involvement in this field, inter
alia by adopting recommendations on the plight of Nicaraguan, Chilean
and South-East Asian refugees.
The Assembly appreciates the contribution made through work
in this field to cultural cooperation, touching as it does on such
subjects as art crimes (Sector 26) and mass media (Sector 25). More
explicit mention might, however, be made in the final version of
the plan to the preparation of the Convention on the Underwater Architectural
Heritage as well as to questions of copyright.
Proposed Field IX: Correcting imbalances in Europe, including
those between its northern and southern parts
The Assembly supports the idea of creating a ninth field,
concerned with balanced European development, where closer co-operation
in the economic, social and cultural spheres would be established
among all Council of Europe member countries, especially between
the countries of Northern and Southern Europe.
It furthermore considers that this new field should incorporate
the lines of action proposed in Assembly Recommendation 861, on the role
of the Council of Europe in the intensification of co-operation
between the countries of Northern and Southern Europe, especially:
- the co-ordination of member
governments’ policies within the international and European organisations and
conferences to which they belong, so as to promote the economic
and social development of the European countries with a Mediterranean
seaboard;
- the setting up of a technical co-operation programme,
involving the supply of experts and the provision of training for
managerial personnel.
The Assembly invites the Committee of Ministers to consider
the possibility of directing the action of the Resettlement Fund
in such a way as to associate it more closely with the priorities
laid down in the programme.
The Assembly would, finally, like to recall its Opinion No. 74 (1976) on
the draft medium-term plan 1976-80, in which it urged that the plan
should include ’ an activity concerning the transfer of capital
and industry to emigration countries". The Assembly believes that
such an activity is still called for in the plan, and that it might well
be included in the proposed Field IX.
