The Assembly,
1. Further to its Opinion No. 98 (1980), on the draft second medium-term plan for the Council of Europe's intergovernmental activities in the years 1981-86 (Doc. 4461), and in particular to paragraph 4 of that opinion, in which the Assembly reserved itself the right to submit a supplementary opinion,
2. Presents the following supplementary opinion :
The Assembly attaches great importance to education and information on human rights both inside Europe and as a contribution to the greater recognition of human rights throughout the world (Sector 5).
The Assembly recalls its Recommendation 850 (1979), in which it asserted the importance of European cultural co-operation as carried out by the Council of Europe, and the need for adequate resources for this work. It welcomes the presentation of cultural co-operation in its broadest sense, including both education and culture and other aspects of the quality of life. On the other hand, there is concern at the very brief and somewhat laconic education and culture sections, compared with other parts of the plan, as they hardly do justice to the size of the work programme in this field. While the present draft covers a whole range of clearly desirable objectives, it is not clear where priorities lie, or what activities, if any, will effectively coincide with the stated objectives. The Assembly is concerned that more emphasis be given in the CDCC's work to the reality and practice of European cultural co-operation, while retaining an element of continuing reflection on European values and their development.
The Assembly draws attention to the discrepancy between the ambitious objectives appearing under this heading and the insufficient material means set aside for this relatively "junior" branch of the Council of Europe.
The objectives in Sector 19 (Regional planning) could become more specific, and should take into fuller account conclusions reached at various European Conferences of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning.
It is furthermore important that intergovernmental achievements in this sector, such as the European Regional Planning Charter now under elaboration, should be made more generally known to the public through special information campaigns.
The Assembly would welcome work in Sector 19 aimed towards the development of local and regional cultures as a positive enrichment of the cultural life of individuals.
The Assembly expresses its support for the European Campaign on Urban Renaissance, but wishes to see it supplemented by efforts for the revitalisation of village life (Sector 20).
The Assembly has paid considerable attention in the past to Council of Europe work on the architectural heritage (Sector 21) and would wish to see continued emphasis placed on this sector in the future plan. A primary objective should be to ensure the proper implementation of existing texts relating to the architectural heritage. To this end a constant check should be made on the situation in member countries and regular reports prepared.
Work on the architectural heritage should also be deepened and extended : a fairer balance should be achieved between the urban and rural contexts, more recent buildings should be included, and greater attention given to technical and practical aspects of conservation ; continuing work is also necessary on improving legislation and administrative machinery.
Education and information (both within and between countries) should also be considered a major objective in order to maintain and encourage public interest and participation. Greatly increased resources are necessary to bring Council of Europe publications in this field up to an acceptable standard.
The Assembly would also like to see archaeology brought into this sector, in order to meet an increasing interest on the part of European Ministers of Culture, of the Assembly and of the general public. The Assembly considers it important that Council of Europe activities in this field be co-ordinated with those of other organisations, such as UNESCO, ICOM, Icomos and also the European Community.
Finally, specific mention should be made in the plan of the close collaboration that has been promised by the Committee of Ministers with the General Rapporteur of the Assembly on the architectural heritage.
The Assembly again has to point to the lack of congruence between, this time, the ambitious goals set out in Sector 22 and the modest resources put at the disposal of, in particular, the European Information Centre for Nature Conservation.
The periodical Naturopa and the Newsletter on nature conservation ought to be made accessible to a much larger audience and in more languages than at present. These publications could, furthermore, be used to give wider recognition to various specialised studies, and could also include mention of work done in regional planning.
Finally, the Assembly believes that—in order to consider in their proper perspective the many problems which are common to regional planning, urban policies, the architectural heritage and nature conservation—there is a need for close and effective liaison between the various bodies involved.
regional and municipal co-operation: The Assembly draws attention to the significant role that local and regional authorities could play in ensuring a balanced development throughout Europe's regions and in creating a deeper involvement on the part of the individual citizen in the democratic process. Increased resources should, therefore, be made available in this field.