The Assembly,
I. Economic and monetary policy
7. The Assembly
8. Believes that member Governments should give their fullest support to Atlantic economic and monetary co-operation within the framework of OECD, with a view to ensuring through mutual effort that their common growth target is reached and that price-stability and balance-of-payments equilibrium is restored or maintained, and considers that, to that end :
II. Development assistance
9. The Assembly :
10. Expresses its pleasure that the ideas put forward in the resolution adopted by the Council of the OECD at its meeting of November 1962 are in full harmony with those set out in Recommendation 332;
11. Takes note of the fact that the situation of the developing countries does not appear to be improving, and that the terms of trade of the newly-developing countries are worsening while their indebtedness increases, and recalls, in this context, Recommendation 288;
12. Notes also that the practice of tied aid is growing;
13. Recommends :
14. That the total funds provided by the Members of OECD to further their policies of assistance to the developing countries should be increased;
15. That, in order to co-ordinate the aid efforts of the Members of the Development Aid Committee (DAC), the long-term aid requirements of the recipient countries should be channelled to a single administrative centre, preferably under the auspices of DAC, which would examine aid requests and national development programmes;
16. That DAC should, as quickly as possible, make an assessment of the needs of the developing countries;
17. That future annual reports of DAC should :
III. Agriculture
18. The Assembly :
19. Welcomes the new opportunity given it by the report of the OECD to the Council of Europe to examine together with that organisation the agricultural problems raised by current economic developments and the measures required to solve them;
20. Supports unreservedly the recommendation of the Council of the OECD that principles for long-term agricultural policies should be developed, taking account of both economic and social aspects of these policies; and is in agreement with the OECD Committee for Agriculture when it describes the object of this policy as being the search for a balanced agricultural economy which, without recourse to price and income support and while avoiding adverse effects on trade, will ensure a satisfactory income to all those engaged in agriculture.
21. In practice, it seems that OECD will give priority to three main points : structural improvements, reform of marketing systems for agricultural products, and information and education of producers.
22. The Assembly considers that it would be useful for OECD to proceed without delay and at the first opportunity to hold the consultations provided for, should there be a danger that the agricultural policies or trade practices in force will create difficulties for member countries.
23. In regard to food aid, the Assembly wishes to stress the principle that the contributions of the developed countries should above all assist the development of the receiving countries and should normally be of a temporary character; it also shares the OECD's concern to prevent food aid from causing disturbances in international trade and in the economy of the receiving countries; food aid programmes should be closely co-ordinated both with the other assistance programmes and with the general economic development programmes of the receiving countries.
24. The Assembly thinks it desirable that the organisations which deal with agricultural problems and policies at the international level should co-ordinate their work as effectively as possible; in particular, it considers that co-operation between OECD, FAO and the Council of Europe, in consultation with the non-governmental international agricultural organisations, would help the agricultural economy to achieve the objectives described above.
IV. Social policy
25. The Assembly :
26. Stresses that the economic policy advocated by the OECD must be supplemented and supported by an active and progressive social policy centreing on the following measures, many of which must indeed be regarded as conditioning the success of an economic growth policy;
27. Advocates the widest accession to and use of existing European instruments of social policy, such as the European Social Charter, the October 1953 Decision of the Council of the OEEC concerning the mobility of man-power, and the European Interim Agreements on Social Security ;
28. Expresses the wish to see the European Social Charter put into force as soon as possible and subsequently further developed towards higher standards.
V. Scientific policy
29. The Assembly :
30. Notes with interest the decision of the Council of OECD to arrange a Conference of Ministers responsible for science policy in the autumn of 1963 and observes that this action is in line with the suggestions made by the Assembly in Recommendation 320 of May 1962 on the calling of a European Conference at ministerial level to discuss and make proposals for a European science policy; hopes that the Conference, though arranged by OECD, will be designed to benefit all European organisations concerned, and will, in particular, take account of the work and potentialities of the Committee for Higher Education and Research of the Council for Cultural Co-operation; invites the Chairman of the Conference to report to the Assembly at the First Part of the 16th Session;
31. Reiterates its conviction of the expediency of arranging a second Parliamentary and Scientific Conference to interest parliamentary circles in the requirements of international scientific co-operation and to disseminate the results of the aforementioned Conference, and invites OECD to take part in organising the Conference as it did for the first Parliamentary and Scientific Conference held in London in March 1961.