Economic and social effects of advanced technologies

Order 391 (1980)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

See Doc. 4556, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development. text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 3 July 1980.

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Having regard to the findings of the Colloquium on the Economic Effects of Space and Other Advanced Technologies organised from 28 to 30 April 1980 at the Council of Europe ;

2. Recalling its Resolution 717 (1980), on the effects on employment of the large-scale use of microprocessors ;

3. Stressing the important repercussions of technological innovation on the economic, employment and social policies of the Council of Europe member states ;

4. Concerned about the many effects of technological development on the democratic organisation of society and the human condition ;

5. Stressing the need for better information to be made available to governments, parliaments and other policy-makers on possible trends and developments resulting from space and other advanced technologies, in order to facilitate their tasks in taking appropriate policy measures ;

Attaching great importance to European cooperation for the rational use of resources for research and investment in regard to high-cost technologies that are beyond the means of most countries, and for sufficient harmonisation of social and economic policies to avoid significant distortion of competition ;

Concerned that current unilateral and bilateral space initiatives by member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) will threaten its future viability, and that the ESA Council Ministers have not met since 1977 ;

Calling for greater interplay between scientists, researchers, those responsible for education, the two sides of industry and policy-makers, to evaluate the economic and social effects of advanced technologies,

Instructs its Joint Committee for Scientific Cooperation to organise- possibly by the end of 1980- a public parliamentary hearing on the theme of "Economic and Social Effects of Advanced Technologies" under the co-sponsorship of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development, the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Social and Health Questions on the lines set forth in the report of its Committee on Economic Affairs and Development (Doc. 4556).