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Council of Europe budgets for the years 1978, 1980 and 1981

Opinion 102 (1980)

Author(s):
Parliamentary Assembly
Origin
See Doc. 4566, report of the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme. Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 3 July 1980.
Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Having taken note of the report giving an opinion on the Council of Europe budgets for the years 1978, 1980 and 1981, submitted by its Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme (Doc. 4566) ;
2. Having regard to the texts relating to the Assembly's budgetary powers ;
3. Having examined the general accounts for 1978, the last financial year for which accounts have been closed and for which discharge has been given ;
4. Having regard to the Council of Europe budget for 1980, as adopted by the Committee of Ministers,
5. Adopts the following opinion :
a the Assembly welcomes the findings by the Board of Auditors to the effect that there has been a consistent and clear improvement in every sphere over the past few years, and that the organisation's financial arrangements have been sound and economical ;
b notes, for the 1980 budget, a net increase in real terms of 1.81 %, which it considers far too modest for the aims attributed to the Council of Europe, but appreciates that the Intergovernmental Work Programme shows an increase of 4.5% in real terms ;
c regrets that no greater efforts could be made to improve the image of the Council of Europe in the field of its public relations, and recalls, in this context, the importance it attaches to the work of the Stimulating Committee on Information, launched in 1979 under the chairmanship of the President of the Assembly, and at the initiative of the Committee of Ministers ;
d calls upon the financial authorities of all member states to ensure, when deciding on the 1981 budget, that the means allocated to the Council of Europe correspond to the tasks allotted to it and thus allow for a moderate growth rate in real terms of at least 2% to 3%.