Aid to Hungarian refugees

Recommendation 114 (1957)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

(see Doc. 593Doc. 593, draft Recommendation presented by the Committee on Population and Refugees and Explanatory Memorandum by M. de la Vallée Poussin). This Recommendation was adopted by the Assembly at its 31st Sitting, on 8th January 1957

The Assembly,

Concerned to note that the number of Hungarian refugees is continuously growing ;

Imbued with a sense of community which should impel Member States of the Council of Europe to come to the aid of these refugees and assist Austria in its efforts to help them ;

Being of the opinion that the most efficient means to assist Austria consists :

1 in affording the largest number of Hungarian refugees the possibility of finding either temporary or permanent asylum outside Austria ;

2 in providing facilities for rehabilitation and housing of those refugees remaining in Austria ;

Noting with satisfaction that the Committee of Ministers has allocated to the Austrian Government the sum of 100 million French francs out of the budget of the Council of Europe ;

Noting with satisfaction the spontaneous efforts on the part of a great number of people as well as the close co-operation which has been established among all the national and international organisations contributing to the solution of the problem of Hungarian refugees ;

Recalling Recommendation 106, adopted unanimously by the Standing Committee on 19th November 1956,

Recommends the Committee of Ministers :

1 to invite all Governments of Member States which are also Members of the United Nations to approach the General Assembly of that Organisation in a common European spirit with a request that the United Nations make a special effort in order to collect the largest possible amount of funds for Hungarian refugees. These funds should be placed at the disposal of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with a view to meeting the problem arising, especially for Austria, from the admittance of refugees ;

2 to invite all the Governments of Member States to grant I.C.E.M. the means required for carrying out the task it has undertaken, at the request of the Austrian Government and with the approval of its Member States, to ensure transportation of Hungarian refugees within Europe and overseas ;

3 to invite Member States with uncultivated or abandoned land to make such land available to Hungarian refugees and facilitate their resettlement

4 to consider the possibility of granting the Governments of the above countries credits, in the form of repayable loans, for the restoration of uncultivated or abandoned land and of premises for the housing of refugees.