Ratification of Council of Europe conventions

Recommendation 249 (1960)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 29th April 1960 (9th Sitting) (see Doc. 1143, Report of the Working Party on relations with national Parliaments). Text adopted by the Assembly on 29th April 1960 (9th Sitting).

The Assembly,

Considering that, since 1949, thirty conventions, agreements, protocols and declarations have been concluded within the framework of the Council of Europe;

Recalling the statutory Resolution adopted by the Committee of Ministers in 1951, which reads as follows:

"The convention or agreement shall be submitted by the Secretary-General to all Members for ratification",

and

"Each Member undertakes that within one year of such submission or, where this is impossible owing to exceptional circumstances, within eighteen months,the question of ratification of the convention or agreement shall be brought before the competent authority or authorities in its country";

Considering that in a great many cases this period of eighteen months has elapsed without the Governments concerned having embarked upon ratification procedure;

Considering that the Committee of Ministers, in several of its statutory reports and in replies to written questions, has requested the Members of the Assembly to take appropriate measures in their respective national Parliaments with a view to inducing their Governments to submit the Council of Europe conventions and agreements for ratification;

Recalling its Resolution 168 of 24th April 1959,

Recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

1 should urge member Governments:

a to embark, without delay, in accordance with the statutory Resolution adopted in 1951, upon the ratification procedure in all cases where this has not yet been done;

b to report on the date when the ratifications outstanding can be expected and on the reasons why those ratifications have not yet been effected or why they do not intend to ratify certain instruments;

2 to inform the Assembly accordingly.