The Assembly
Recalling its Opinion No. 15 of 7th July 1955 on the organisation of a "Europe Day", according to which it was "not considered appropriate to organise a special 'Europe Day' ";
Having noted Resolution No. 17 (1960) of the European Conference of Local Authorities suggesting the celebration of a "Europe Day";
Desirous of acting upon the said Resolution of the Conference, at least in regard to its underlying principle;
Considering that as long ago as 17th May 1954, the Committee of Ministers, in Resolution (54) 7, recommended to member countries of the Council that they should organise a "Europe Day";
Recalling that, in formulating Opinion No. 15 in 1955, the Assembly was guided only by the consideration that the time for such a demonstration did not yet seem to have come, since public opinion at that period did not appear to support to the same degree in all the member countries the institution of a "Europe Day";
Whereas since 1955 the European idea has made great strides, politically and economically as well as in the eyes of public opinion;
Whereas this encouraging progress militates in favour of again raising the question of "Europe Day";
Conscious of the tremendous psychological and educational value of proclaiming and celebrating a European fellowship day, and of the important contribution that this could make to propagating the European idea,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers should :
organise a "Round Table" attended in particular by representatives of the Committee of Ministers, the Consultative Assembly, the European Conference of Local Authorities, the Committee of Cultural Experts, the Committee of Government Experts on Youth Questions, etc.;
instruct the said "Round Table", on the basis of the Report of the Committee on Local Authorities (Doc. 1311) to make suggestions for the concept of "Europe Day" and for what it involves and fix its date;
support, as long as no definite decisions have been taken to celebrate "Europe Day" officially in member countries of the Council of Europe, the initiative of local authorities in a number of member countries to celebrate "Europe Day" provisionally in schools and local authorities.