Assembly debate on 30 January 1969 (26th Sitting) (see Doc. 2507, report of the Legal Affairs Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 30 January 1969 (26th Sitting).
The Assembly,
1. Considering that the age of full legal capacity at present is 21 years in most Council of Europe member states ;
2. Having regard to the fact that in several European countries proposals have been made and are being studied for lowering the age of full legal capacity to 20 or even 18 years ;
3. Considering it desirable that the differences among European countries as regards the age of full capacity should be as small as possible ;
4. Recalling the discussions which were held on this matter at the 5th Conference of European Ministers of Justice in London ;
5. Convinced of the desirability that a full study should be made within the framework of the Council of Europe of the age of full capacity and of the questions related to it, such as the capacity to vote and the capacity to marry ;
6. Taking into account the broader but closely related questions referred to in its Recommendation 531 and the report presented by Mr. Borel on behalf of the Committee on Culture and Education at the September 1968 Session on "The present crisis in European society" (Doc. 2432),
7. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :
a insert this question in the Intergovernmental Work Programme of the Council of Europe for 1969-70 ;
b instruct the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CCJ) to study the question and prepare a recommendation or other legal text on it as soon as possible and at the latest by 1971.
