Texts adopted by the European Conference of Local Authorities at its 10th Session (Strasbourg, 16-20 September 1974)

Recommendation 755 (1975)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 25 January 1975 (22nd Sitting) (see Doc. 3544, report of the Committee on Regional Planning and Local Authorities). Text adopted by the Assembly on 25 January 1975 (22nd Sitting).

The Assembly,

1. Having taken note of the texts adopted at the 10th Session of the European Conference of Local Authorities (Doc. 3483) and of the report of its Committee on Regional Planning and Local Authorities concerning the results of this 10th Session (Doc. 3544) ;

2. Recalling its own efforts which led to the establishment of the European Conference of Local Authorities, and its repeated expressions of support ;

3. Considering that the conference provides official representation for municipalities and regional bodies in the Council of Europe, and that it complements the action of the Assembly, which represents all the citizens of the eighteen member states ;

4. Restating the conference's vital role for the fulfilment of the aims of the Council of Europe, as defined in its Statute and reiterated by the Committee of Ministers in Resolution (74) 4 on the future role of the Council of Europe ;

5. Considering, therefore, that the conference's action needs to take its place in the context of the Council of Europe, and aim to initiate, extend and reinforce its activities in relation to local authorities and, after consideration, to convey their aspirations to the Council of Europe ;

6. Desirous, in this respect, of greater interaction and more thorough-going concertation between the Assembly and the conference ;

7. Considering that it is entirely fitting for the conference to keep itself informed on those activities of the European Communities which have particular significance for local authorities, and that it is accordingly desirable for the conference to establish good working relations with the relevant Community bodies ;

8. Considering, nevertheless, that the role of the conference must be to represent- within the framework of the Council of Europe- the local authorities of all its member states and to voice their hopes and aspirations, and considering it therefore appropriate for resolutions or opinions adopted by the conference to be addressed to all member states, in accordance with Article 1. b, paragraph 2, of its Charter,

9. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

a agree to transmit Opinion No. 16 of the conference, on the European Communities' action programme on the environment, to the Commission of the European Communities, as representing the position of the European Conference of Local Authorities, and to the governments of all the Council of Europe member states, recalling that the principles invoked by the conference are largely in line with those expressed by the Assembly in recent years ;

b take a similar decision on Opinion No. 17, on the regional policy of the European Economic Community, recalling that the guidelines which form the basis of this opinion are in complete accord with the direction taken by the Assembly on regional planning ;

c as regards Opinion No. 18, on relations between the conference and the Communities :

recognise that the conference is empowered as an institution to receive information on developments in Community policies ;

urge the conference to arrange for exchanges of information and for contacts with the relevant Community bodies through a special committee or an existing committee and in co-operation with the international organisations of local authorities holding consultative status with the Council of Europe ;

authorise the holding, at each session of the conference, of a special sitting to consider the activities of the European Communities seen from the point of view of the local authorities of the Eighteen ;

ensure that the conference's efforts in favour of liaison with the Communities are concerted with those of the other Council of Europe organs and bodies, including the Assembly ;

d as regards Resolution 76, on the role of the European Conference of Local Authorities in present-day Europe :

confirm the conference's function as official representative of the local and regional authorities of Council of Europe member states, by amending the conference Charter as urged by the conference in respect of the amendment to Article 1. and at the same time restate the contribution it has to make towards fulfilling the aims set out in the Council of Europe Statute ;

accordingly take into account the suggestions of the conference when the Council of Europe's medium-term plan comes to be prepared, and associate the conference with the activities of certain technical committees and ministerial conferences whose work has a direct bearing on local authorities or requires their participation ;

encourage the conference, as a Council of Europe body, to step up its efforts to keep local and regional authorities informed about progress in European integration ;

strengthen the representative character of the conference by providing in the Charter (Article 2) that its members shall be representatives of the various local authorities holding an electoral mandate or an office carrying responsibility to either an elected assembly or a representative association of local authorities ;

authorise the conference to hold annual sessions, thereby allowing better continuity in its work ;

approve the restructuring of the committees, but adopt the title "Committee on Regional Affairs" and not "Committee on Regional Planning and Regional Problems" as proposed, in order to avoid confusion with an Assembly committee ;

agree that the conference should have the same official and working languages as the Assembly ;

e take note of Resolution 78, on action by local authorities to defend and improve man's environment in contemporary society, and transmit it to the relevant national authorities as a corollary to Assembly Recommendation 752, on environmental policy in Europe, and to various other earlier statements.