Activities of the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund for National Refugees and Over-Population

Recommendation 927 (1981)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 7 October 1981 (18th Sitting) (see Doc. 4763, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography). Text adopted by the Assembly on 7 October 1981 (18th Sitting).

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Marking the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund, whose Articles of Agreement were adopted on 16 April 1956 ;

2. Wishing to pay tribute to the remarkable work done since that date by the Resettlement Fund which, in spite of its limited resources and the worsening economic situation, has managed to achieve substantial progress in the pursuit of its eminently social objectives ;

3. Welcoming, in particular, the perseverance shown by the organs of the Fund through action to reduce unemployment by creating or preserving permanent jobs, to provide vocational training, to create infrastructures, and to develop declining or economically or socially disadvantaged regions or areas, as well as in coping with the consequences of exceptional events such as natural disasters and influxes of refugees ;

4. Noting, however, that the number of loan applications submitted to the Resettlement Fund has greatly increased, especially in the last two years, and that it has consequently become essential for the Fund to acquire new means of action ;

5. Recalling also its Recommendations 861 (1969), 893 and 905 (1980) on the Council of Europe's role in co-operation among the countries of Northern and Southern Europe, and noting the declaration on balanced development made on 16 October 1980 by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, in which they declared themselves determined to support the reinforcement of the Fund as a contribution to balanced development ;

6. Having learnt to its great satisfaction that the Governing Body of the Fund invited member governments to increase the number of participating certificates available to member states of the Fund, and described the form in which voluntary contributions may be made under Article V of the Articles of Agreement ;

7. that all the member states of the Fund will, when the time comes, be in a position to lend support to the various decisions taken by the Fund with a view to providing it with additional means ;

8. Hoping especially that the provision for making voluntary contributions under Article V of the Articles of Agreement may be used to the full by the member states of the Fund in order to further its activities ;

9. Expressing its regr et that Austria, Ireland and the United Kingdom are not yet members of the Resettlement Fund,

10. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the governments of the member states of the Council of Europe :

a If they are already members of the Fund :

10.1.1 to consider the Fund as a particularly suitable instrument of the Council of Europe's action to reduce imbalances between the countries of Northern and Southern Europe, and to invite it to make a greater contribution in the social sphere, while still giving priority to problems posed by migration of the labour force ;

10.1.2 to do their utmost to provide the Fund with greater capacity for action, in particular by acting on the decisions taken by the Governing Body, notably as regards the increase in the number of participating certificates and voluntary contributions in line with Article V of the Articles of Agreement of the Fund ;

b If they are not yet members of the Fund, to reconsider the possibility of joining it.