A Explanatory Memorandum
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1. The Committee on Social Questions has studied with great interest the draft Convention on Social and Medical Assistance which was referred to it by the Assembly with a request for an Opinion. The Committee entirely approved the principle laid down in this draft Convention, namely that each Contracting State should provide, in its laws or regulations governing social and medical assistance, for equality of treatment of its own nationals and nationals of the other Contracting States.
2. The Committee on Social Questions considers that this draft Convention may be approved in its present form and hopes that i t will be signed and ratified as soon as possible.
3. The Committee pays tribute to the efforts made by the Committee of Ministers to complete this draft Convention, and is also grateful to the Committee of Experts for its valuable and successful co-operation.
4. The Committee notes that certain Governments have made reservations regarding the application of this Convention. It hopes that these Governments, nevertheless, will apply the Convention to the fullest extent compatible with the situation in their respective countries.
5. The Committee welcomes the preparation of the draft Protocol extending the draft Convention to refugees, in accordance with the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees of 1951.
6. As a result, the Committee on Social Questions submits to the Assembly, for the attention of the Committee of Ministers, the following draft Opinion, which has been unanimously approved by the Committee itself.
