The Political Committee wish to draw the attention of the Consultative Assembly to the following points :
This resolution contains two main decisions :
(a) The proposal for amalgamating the Council of Europe and 0 , E. E. C. is shelved until the current negotiations on the setting up of a European Free Trade Area have reached the stage where institutions are considered.
Comment:
In Opinion No. 26 the Assembly expressed the view that " the amalgamation of the Council of Europe and the 0 . E. E. C. ought not to await the outcome of t h e negotiations on the Free Trade Area, as it is justified in its own right ".
Nevertheless, it will be observed that in its resolution of 13th December 1957, the Committee of Ministers decided " to request the OEEC Council to resume consideration with the Committee of Ministers of the problem of future relations between the two organisations ... before any decision has been taken with regard to the institutions required for t h a t Area [the Free Trade Area]".
Your Committee believe that, in general, although the Committee of Ministers does not agree to the immediate merger proposed by the Assembly, it at any rate recognises one vital principle, namely that it is essential to rationalise the European institutions. It is clear from the resolution of the Ministers t h a t it is not intended to set up new institutions to operate the proposed Free Trade Area but that the present institutions of the Council of Europe and O. E. E. C. are to be adapted to this new task.
(b) Approval is given to the proposals made by the 0. E. E. C./Council of Europe joint Liaison Committees for achieving closer working relations between 0. E. E. C. and the Council of Europe.
Comment :
The proposals in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 (a) of the new supplement to the Agreement between the Council of Europe and 0. E. E. C. are satisfactory and do not call for any comment.
The proposal under 3 (b), however, is not very satisfactory. It is suggested in this paragraph that texts adopted by the Consultative Assembly and relating to questions which are of interest to 0. E. E. C. should first be examined by the joint 0. E. E. C./ Council of Europe Liaison Committees " with a view to determining which of the two organisations can more appropriately deal with the questions raised ". This provision is all the more surprising as in paragraph 3 (a) the Committee of Ministers has. given standing instructions to t h e Secretary-General to transmit such Assembly texts direct to. 0. E. E. C. without delay. Moreover, it is a fact that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe had to all intents and purposes renounced its competence in economic matters in favour of 0. E. E: C, and it would therefore seem a pure waste of time for the joint Liaison Committees to consider such Assembly texts especially after they have been transmitted by the Secretary-General to 0. E. E. C. It is clear that in all cases such action as can be taken by Governments will be taken within 0. E. E. C., and the interference of the joint Liaison Committees is hardly likely to serve a useful purpose.
Your Committee consider that the Secretary-General, who has instructions to do so in Article 3 (a), should be trusted to select the Recommendations to be transmitted to 0. E. E. C. It therefore seems superfluous to give the Liaison Committees the same task. At least three Members of Parliament sit on the 0. E. E. C./Council of Europe Liaison Committees, and it would be a waste of time to convene these Committees for the sole purpose of discussing a selection previously made by the Secretary-General.
he Assembly will recall that on 28th April 1957 the Committee of Ministers informed the Assembly as follows : "The Permanent Council of Western European Union, which is now studying ways and means of achieving closer association and a possible merger of European Assemblies, will bring this question before the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in due course. In reply to the telegram sent by the President of the Consultative Assembly to the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers on 2nd February 1957, the Committee agreed to give the President an assurance that the Assembly will be consulted, when the time comes, on any projects likely to affect its competence and organisation" (paragraphs 21-22 of Doc. 635.Eighth Report of the Committee of Ministers).
The Assembly will recall that on 28th April 1957 the Committee of Ministers informed the Assembly as follows : "The Permanent Council of Western European Union, which is now studying ways and means of achieving closer association and a possible merger of European Assemblies, will bring this question before the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in due course. In reply to the telegram sent by the President of the Consultative Assembly to the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers on 2nd February 1957, the Committee agreed to give the President an assurance that the Assembly will be consulted, when the time comes, on any projects likely to affect its competence and organisation" (paragraphs 21-22 of Doc. 635.Eighth Report of the Committee of Ministers).
Later, on 11th October 1957, the Committee of Ministers told the Assembly t h a t its Resolution 123 would be " considered shortly, when the Brussels Interim Committee and the Council of Ministers of Western European Union have made known their views on the same problem." (Paragraph 12 of Doc. 710, Supplementary Report to the Eighth Report of the Committee of Ministers.)
Your Committee understand that the Council of Ministers of Western European Union has declared themselves unable at this stage to arrive at any final conclusions within the framework of W. E. U. It is believed to have sent a report in this sense to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
It will be recalled t h a t on 25th October 1957 the Assembly adopted Resolution 130 which instructed the President of the Assembly to take steps, at the appropriate time, to ensure close relations between the Assembly of the Council of Europe and the institutions of the new six-Power Communities, in particular, the parliamentary assembly. This resolution is as follows :
" The Assembly,
Having welcomed the resolution of the six Foreign Ministers which is designed to ensure partial identity of membership between the Assembly of the six-Power Communities and the Consultative Assembly;
Considering that other steps must be taken to preserve and ensure a sense of common purpose between those engaged in building up the six-Power Communities and those belonging to the wider European Community;
Considering that relations between the Council of Europe and the E. C. S. C. are the subject of a protocol signed in Paris on 18th April 1951,
Instructs the President of the Assembly to approach the competent authorities of the new Communities of the Six with a view to preparing the way for the conclusion of arrangements providing for the following :
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in Resolution (57) 27 of 13th December 1957, expressed " the wish that, as soon as the institutions of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community are set up, close relations should be established between the Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Communities of the Six and, in general, between the Council of Europe, on the one hand, and the European Economic Community and European Atomic Energy Community, on the other. "
The Political Committee consider that it would be desirable to give further consideration to a speech made by M. Furler, President of the Common Assembly, on 14th May 1957.
In this speech, M. Furler said that " the Bureau of the Common Assembly and the Chairmen of the Political Groups have expressed themselves in favour of the establishment of organic relations among the three Assemblies, which should be made the subject of an agreement". He went on to say that " the suggested agreement would be much wider in scope than the Protocol to the Treaty instituting the E. C. S. C. " which deals with relations between the Council of Europe and the Coal and Steel Community.
The main feature of this protocol is t h a t it provides for the submission of reports from the Common Assembly and the High Authority to the Consultative Assembly.
M. Furler also said t h a t joint meetings between the Consultative Assembly and the six-Power Assembly, on the lines of the joint meetings between the Consultative Assembly and the Common Assembly, should be given " an institutional basis", and should take place once a year at a fixed date.
Another proposal made by M. Furler was that a standing committee of the three Bureaux should be set up under the proposed agreement and that representatives of Governments and of the European institutions might participate in its work.
This proposal is important as it would serve, if accepted, to strengthen the link between the Assembly of the six-Power Communities and the Consultative Assembly. It would also probably strengthen the claim of the Consultative Assembly to be recognised, in due course, as the Assembly of the Free Trade Area.
Your Committee suggest t h a t the tasks of this Standing Committee might be :
The Standing Committee might include the Chairmen of the main committees of each Assembly. It would have a Chairman who would convene the Committee as might be desirable. At the same time the Standing Committee would remain subordinate to the three Bureaux as regards its competence.
There are other points worth considering. In particular, the setting up of the Common Market may mean t h a t joint meetings ought to take place twice a year instead of once as formerly. There is also the question of co-operation between the secretariats, which is extremely desirable, especially among technical services.
Your Committee would like to suggest t h a t the views expressed by M. Furler in his important speech of 14th May 1957 should be carefully considered in function of the forthcoming establishment of the single Assembly of the six-Power Communities.
The Committee of Ministers,
Recalling its Resolutions (56) 24 on the duplication of work between European organisations and (57) 10 on relations between the Council of Europe and 0. E. E. C;
Taking note of the following texts brought to its attention concerning certain important aspects of the institutional structure of European collaboration :
Expresses its appreciation of the contributions made by the Assembly, the Liaison Committees of the Council and O. E. E. C, and other European bodies;
Reaffirms its interest in the eventual attainment of the most effective pattern of European institutions, in the interest both of avoiding duplication of effort and of giving maximum impact to intergovernmental collaboration and parliamentary association in Europe;
Expresses the wish that, as soon as the institutions of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community are set up, close relations should be established between the Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Communities of the Six and, in general, between the Council of Europe, on the one hand, and the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, on the other ;
Welcomes the OEEC Resolutions of October 17th declaring the determination of that Council to secure the establishment of a European Free Trade Area; and
Draws to the attention of the OEEC Council the expression of views of the Consultative Assembly in their Recommendation 152;
Decides :