Recent events in the German Democratic Republic

Recommendation 1118 (1989)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 16 November 1989. See Doc. 6144, report of the Committee on Relations with European Non-Member Countries, Rapporteurs : Mr Sager and Mr Lambie.

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Considering the report presented by its Committee on Relations with European Non-Member Countries (Doc. 6144) and the oral opinion of its Political Affairs Committee ;

2. Welcoming the recent measures taken by the authorities of the German Democratic Republic, particularly as regards freedom of movement for East German citizens, as well as their intention to organise free and democratic elections in 1990 ;

3. Noting that this process of liberalisation forms part of the general evolution in Central and Eastern Europe in the direction of the basic values upheld by the Council of Europe :

pluralistic parliamentary democracy;

respect for human rights;

principles of the rule of law ;

4. Recalling its policy of openness towards the European non-member states which implement the international agreements on human rights drawn up within the United Nations and CSCE frameworks, a policy which took the form, in June 1989, of according special guest status to the legislative Assemblies of Hungary, Poland, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, whose delegations have since participated actively in the Assembly's sessions ;

5. Considering that the Council of Europe constitutes, by virtue of its broad geopolitical framework, one of the essential foundations of the ‘‘common European home'', and welcoming in this context the request for membership presented today by the Republic of Hungary ;

6. Hoping that the reform movement will spread in the near future to the whole of Europe with a view to bringing about progressive rapprochement between all countries participating in the CSCE process, on the basis of the values upheld by the Council of Europe and respecting the political and democratic options of each country ;

7. Considering that the recent events in Central and Eastern Europe, and the opening of the Berlin wall in particular, open a new chapter in Europe's history and that it is necessary to set up at once mechanisms for concertation enabling all European countries to participate in the construction of tomorrow's Europe ;

8. Recalling that, in the political declaration on the future role of the Council of Europe in European construction, which it adopted on 5 May 1989, the Committee of Ministers entrusted its Chairman with special responsibility for establishing regular political dialogue between the Council of Europe and the European Community,

9. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

a request its Chairman to make known the position of the Council of Europe on East-West relations at the informal meeting of heads of state and of government of the European Community in Paris on 18 November 1989 and at the European Council in Strasbourg on 8 and 9 December 1989 ;

b take action to ensure that its position on East-West relations in Europe is taken into account by Presidents Bush and Gorbachev when they meet on 2 and 3 December 1989 ;

c call an extraordinary meeting of the Committee of Ministers in early 1990, with a view to defining the possibilities of Council of Europe member states with regard to measures of support for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in their efforts to institute pluralistic democracy and in overcoming their economic difficulties, in the light of developments which have taken place in the meantime ;

d grant the Council of Europe the necessary means to implement its policy of overture and co-operation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe which are moving towards democracy.