Reply to the Ninth General Report of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 26th September 1961 (16th Sitting) (see Doc. 1307, Ninth General Report of the High Authority, and Doc. 1343, draft Resolution presented by the Economic Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 26th September 1961 (16th Sitting).
1. The Assembly thanks the High Authority for the transmission of its Ninth General Report on the activities of the European Coal and Steel Community
2. The Assembly notes the steps that are being taken towards establishing a common energy policy for the six member countries and observes with satisfaction that the High Authority, in the carrying out of necessary measures towards restoring and maintaining the competitiveness of indigenous coal as against other fuels, recognises the importance of ensuring that such measures shall not involve intolerable economic and social hardships, and welcomes the evidence of the effective steps that have been and are being taken by the High Authority and by the member Governments in this connection.
3. The Assembly notes with satisfaction the progress that has been made in the direction of securing the harmonisation of the terms of employment within the industries of the Community, and welcomes the announcement that, in agreement with the organisations of employers and workers, joint conmittees for that purpose have now been established which will meet at regular intervals.
4. The Assembly notes with some concern that the provisions of Article 70 of the ECSC Treaty requiring the abolition, so far as international traffic in steel and coal is concerned, of discriminatory charges by national transport administrations based on the particular point of origin or destination of such traffic, have not been fully implemented. It agrees with the High Authority in urging the Governments concerned to comply as soon as possible with the Treaty obligations they have undertaken.
5. The Assembly agrees with the High Authority that "the Community must see to it that its objectives are not impeded by the emergence of monopolistic set-ups. The old divisions based on the power of the individual States were not abolished simply in order to be replaced in practice by new divisions based on the power of individual enterprises and their organisations"; the Assembly notes with interest that no less than 364 cases concerning cartels and concentrates have been examined and that 292 of these have been disposed of.
6. The Assembly congratulates the High Authority on the generally satisfactory situation achieved in the steel market both from the point of view of stability of price and from the point of view of balanced fulfilment of a markedly increased demand.
7. The Assembly notes with satisfaction the High Authority's support for the establishment of a single Executive for the three Communities, and agrees with the High Authority that a fusion of the Executives must not mean abandoning what has already been achieved with regard to supranationality; believes that the creation of a single Executive would, amongst other things, facilitate the co-ordination of energy policies, to which the Assembly attaches great importance; and notes that a practical step has been taken in this connection by establishing joint services for legal, statistical and information matters
