Relations between Europe and the United States (General policy of the Council of Europe)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text adopted by the Assembly on 15 May 1981 (7th Sitting). Assembly debate on 14 and 15 May 1981 (6th and 7th Sittings) (see Doc. 4709, report of the Political Affairs Committee).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
2. Having taken note of the report of its Political Affairs Committee on relations between Europe and the United States (
Doc. 4709) ;
3. Convinced that neither the United States nor Europe can face the challenges of the 1980s in isolation ;
4. Welcoming the declarations by the leaders of the new American administration, who, upon taking office, have asserted the need for genuine consultation with the states of Europe ;
5. Convinced that the states of Europe must assume together with the United States all the obligations, with their advantages and drawbacks, flowing from the process of détente, which requires that neither West nor East seek a unilateral advantage that would endanger world peace ;
6. Stressing that it is more desirable than ever that the United States and the member states of the Council of Europe should join forces with the other participating states in order to ensure a positive outcome to the Madrid meeting on the CSCE, particularly as regards confidence-building measures and measures to avert a renewed arms race,
7. Reaffirms the attachment which the United States of America and the member states of the Council of Europe should share to the ideals of pluralist parliamentary democracy and human rights, which places an obligation on them to support throughout the world, and especially in neighbouring regions, truly democratic regimes and political forces ;
8. Recalls, in the context of the struggle against terrorism, a problem shared by the member countries of the Council of Europe and the United States, the attitude of the Assembly and the measures proposed for the defence of the European democracies in its
Recommendation 916 (1981), and particularly in its paragraphs 3, 5, 6, 12 and sub-paragraphs c, i and j of 13 ; 9. Recommends that transatlantic contacts be intensified in order to improve mutual understanding of reciprocal problems and concerns, not only among political elites, but also among the various groups which have a direct influence on public opinion ;
9. Welcomes the organisation by the University of Strasbourg and by its Rapporteur, of a panel on relations between Europe and the United Sates, to be held at the Council of Europe on 29 and 30 June 1981 ;
10. Welcomes the fact that the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress has appointed Congressman David Bowen to take charge of liaison with the Council of Europe ;
11. Encourages the Committee of Ministers to act on its 1974 decision to keep the question of relations with the United States on its agenda, for the purposes of ensuring that all member states of the Council of Europe can take part in the dialogue with the United States.
