Logo Assembly Logo Hemicycle

Activities of the Standing Committee

Progress report | Doc. 14 | 25 May 1952

Author(s):
Standing Committee
Thesaurus

1

1.1 Composition of the Committee

The composition of the Standing Committee was substantially changed at the end of the second part of the Third Ordinary Session of the Assembly. The seat of the President falling vacant owing to Mr. Spaak's resignation, his functions were taken over by the first Vice-President of the Assembly, M. de Menthon. Moreover, owing to the transformation of the Special Committee on Refugees into a General Committee its Chairman M. Pernot thereupon became an ex officio member of the Standing Committee. Finally, changes in the composition of four national delegations on the resumption of the Third Session necessitated five replacements among the members of the Committee as elected by the Assembly

1.2 Meetings

The Committee has met three times : at Strasbourg on 11th December, 1951, immediately after the end of the Session, at Paris, on March 1st, 1952, and, finally, at Strasbourg on 25th May, 1952, on the eve of the opening of the Fourth Session of the Assembly.

1.3 Arrangements for the Session of the Assembly in 1952

The Committee mainly devoted its attention to the question of introducing a certain regularity in the dates of Assembly Sessions together with the subjects to be debated by the Assembly during the first part of the Fourth Session.

Dates of Assembly Sessions

The Committee adopted the principle proposed by M. Serrarens that the Assembly be convened on regular dates each year so that the national Parliaments and Representatives to the Consultative Assembly might bear them in mind beforehand. It decided that the first part of each Session should invariably be held in the neighbourhood of either Easter or Whitsun and that September 15th should be kept in mind as the date for resumption of the Session.

It was decided that the first part of the 1952 Session should open on 26rh May, to last one week, and that the Session should be resumed on 15th September for a period of about three weeks. M. Serrarens' comments on matters of procedure contained in a letter to the Secretariat-General have been communicated to the Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges.

Questions to be examined by the Assembly during the First Part of the Fourth Session
1. Order of priority :
2. The Standing Committee decided to suggest to the Assembly the following order of priority :
3. 1. Report and Message of the Committee of Ministers (Doc. 2and Doc. 12) and progress report of the Standing Committee (Doc. 14).
4. 2.Progress achieved in the sphere of European Defence (Report of the Committee on General Affairs, Doc. 6 ,on the European Defence Community).
5. 3. Rôle of the Council of Europe in the field of Social Security (Request by the Committee of Ministers for an Opinion, Doc. 10, on two draft Interim European Agreements on Social Security, and report of the Committee on Social Questions, Doc. 13).
6. 4.Rapport transmis au Conseil de l'Europe par l'Organisation Européenne de Coopération Économique (Doc. 7).
7. 5.Rôle du Conseil de l'Europe dans la nouvelle organisation de l'Europe (Demande d'avis du Comité des Ministres, Doc. 11, sur les meilleurs moyens de mettre en application les propositions du Royaume-Uni).
8. 6.Changements dans la structure poh> tique de l'Europe qui pourraient être nécessaires pour réaliser une union plus étroite entre les Membres du Conseil de l'Europe et une coopération effective dans les différents domaines spécifiés à l'article 1e r du Statut (Rapport de la commission des Affaires Générales, Doc. 8, sur l'intégration de l'O. E. C. E. et le Conseil de l'Europe).
9. 7. Aims and prospects of European policy (Report of the Committee of General Affairs on the European Politicai Authority project).
10. Co-ordination of these carious questions.
11. As the First Part of the Session is of short duration, the Standing Committee decided to suggest that the Assembly should not hold a General Debate on the Report of the Committee of Ministers but that they should refer it without discussion to the appropriate Committees, which will be instructed to prepare the draft Reply of the Assembly with a view to its discussion during the Second Part of the Session.
12. The 0. E. E. C. Report would be the subject of a debate, at the end of which a Resolution would be voted reply to this Report.
13. With regard to the European Defence Community, the Standing Committee informed the Committee of Ministers, through the representatives of the Assembly to the Joint Committee at the meeting of the latter Committee on 19th March, 1952, of its wish that the Assembly should be requested to give its opinion on the text of the Draft Treaty negotiated between the six States concerned.
14. In the matter of the European Political Authority, the Standing Committee, at itsThe Committee of Ministers did not think it possible to comply with the request of the Standing Committee. The Bureau therefore decided to instruct the Committee on General Affairs to widen the scope of the question : " Progress achieved in the sphere of European Defence " , to include a report on the political aspects of the treaty constituting a European Defence Community. This question being considered of special importance, there will be a debate on this report, at the conclusion of which certain resolutions or recommendations will be voted on.
15. In the matter of the European Political Authority, the Standing Committee, at its meeting of 1st March, 1952, had instructed the Committee on General Affairs to prepare a Report. The Committee of Ministers having subsequently requested the Assembly to give its opinion on the United Kingdom proposals, the Standing Committee decided to suggest to the Assembly that all constitutional questions should be dealt with together in one debate. Questions 5, 6 and 7 would thus be grouped on the Agenda under the heading " Role of the Council of Europe in the new pattern of organisation of Europe ", on the understanding that the Assembly would continue its examination of this question at the resumed Session. The Committee considered that it would be impossible for the Assembly to adopt comprehensive texts on the subject during the first part of the Session in view of its short duration and the fact that the British proposals were still being studied by the Committee of Ministers. After the General Debate, the matter would be referred back to committee.
16. Inclusion of further questions in the Agenda.
17. The Standing Committee decided to include in the Agenda, for immediate reference to the appropriate Committees, the three following questions, whose inclusion had been suggested to the Bureau since the last Session :
Doc. 3, on ways and means of improving the publicity given to the Council of Europe in European non-Member States. The question has been referred to the Special Committee to watch over the interests of European Nations nonrepresented in the Council of Europe.
Doc. 5, on the establishment of a European Linguistic Community based on the application of Anglo-French bilingualism. This question was referred to the Committee on Cultural Questions.
Doc. 9, on ways and means of encouraging the international circulation of books, objects of art, and all media of information or education. This question was referred to the Committee on Cultural Questions.

2 Adoption of the draft Reply from the Assembly to the Second Sapplementary Report of the Committee of Ministers

On 11th December, 1951, during the last Sitting of the Third Ordinary Session, the Assembly instructed the Standing Committee to discuss the draft Reply to the Committee of Ministers (3rd Session, 1951 : Doc. 111)prepared by the appropriate Committees each as they were individually concerned.

As the Committee was unable to adopt the draft Reply during its meeting held the same day, 11th December, 1951, for lack of a quorum, it had decided to transmit the draft to the Committee of Ministers, for information. The draft was adopted without change by the Committee on 1st March, 1952.

3 Durée du mandat des représentants de l'Assemblée au Comité Mixte

La question de la durée du mandat des représentants de l'Assemblée au Comité Mixte a fait l'objet d'un débat au sein de la Commission Permanente. Elle a estimé qu'il appartenait à l'Assemblée de prendre une décision sur ce sujet.

4 Term of Office of Representatives of the Assembly on the Joint Committee

The Standing Committee discussed the question of the term of office of Assembly Representatives on the Joint Committee, and considered that it was for the Assembly to take a decision on this matter.

5 Appointment of the Representatives of the Assembly to the Joint Committee

Reserving the question of the term of office, the Committee approved the following appointments proposed by the Bureau :

MM. von Brentano, Glenvil Hall, Jacini, van de Kieft, Mercouris, Wistrand.

6 Organisation of the work of Committees

18. At the request of its Chairman and after consultation with the Chairman of the Committee on Economic Questions, the Committee on Legal Questions was requested to give its opinion on the problem of European Companies, which it is the task of the Committee on Economic Questions to examine in detail.
19. The Chairman of the Committee on Social Questions requested, on behalf of his Committee, that they might be informed of the action taken by the Committee of Ministers on the Recommendation concerning the housing problem.
20. The Standing Committee decided at the request of the Chairman of the Committee on Rules of Procedure to invite all Committees to meet immediately before each Session.
21. At the request of the Chairman of the Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions, the Secretary-General was asked on March 1st, 1952, to inform the Ministers' Deputies of the desire of that Committee to be given an account of the progress of the work of the Governmental Experts on the standardisation of passports and of the action taken on the proposal to associate members of the Committee with the work of the Committees of Experts.
22. The Committee of Ministers having postponed its decision on the advisability of adopting this procedure (4th Session, 1952 : Doc. 2, para. 92), the Chairman of the Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions expressed the wish, at the meeting held on 25th May, 1952, that this question should be brought forward again at the next meeting of the Joint Committee.
23. The Chairman of the Committee on Population and Refugees asked that the attention of the Joint Committee be called to the question of the Rules of Procedure of the Special Liaison Committee, and suggested that these Rules of Procedure be drawn up by the Special Liaison Committee itself.