Monsieur le Président,
The Committee of Ministers was not in a position to comply with the wish expressed by the Consultative Assembly in paragraph 1 of its Resolution 50 on the appointment of a Committee on Budgetary Questions and Administration, adopted in September, 1954.
Apart from any other considerations, for it to be feasible to consult the Assembly on the draft Budget of the Council of Europe as a whole this draft Budget would have to be prepared by the Secretariat-General in the first months of the year, namely at a time when it is still impossible to make accurate estimates for the following year.
However, the Committee of Ministers has agreed that the Assembly should be given the opportunity of expressing its opinion on the Budget of the Council and has therefore instructed the Secretary-General to transmit to the Assembly documentation comprising the final audited accounts for the previous Financial Year and the Budget for the current Financial Year. Such documentation will, in fact, provide adequate material for the Assembly to express an opinion as to what credits might be included in the Budget for the following year. The Committee of Ministers will make a point of examining such opinions when the time comes.
It is agreed that Resolution (53) 38, by virtue of which the draft text of Vote II of the Budget for the coining year is submitted to the Assembly, will remain operative and, should the Assembly so desire, the Committee of Ministers would still be prepared to hold an exchange of views on this question at the next meeting1 of the Joint Committee.
I am, Monsieur le President,
Your obedient Servant,
signed : L. MARCHAL.