Explanatory memorandum
1. One of the main reasons for establishing the Council of Europe was an obvious need for a broadly based organisation for European economic collaboration. In fact the Statute of the Council of Europe lays it down that common action in the economic field is one of the first aims to be pursued by the organs of the Council. In several connections the Statute refers to activities in the economic field as of foremost importance to the Council.
2. In 1947-1948 the 0. E. E. C. had been set up by mutual agreement between the free countries of Western Europe in order to achieve a speedy reconstruction of the war damaged economy of Europe and to administer the unprecedently generous assistance granted by the United States for this purpose. It was, however, stipulated that the 0. E. E. C. would devote its efforts to the economic development of Europe beyond the mere administration of the American aid. It was, moreover, clearly foreseen that this instrument of economic co-operation could be maintained for the common interest after the expiration of the programme that had called it into being.
3. The fact that two organisations exist with similar tasks must unavoidably tend to create uncertainty, confusion and strife.
The one of them, the 0. E. E. C, is built on the traditional pattern of international collaboration in so far as it is an organ of Governments with a large body of experts at its disposal. A distinctive feature of the 0. E. E. C. is the participation of Government representatives in its various technical committees, sub-committees and working parties. The Council of Europe derives its particular character from its Consultative Assembly, forming a body of members chosen from the Parliaments of member countries. The Assembly has set up a Committee on Economic questions but it has not provided this Committee with any standing secretariat, nor has the Council of Europe as such deemed it appropriate to form a staff of economic expert.
4. The Committee of Ministers has in its report given an account of the attempts which have been made since the last session to co-ordinate the economic committee's treatment of the Assembly's recommendations in the economic field with the work done within 0. E. E. C. Attempts have also been made, through collaboration between this Committee and 0. E. E. C. to make it possible for the committee to use the expert knowledge for investigating problems that the Assembly has referred to the Committee.
Motion
The Assembly welcomes the results that have been obtained, mainly through the establishment of an ad hoc co-ordination committee and through laying down rules for mutual consultation as a first step in the right direction. It seems, however, inevitable that one should go further on the road that has been taken. It seems to be of the greatest importance for economic co-operation in Europe that the highly qualified technical apparatus which 0. E. E. C. represents should find inspiration and support from European opinion as it has been embodied in the Consultative Assembly. At the same time the Assembly considers to be of decisive importance for the future of the whole Council of Europe that the Council be given real possibilities to fulfil its aims in the economic field as they are laid down in the Statute.
The Assembly therefore requests that the Committee of Ministers to fulfil its efforts to co-ordinate the work of the Council of Europe in the economic field with the work of 0. E. E. C. For this reason the Assembly proposes that the Committee of Ministers should take the following into consideration :