B 2. Explanatory Memorandum
(Rapporteur : M. STRASSER)
1. The Assembly will wish to give most
careful consideration to this First Report transmitted
by the Assembly of the Communities
of the Six, which is a comprehensive account
of the last stages of the work of the Common
Assembly in relation to the Coal and Steel
Community, its metamorphosis into the European
Parliament, and the first period of its work as
the organ of parliamentary control over the three
Communities. The Report contains some sections
which deal primarily with the internal affairs
of the Communities—and others which are of
particular concern to States outside the Six.
I think it is natural that our reply should concentrate
largely on the latter aspects of the Report,
and it is these which primarily figure in the draft
Resolution.
2. The first paragraph of the draft Resolution
deals with collaboration between the two
Assemblies, of which the transmission of the
European Parliament's First Report, and the
agreement to hold Joint Sessions, as in the past,
are the first and very welcome manifestations.
The European Parliament's Report says (paragraph
7) that the transmission of an annual
report to the Consultative Assembly and the
holding of joint sessions will " contribute to a
fruitful exchange of views, will strengthen links
between the countries of Europe, and promote
the comprehensive integration of Europe ". It
will certainly be the wish of the Assembly that
collaboration be established to this end, and I
am sure that we can count on a sympathetic
reception of our proposals for other forms of
collaboration.
3. We may perhaps recall that it is as a
result of the efforts of the Consultative Assembly
no less than those of the Common Assembly that
the creation of a fourth European Assembly was
avoided and, as we learn from the Report (paragraph
80), since February 1957 there have been
meetings between the Bureaux of the three European
Assemblies in order to ensure the better
co-ordination of European parliamentary work.
It is assumed that this kind of regular meeting
to co-ordinate the day-to-day programmes of
the three Assemblies will continue, but a word
should perhaps be added about the particular
additional type of collaboration mentioned in
paragraph 1 of the draft Resolution—joint meetings
of the appropriate committees of the Assemblies. Paragraph 84 of the Report says that,
although the external relations of the European
Communities are primarily an economic matter,
" their political effects must not be underestimated
". It is also said that as a. result of
the experience of the Common Assembly, which
in February 1957 created a sub-committee for
questions of commercial policy, " the European
Parliament—also convinced of the utility of
separating external relations from politico-institutional
questions—set up a special committee
for commercial policy and relations with third
countries." At a time when the negotiations
for the setting up of a European Economic
Association are still at a critical stage, and when
the effects of the first measures of tariff reductions
and quota increases will need to be given
the closest scrutiny, it seems fair to hope that it
will be possible to arrange for such meetings as
may be required, for example between the
Consultative Assembly's Economic Committee
and the European Parliamentary Assembly's
committee mentioned above for commercial
policy and relations with third countries.
4. I would like to mention at this point the
more general political problem which the Report
touches upon—relations between the two Assemblies.
There does not seem to be anything at
this stage which could usefully be said on the
subject in the draft Resolution, but, since extensive
(the whole of Chapter VI) and thoughtful
comment is devoted to it in the Report, some
general comment may not be out of place. We
can perhaps agree with Professor Furler's conclusion
that (paragraph 105), " the further unification
of parliamentary work can only develop
very slowly, since the tasks of the European
parliamentary bodies cover very different fields."
Professor Furler's Report says, moreover, in its
very last paragraph, that " the parliamentary
idea can only be realised through the attribution
of real competence and the performance of
concrete tasks. The Consultative Assembly, as a
result of the large number of Member States of
the Council of Europe, has a more comprehensive
task—which it has to carry out, however, without
direct powers of supervision and decision. The
province of the European Parliament is smaller,
but its tasks are more concrete and affect more
directly the life of the peoples of the six States,
especially through the important powers of supervision
and decision which fall to it." Dr. Furler concludes that " both Assemblies must continue
to lead an independent life for some time if their
respective tasks are to be fulfilled ". I cannot
think that there would be any disagreement with
this final conclusion, though it cannot be emphasised
too strongly that there must be the closest
co-operation between the two bodies, particularly
when, as we hope, the Consultative Assembly
will find its own sphere of interest considerably
enlarged through the setting up of a European
Economic Association.
5. Though the work of the three European
Communities concerns economic matters, these,
as has been said earlier, have political effects
which must not be underestimated. It is precisely
the role of a parliamentary body to evaluate
these effects and to see that the right political
guidance is given in relation to them. That
this important side of the European Parliamentary
Assembly's work is not neglected is clear at
several points—paragraph 20, where long-term
implications of coal and steel policy are mentioned;
paragraph 24, where the role of the Parliament
in welding together the individual measures
taken by the High Authority into a coherent
policy is stressed; paragraph 28, where the Report
proclaims the need for the Common Market to
immunise itself against economic recessions in
other parts of the world; paragraph 42, where,
with a federalised Europe clearly in mind, the
Report speaks of a transport authority, somewhat
on the lines of the American Inter-State
Commerce Commission, as a long-term objective;
paragraph 48, where the vital importance of
creating a common economic policy in times of
recession is stressed; and paragraph 91, where
we read " in all developments, the basic political
will must be maintained and given a concrete
form ". This basic aspect of the European Parliamentary
Assembly's work seems to justify
special mention in our Reply (paragraph 2).
6. A welcome feature of the present report
is the space given to social questions: the social
difficulties arising from the full integration of
the Belgian coal mining industry into the Coal
and Steel Community (paragraph 10); the importplus ance for workers of the Common Market's
coming jnto being in a period of economic expansion
(paragraph 25); the importance of ensuring
that the present difficulties over coal are not
allowed to create excessive difficulties for the
mining community (paragraph 30); the close
watch on the appearance of more disquieting
unemployment figures in the last year or so of
the European Coal and Steel Community's
operation (paragraph 30); the description given
of the work of the High Authority in the questions
of freeing movements of workers, and their
re-training (paragraphs 31 and 32); and the
emphasis put upon re-training as one of the most
important factors in the setting up of a common
market—all these points are of the greatest
interest. Details are also given of the building programme
sponsored by the High Authority (paragraph
34), and the latest work in the Community
on security in mines (paragraph 35), while a
whole section (paragraphs 43 and 44) deals with
the work of the Social Committee of the Parliament,
in particular connection with wages policy
and shorter working hours. We also read (paragraph
51) of the important agreement on social
security for migrant workers. In view of all
this, a paragraph has been specially included in
the Reply to cover social matters.
7. Throughout the Report there is mention
of the need for a co-ordinated policy on energy
(paragraphs 22, 27, 39, 49). This is something on
which we must all be agreed, and we particularly
welcome the statement in the Report (paragraph
86) where the association agreement
between the European Coal and Steel Community
and the United Kingdom caused particular
satisfaction to the European Parliament because
this " facilitated the incorporation of coal and
steel into a free trade area ". It is, indeed, much
to be hoped that the setting up of a European
Economic Association will facilitate still further
the co-ordination of European policies on energy.
It is perhaps a pity that in the discussion of the
external relations of the European Atomic
Energy Community (paragraphs 56, 57, 100 and
101) no mention whatever is made of co-operation
with the European Nuclear Energy Agency.
This is something to which the Consultative
Assembly is profoundly attached, and in view of the fact that relatively few commercial barriers
exist to trade in nuclear products, and co-operation
is to that extent considerably facilitated, we
must hope that the Consultative Assembly can
work together with the European Parliamentary
Assembly in ensuring maximum co-operation in
the field of atomic energy between the Six and
the Seventeen.
8. Paragraph 5 of the draft Resolution
deals with the association of overseas territories
and countries with the Common Market. It is
clearly too early to expect much information
on this subject, which must be a matter of vital
concern to the Assembly. The overseas countries
and territories are all, more or less, industrially
under-developed and, since other States in this
category have expressed anxiety lest the new
trade patterns to be established between the
Common Market and associated overseas territories
operate to their own disadvantage, it is
desirable that as much information as possible
be made available.
9. The European Parliamentary Assembly,
the Report indicates, is determined to regard
the three Communities as but three facets of the
same development (paragraph 74). There is
great determination to ensure the proper coordination
and harmonisation of the activities
of the three executives. The three budgets are
regarded as one (paragraph 72), regret is expressed
that the Rome Treaties do not provide organic
links between the executives (paragraph 76); and,
after much parliamentary insistence (paragraph
77), some co-ordination has already been
achieved—for example, common statistical, information
and legal services have been set up.
10. In some instances (statistical, for
example) it may well be that there is need for
co-ordination at the level of the Seventeen, when
a European Economic Association is brought
about. This suggestion therefore figures in
paragraph 6 of the draft Resolution.
11. There is, finally, the question of the
European Economic Association. This will no
doubt be the subject of further reports from both
the Political and Economic Committees of the
Assembly, and I have therefore thought it right
not to go into the substance of the problem here.
The importance, however, of the Joint Meeting
of the two Assemblies, as an occasion for discussing
at parliamentary level the ways in which a European Economic Association must now be
sought, cannot be over-emphasised. Contacts
between Governments on this subject have been
in recent months fairly close, although, as we
know, they can hardly be described as having
been very fruitful so far. Close contact between
parliamentarians primarily concerned with the
affairs of the Six and those who, like ourselves,
are more concerned with problems at the level
of the Seventeen, has, on the other hand, been
signally lacking, and it seems likely, indeed, that
the European Economic Association will come to
dominate the debates with the European Parliamentary
Assembly. Since, moreover, the Reports
to be submitted to our own Assembly may be
available at that time, the last paragraph of the
draft Resolution merely gives general expression
to the hope that co-operation between parliamentarians
both inside and outside the Six will
lead to a successful conclusion of the present
negotiations.
1
