European co-operation in the field of Posts and Telecommunications

Recommendation 102 (1956)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

(see Doc. 563, draft Recommendation presented by the Committee on Economic Questions and Explanatory Memorandum by M. Czernetz). This Recommendation was adopted by the Assembly at its 24thSitting, on 24th October 1956

The Assembly,

Considering that Article 9 of the Universal Postal Convention, as revised at Brussels in 1952, and Article 42 of the International Telecommunication Convention concluded at Buenos Aires in 1952 permit members of the Universal Postal Union and International Telecommunication Union to set up restricted unions or to conclude special arrangements among themselves;

Considering that the following restricted postal unions have already been set up : the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain, the Postal Union. of the Nordic countries, the African Postal Union, the Malayan Postal Union and the Arab Postal Union; and that a number of regional organisations also exist dealing with telecommunications, including the Inter-American Telecommunications Union, the Nordic Telegraph Administration's Regional Conference, the African Telecommunications Union, and the Arab Communications Union ;

Recalling its Recommendation 9 (1951) for the creation of a European Postal Union and for the convocation of a Conference of European Postal and Telecommunication Services ;

Considering that since this Recommendation was rejected by the Committee of Ministers in May 1953 a number of other proposals for European co-operation in the field of posts and telecommunications have been issued and discussed, notably those presented to the Assembly by the French Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, M. Bonnefous, on 9th July 1955, and those contained in the Report published in May 1956 by the Intergovernmental Committee at Brussels set up by the Messina Conference;

Considering that a Conference of the Ministers of Posts and Telecommunications of the six Powers of the European Coal and Steel Community was held in January 1956, at which a decision was taken to issue the first European stamp, and that subsequently representatives of the postal services of Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have held meetings to discuss methods of closer collaboration among their respective administrations ,

Recommends :

1 that the Committee of Ministers should invite all Member States to set up a European Conference of Ministers of Postal and Telecommunication Services, with separate committees dealing respectively with posts and telecommunications, which, working in close collaboration with the Universal Postal Union and the International Telecommunications Union, should promote closer collaboration between member countries in the field of posts and telecommunications, with a view to the eventual creation of a European Postal and Telecommunication Union ;

2 that if only some Member States are willing to accept this invitation the Conference should be set up by those States willing to participate and should remain open to the subsequent accession of all other Members of the Council of Europe ;

3 that the Conference might envisage as first practical measures :

a the abolition of transit charges for mail between Member States of the European Postal Union; subsequently the surcharge for foreign mail could be abolished between Member States of the European Postal Union ;

b the abolition of surcharges for airmail between Member States ;

c the abolition of surcharges for telephone calls and telegrams to foreign countries if they take place between Member States of the European Postal Union;

d unification of transport regulations for postal consignments of goods in Europe ;

e simplification of frontier formalities for exchanges of parcel post; and

f permanent co-operation in the field of postal research and the exchange of technical experience and results of studies and experiments ;

4 that the Conference should present annual reports on its activities to the Assembly, as is already done by the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and the European Civil Aviation Conference, in order to enable the Assembly to fulfil its role as the parliamentary forum for the review of intergovernmental activities in Europe ;

5 that the Committee of Ministers should request the Governement of France, as the country on whose territory the seat of the Council has been established, to issue French stamps overprinted "Conseil de l'Europe" for the official mail of the Council, following the practice already adopted by the Government of Switzerland for the United Nations and certain of the Specialised Agencies established in Geneva ;

6 that all Member States of the Council of Europe should be invited to issue the European stamp already issued by six of these Member States, incorporating any modifications in design that may be necessary in each instance;

7 that all Member States of the Council of Europe should be invited to use a special cancellation during the sittings of the Consultative Assembly, reading in the respective national languages : "Council of Europe, Consultative Assembly nth Session ".