Representation of Member States in the Committee of Ministers

Recommendation 147 (1957)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

(see Doc, 704Doc, 704, Report of the Political Committee). This Recommendation was adopted by the Assembly at its 23rd Sitting, on 25th October 1957

The Assembly

Considering that, if there is a need to reduce overlapping among European assemblies, there is an equally urgent need for achieving greater concentration of the ministerial organs of European organisations ;

Considering that the members of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe are the Foreign Ministers of Member States [(1) Article 14 of the Statute of die Council of Europe provides that 'Representatives on the Committee [of Ministers] shall be the Ministers for Foreign Affairs. Then a Minister for Foreign Affairs is unable to be present, or in other circumstances where it may be desirable, an alternate may be nominated to act for him, who shall, whenever possible, be a member of his Government'.];

Considering that it would be more appropriate if the Committee of Ministers were to consist, as might be appropriate to the subject under discussion, of the competent Ministers ;Considering that the Treaties regulating the E.C.S.C., the Common Market, Euratom, N.A.T.O. and the Convention relating to O.E.E.C. provide for a more flexible representation on the Council of Ministers [(2) 'The Council [of Ministers] consists of representatives of the Member States. Each Government delegates one of its members to it ...' (Article 116 of the Euratom Treaty ; Article 146 of the Common Market Treaty and Article 27 of the E.C.S.C. Treaty). 'The Parties hereby establish a council, on which each of them shall be represented, to consider matters concerning the implementation of this Treaty' (Article 9 of the North Atlantic Treaty), 'A Council composed of all the Members shall be the body from which all decisions derive' (Article 15 (a) of the O.E.E.C. Convention).],

Recommends to the Committee of Ministers :

1 that they should consider amending Article 14 of the Statute in the sense that the Committee of Ministers shall consist of representatives of the Member States and that each Government shall delegate one of its members to it ; or alternatively that they should consider adopting a text interpreting Article 14 in this sense ;

2 that they should meet in different composition according to the object of each session, Member Governments delegating as their representative the member of the Government responsible for the questions to be discussed ;

3 that they should draw the attention of the Prime Ministers to the need for ensuring a coherent approach to the various European activities to which their Governments are parties and to the need for organising meetings such as those called for by the Assembly in its Recommendation 139 (meeting of the Prime Ministers for co-ordination of policy, especially foreign policy).