Relations between the Assembly of the Council of Europe and OECD

Recommendation 336 (1962)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 21st and 25th September 1962 (12th and 17th Sittings) (see Doc. 1478, Report of the Political Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 25th September 1962 (17th Sitting).

1. The Assembly:

2. Welcomes the arrangement concluded on 1st February 1962 between the Council of Europe and the OECD and is preparing to fulfil the advisory role conferred upon it by this arrangement ;

3. Considers, however, that a discussion with American and Canadian parliamentarians would give this consultative function a greater significance ;

4. Recalls its previous Recommendations 245 and 273 proposing the organisation of ad hoc meetings between the Consultative Assembly and American and Canadian parliamentary delegations ;

5. Informed that a proposal is at present under consideration in the Council of OECD for the creation of a separate parliamentary conference, consisting of from two to five Members of Parliament per member State, to discuss the affairs of OECD,

6. Stresses the fact that the creation of OECD must not give rise to the setting up of a new international parliamentary assembly, whether official or unofficial, as there are, from the European point of view, the most serious objections to the creation of a special new assembly which would be in addition to existing parliamentary assemblies and would result in a dissipation of effort injurious to Europe ;

7. Considers, moreover, that it would be particularly inappropriate to contemplate the creation of a new assembly at a moment when the expansion of the Common Market may lead to a certain reorganisation among European and perhaps Atlantic organisations ;

8. Decides, for these reasons, that the new proposal would only be acceptable if, in order to achieve rationalisation :

the Consultative Assembly were, in some way or other, to represent, on the European side, the member countries of the Council of Europe - the United States, Canada and other European countries being represented as they think most convenient ;

the Bureau and the Secretariat of the Consultative Assembly were to be used to the maximum ;

9. And recommends the Committee of Ministers to adopt the proposals of the Assembly contained in the present Recommendation and to take all the necessary steps to ensure their acceptance in the Council of the OECD.