The Assembly,
In conformity with the invitation of the Committee of Ministers, as contained in its communication to the Assembly dated 12th December 1960, in which the Committee expressed the hope that the Assembly would co-operate with it in the study and implementation of new projects of European interest suitable for collective action ;
Having regard to that Article of the European Cultural Convention which stipulates that "each Contracting Party shall take appropriate measures to safeguard ... its national contribution to the common cultural heritage of Europe" ;
Having examined the report of the Cultural Committee on the preservation and development of ancient buildings and historic or artistic sites (Doc. 1570) ;
Considering that historic buildings and sites are valuable witnesses of the fundamental unity as well as of the richness and diversity of Western civilisation ;
Noting, moreover, that there is at present a strong surge of opinion in favour of the development of urban historic sites, and that, in particular, the International Federation of Housing and Planning at its conference at Santiago de Compostela in September 1961 adopted a fundamental resolution on the subject, calling for international contacts and exchanges ;
Considering that the safeguarding of such possessions is one of the urgent and essential tasks facing the nations of Europe ;
Observing with satisfaction that in member countries considerable work is in progress, at the level of national authorities, to solve the problems of the preservation and development of ancient buildings and historic or artistic sites ;
Considering that there is a real need for a European authority which would have the final word and act as supreme arbiter in important questions of the preservation of buildings and sites of more than purely national interest ;
Considering the important part that the Council of Europe can play in bringing about a general awakening in the countries of Europe to the gravity of the situation and to the urgent need to take steps to safeguard and develop historic buildings and sites ;
Considering that it is essentially a task for the Council of Europe to organise co-operation between member countries in this field ;
Considering that the Council of Europe could even set up on a multilateral basis a permanent institution for preservation, and ensure its effectiveness,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :
1. Call a European conference, within the framework of the Council of Europe, on the preservation and development of ancient buildings and historic and artistic sites, with the object of :
2. Instruct the said conference to consider the desirability of :
3. Hold the said conference at the headquarters of the Cini Foundation in Venice, with the help of UNESCO ;
4. Arrange for the conference to be preceded by meetings at which leading experts would examine the various aspects of the problem in accordance with the programme recommended by the Cultural and Scientific Committee (Doc. 1570) ;
Invite the Council for Cultural Cooperation to hold, within the framework of its programme of cultural co-operation, a series of meetings on the preservation and development of ancient buildings and historic or artistic sites, in order that senior officials concerned with this subject exchange information and compare notes ;
Instruct the Council for Cultural Cooperation, in the light of the recommendations made by that conference, to consider the possibility of setting up a European body for the preservation of ancient buildings and historic and artistic sites of recognised European interest, or to provide some other permanent machinery for multilateral co-operation in this field.