Reply to the First General Report of the Commission of the European Community
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- (see Doc. 915, Report of the Economic Committee). This Resolution was adopted by the Assembly at its 26th Sitting on 20th January 1959
The Assembly :
1. the European Commission for the transmission of its First General Report and hopes that agreement may be reached in the near future on further methods of collaboration between the European Economic Community and the Council of Europe, as provided for under Article 230 of the Rome Treaty, and as proposed by the Assembly in its
Recommendation 146 and
Resolution 130 of October 1957 ; in particular the Assembly hopes that, in addition to the regular transmission of the Commission's reports and the holding of joint sessions of the two Assemblies, arrangements will be made for joint meetings of the competent committees of the two Assemblies, for meetings between the Commission of the Economic Community and Committees of the Consultative Assembly, for the exchange of documents on subjects of common interest and for close contact between the Secretariats ;
2. Declares its interest, through such contacts, in giving support to the work of the European Economic Community ;
3. Notes the political relationship being established between the executive and the parliamentary organs of the new Community ; and welcomes the support given by the Commission to the need for parliamentary control of the Community's affairs ;
4. Notes the various studies planned and undertaken by the Commission and its efforts to standardise the presentation of national economic and financial data as a means of contributing to effective economic policy in Europe and hopes that appropriate liaison will be maintained with O.E.E.C. in this connection ;
5. Notes the importance attached by the European Commission to problems of regional economic development ; draws its attention to the "Social and Economic Atlas of the Regions of Europe", at present being prepared on the initiative of the Social Commitee of the Consultative Assembly ; and hopes that in this connection appropriate liaison will also be maintained with O.E.E.C. ;
6. Welcomes the Commission's statement that it would seek the acceptance by the Member States of the Community of the draft European Code of Social Security and its protocol, prepared by the Council of Europe ;
7. Having noted the section of the General Report of the European Commission which deals with a common agricultural policy, Believes that the success of the agricultural policies of the six countries will depend on the genuine achievement of a policy common to the Six ; Expresses the wish that this policy may be in the direction of expansion and promoting greater productivity ; Declares its agreement with the European Commission that this policy should make it possible gradually to lessen the differences obtaining between the countries and between regions, to improve the living standards of farming communities, to foster as far as possible the family character and the free enterprise of farming communities ; Approves once again the pursuit of a necessary association between the six countries of the Common Market and the Sixteen ; Requests the Commission of the European Economic Community to continue its drive for industrialisation, in close conjunction with the application of a common agricultural policy ; and Shares the wish of the European Commission that there shall be frequent contact among the responsible persons in both the political and professional spheres ;
8. Welcomes the Commission's declaration that all the measures planned in regard to the association with the Community of the overseas countries and territories would be inspired by concern for the interests of the local populations - a principle which the Consultative Assembly has stressed ever since its first Session, and which it is now particularly vital to uphold in the interest of cordial and fruitful relations between the peoples of Europe and those of other continents ; and draws the Commission's attention to the Report of the Group of Experts, prepared for the Council of Europe, on the Development of Africa, and the continuing work of the Assembly's Economic Committee inthis field ;
9. Notes the details of collaboration between the Commission and the executives of the other two Communities, so necessary if a duplication of work and waste of specialists is to be avoided ;
10. Welcomes the declarations of the Commission that it will seek not to isolate the Community but to integrate it more fully into the world economy ;
11. Hopes that this principle will guide the detailed establishment of the Community's external tariffs which, as the Commission emphasises, is far from being an automatic operation ;
12. Hopes that the types of procedure evolved to meet the problem of re-exports within the Community during the transitional period may provide a model for overcoming the selfsame problem within a wider European Economic Association ;
13. Thanks the Commission for its efforts to facilitate a multilateral solution of the problem of Association between the six Member States of the Community and the other member countries of O.E.E.C. and expresses its hope that these attempts may soon be crowned with success.
