1 Thanks the High Authority for the transmission of its 11th general report ;
2 Joins with the High Authority in regretting that the deadlock reached on 29th January 1963 in the Brussels negotiations caused talks on the United Kingdom's application for membership of the European Coal and Steel Community, lodged on 28th February 1962, to be suspended despite the considerable progress which had been made ;
3 Expresses the hope that the Association Agreement between the High Authority and the United Kingdom and the arrangements existing between the High Authority and certain other member countries will not only be used, but developed and extended to the fullest extent possible ;
4 Notes with interest that the review of the energy situation contained in the 11th general report confirms the conclusions reached by the Consultative Assembly in its report on European energy Problems (
Doc. 1463) ;
5 Agrees with the High Authority that it would be a mistake if the supply difficulties (which are not exclusively confined to the Community) experienced with regard to one single type of coal - namely that ideally suited for burning in domestic grates - were to be allowed to obscure the fact that a considerable part of the Community's present coal production (as well as that of other Western European countries) would be uncompetitive in conditions of unrestrained free competition with other forms of energy and imported coal ;
6 Continues to hope that it may prove possible to establish a common energy policy for Europe as a whole, and expresses the opinion that the European Economic Community, ECSC and Euratom should lead the way by establishing a common policy for the Six, taking fully into account the interests of all OECD countries ; because if the Six with their institutional structure are unable to do so it will prove more difficult still for Europe as a whole to achieve this ;
7 Warmly welcomes the technical studies which the High Authority is conducting in the field of finding new uses for coal ;
8 At the same time attaches great importance to the investigations which the High Authority is making into the reasons why the demand for steel does not appear to be increasing pari passu with the expansion of industrial activity generally (which is perhaps to be explained on the one hand by economies effected within the industries which are traditional consumers of steel, in the use of that commodity, and on the other hand by a concentration of new industrial activities in fields where the consumption of steel is inherently small) ;
9 Expresses the earnest hope that the High Authority and interested member Governments of the Council of Europe will take every opportunity of exchanging technical information and knowledge in the fields referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 above, since such an exchange can only be to the mutual benefit of all the parties concerned.
