Role of the Council of Europe in the near future
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 7 October 1971 (13th Sitting) (see Doc. 3004, report of the Political Affairs Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on
7 October 1971 (13th Sitting).
The Assembly,
1. Recalling its
Recommendation 516 and its Opinions Nos.
50,
51 and
54 on the function and future of the Council of Europe
;
2. Believing that the Council of Europe – in the first instance,
its Assembly – ought to consider the effects of the enlargement
of the Communities on the European continent's future structures
and on the role of each European organisation ;
3. Believing that the Council of Europe should make a medium-term
study of the following two questions :
- the future functions of the Consultative Assembly in relation
to those of the European Parliament ;
- the intergovernmental activities of the Council of Europe
in relation to those of other European organisations, particularly
the European Communities ;
4. Believing that, against the background of the inevitable rationalisation
of the European institutions after the enlargement of the Communities,
"exchanges between the WEU Assembly and the European Parliament with
a view to an actual merger" can be seen as a reasonable prospect
;
5. Noting that the European Parliament, in its efforts to increase
its real powers, is keeping to its role as the parliamentary organ
of the Communities in as much as its debates relate essentially
to matters within the competence of the Communities and only representatives
of the Communities' organs take part in them ;
6. Recognising that the Consultative Assembly, whose powers are
limited, has seen a considerable increase in its standing and influence,
both within and outside the boundaries of its member States, and
that its role, as it has developed, now goes far beyond what was
envisaged in the Council of Europe's Statute ;
7. Noting that, in addition to its purely statutory activities
such as indicating guidelines for the action of the Committee of
Ministers, preparing legislative measures, adopting recommendations
and playing an active role in the drafting of conventions, the Consultative
Assembly fulfils an important function by :
a helping to define Western Europe's position and responsibilities
in respect both of European non-member countries and of other countries
in the world, and by initiating a dialogue with them ;
b acting as a forum for parliamentary debates on the activities
of other intergovernmental organisations ;
8. Believing that, through its action in these fields, the Consultative
Assembly fills an obvious gap in European political life,
A. At parliamentary level
9. Believes that the European Parliament and the Consultative
Assembly differ not so much in their composition as in their interests
and the nature of their debates ;
10. Believes that the major topics of interest to the Consultative
Assembly continue to be : the general pattern of European policy
in the various sectors ; relations between the enlarged Community
and the Council of Europe member States which will not adhere to
the Community ; the contribution of each intergovernmental organisation
towards European co-operation ; and Western Europe's relations with
the rest of the world, particularly European non-member countries
;
11. Remains ready to invite parliamentarians or members of governments
from non-member countries to some of its debates, as it has already
done in the past, without departing from the principles embodied
in the Statute of the Council of Europe ;
12. Wishes to strengthen its links with intergovernmental organisations
operating in Europe which have no parliamentary body of their own
;
B. At intergovernmental level
13. Believes that the Council of Europe should accentuate the
originality of its activities as compared with those of other intergovernmental
organisations, particularly the Communities, and accordingly considers
:
a that, in comparison with the
Communities, one of whose chief concerns is to raise "living standards"
in their member States, the Council of Europe should apply itself
mainly to improving "the quality of life" of each European, that
is to say, his natural and urban environment, the laws which regulate
his life, his fundamental rights and freedoms, his social situation,
his leisure, his education and his health ;
b that, alongside the "Europe of the Nations" that is at
present being constructed within the Communities, the Council of
Europe should become the champion of the "Europe of the Regions"
by helping the regions to establish transfrontier links with partners
which have the same interests and are faced with similar problems,
thus facilitating the creation of a European unity that would be
all the stronger for being based on local realities ;
14. Maintains that the Council of Europe should continue to act
as a forum for political discussions and consultations amongst its
member governments and that it provides a useful instrument for
intergovernmental co-operation with non-member States ;
15. Reaffirms the need for rationalisation of intergovernmental
co-operation in Europe, and advocates the creation of a preparatory
committee to organise a conference of governments such as it proposed
in its
Opinion No. 54 ;
16. Instructs the Secretary General to produce for it a detailed
report showing what part the Council of Europe could usefully play
in each of its sectors of activity in the light of the functions
of other intergovernmental organisations and the enlargement of
the Communities, it being understood that the report should bring
out the complementary nature of the Council of Europe's activities
in relation to those of other organisations and their financial
implications.
