Europe - Some practical steps
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 27 March 1987. See Doc. 5688, report of the Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities.
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Believing that to turn a people's Europe into a practical reality, a pragmatic step-by-step approach is needed ;
2. Having regard to the activities of the Council of Europe which has always put the quality of life of the citizen high in its considerations ;
3. Having regard also to the Resolution on a people's Europe, adopted on 13 November 1985 by the European Parliament, to the Single European Act amending the treaties establishing the European Communities, as well as to the relevant proposals contained in the report of the Colombo Commission ;
4. Regretting that very few Council of Europe conventions have been ratified by all member states, and that Council of Europe recommendations adopted by the Committee of Ministers are not fully implemented by the governments of member states ;
5. Recalling the 3rd European Conference on Transfrontier Co-operation, organised jointly by the Assembly and the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, which focused on the abolition of barriers between member states, and having regard to the study on a mediator for transfrontier affairs undertaken according to Assembly Order No. 425 (1985) ;
6. Welcoming the very successful twinnings between European local authorities, which have brought people of different nationalities together in their daily environment and created a closer feeling amongst people,
7. Calls on the governments of member states :
a to ensure that Council of Europe recommendations adopted by the Committee of Ministers be implemented more rapidly by the appropriate authorities ;
b to proceed more speedily to the ratification of Council of Europe conventions and agreements, paying particular attention to those containing practical proposals to turn a people's Europe into reality ;
8. Urges the governments of member states to take urgently the necessary steps to facilitate communication amongst European citizens, taking a very pragmatic approach and with a view to a two-stage implementation of the following measures :
a Short-term measures :
8.1.1 promote sponsorship, in particular at local level, of educational, cultural and sports activities with a European character ;
8.1.2 encourage the twinning of transfrontier leisure activities clubs ;
8.1.3 create special travel concessions for youth groups travelling through Europe, granting them at least the same facilities they can benefit from in their home country whilst paying particular attention to the geographical periphery of Europe ;
8.1.4 encourage environmental awareness amongst young people through appropriate education ;
8.1.5 facilitate twinnings between local authorities, giving high priority to peripheral European regions ;
8.1.6 develop local transport infrastructures in border areas, such as transfrontier bus services ;
b Long-term measures :
8.2.1 emphasise human rights teaching at school level ;
8.2.2 reduce delays and formalities when crossing borders ;
8.2.3 extend the standard design of the ‘‘European passport'' to all those Council of Europe member states not members of the European Communities ;
8.2.4 introduce a European health identity card showing the basic figures and requirements for any medical treatment ;
8.2.5 reduce social and economic barriers with which transfrontier workers are faced, applying the principles set out in the 1984 Borken Declaration ;
8.2.6 promote the wider use of the European currency unit, for instance by having more traveller's cheques issued in that form and doing all that is possible to ensure that the availability and usage of these cheques are brought to the notice of all concerned.
