In presenting the following Supplementary Report, the Committee of Ministers deems it appropriate to draw the attention of the Consultative Assembly to certain considerations of a general character in connection with the programme of work on which it is now engaged.
The Assembly will wish to take note of the references which appear in the Report to the present state of ratifications of European conventions and agreements. It will be noted from the Report that :
The Assembly will be aware, from statements and tables produced from time to time in the Counqil of Europe News, of the state of ratifications of other conventions concluded by the Council in the past eight years. The Ministers for their part think it well to draw the Assembly's attention to the fact that of the ten Conventions or Agreements concluded by the Council nine are in force—that is to say, all but the European Convention on Establishment.
The Ministers also emphasise t h a t the aims of the Council of Europe can often be furthered by stimulus applied through the Committee of Ministers and by the signature and ratification by Member States of certain conventions concluded in other international organisations. In this way the United Nations Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons has been signed by ten Member States of the Council of Europe, of which Denmark has ratified the Convention while ratification is anticipated shortly from five other countries— Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
The Ministers also draw the attention of the Assembly to the invitation which they have addressed to Member Governments to accede to the ILO Convention of 17th April 1950 on the Exchange of Trainees.
European conventions or agreements represent one of the positive means whereby the aims of Article 1 of the Statute can be achieved. The Ministers draw the Assembly's attention to references which occur in the Report to four further conventions which are now before them and which they hope to sign in the near future :
The Assembly will take note of references to the work of committees of experts nominated by the Ministers, who would wish to take this opportunity to make a general observation. The Assembly has been able to appreciate the opportunities for constructive achievement furnished by its own meetings both in plenary session and in committees. It is therefore the better able to understand the value of comparable meetings of Government experts. Mutual understanding is furthered : positive results ensue. The Committee of Ministers would wish to pay tribute to the quality of the work achieved in its expert committees, which is described in more detail in the Report. While it cannot in the space of an introduction single out all these activities, i t would commend particularly to the Assembly the work of the Public Health Committee and the Committee of Cultural Experts. It also asks the Assembly to note t h a t the Committee of Experts on Social Security will be considering at a meeting in October a draft Protocol to the Code, dealing with social security standards, and that the Social Committee is considering the matter of a draft Social Charter to which the Assembly has likewise been devoting its attention for some time.
The Ministers feel t h a t the Assembly will wish to take special note of the activities of the Committee of Cultural Experts, and of the schemes which it has evolved in the light of the European Cultural Convention and of the financial provision made for that Committee in the Council of Europe Budget. The Assembly has shown its deep interest in the cultural expenditure of the Council of Europe—a fact which the Ministers appreciate.
The Assembly will wish to note the increasingly varied measure of activity undertaken by the Committee of Cultural Experts, which is the agency specifically noted in the European Cultural Convention for the promotion of the aims contained therein. The activities of the Council now affect the student and the university professor, the artist and the manual worker. Very especially they also affect the youth of Europe, and the attention of the Assembly is especially drawn to the plans afoot for the holding of a Youth Conference in 1957 designed to enable non-governmental youth organisations to discuss methods of cooperation with the Council of Europe.
The Assembly will note, in connection with its Recommendation 87 (1955), t h a t eight Member Governments of the Council of Europe have declared themselves in favour of an International Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the reduction or elimination of future statelessness.
I t will also note the action taken by the Ministers concerning proposals for action which the Council might usefully take in the fields of the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders.
The Committee of Ministers draws the Assembly's attention to its decision to convene a committee of experts who will pronounce on the advisability of concluding a European convention for protection against restrictive business practices. Switzerland and Portugal will also be invited to participate.
The Ministers are glad to note that Greece and Ireland, on the one hand, and the Saar and Turkey, on the other, have agreed to abolish visas between their countries, thereby completing the total abolition of visas as between Member States of the Council of Europe.
It is perhaps appropriate that this introduction should conclude with a reference to the Working P a r t y now set up to consider regulations for a European Civil Service applicable to the greatest possible number of European organisations. The ever-widening field of action of these organisations, along with t h a t of the Council of Europe, is all part of the grand design outlined in the Statute of 1949.
In forwarding this Supplementary Report the Ministers feel confident that past work and future prospects give promise of sustained constructive achievement for the furtherance of European unity.
1. This report covers the period from 18th April to 14th October 1956.
2. At the meetings held during the period under review, the Ministers' Deputies examined, inter alia, the conclusions adopted by the Consultative Assembly during the first part of its Session.
3. The Committee of Ministers has transmitted to the Assembly its reply on Chapter IV of Opinion No. 13/14 by a letter from the Secretary-General to the President of the Assembly dated 29th June 1956.
4. The Committee of Ministers has duly noted Opinion No. 20 of the Assembly on the Committee of Ministers' proposal regarding the new methods of work for the Joint Committee.
5. With regard to Assembly Recommendation 73 (1955), the Committee of Ministers, in accordance with the views expressed in its reply to Opinion No. 13 of the Assembly (Doc. 481), authorised the Secretary-General to approach the Secretaries-General of other European intergovernmental organisations and explore the possibility of setting up a Co-ordinating Committee composed of himself and these Secretaries-General. The task of this Committee would be to examine instances of duplication of work and conflicts of competence between such organisations.
The Secretary-General has been instructed to report on the contacts he has made and any means suggested for solving these problems.
The views of the Committee of Ministers on this question were brought to the attention of the Assembly Representatives during the meeting of the Joint Committee on 1st October 1956.
6. The various matters dealt with below are cited in the same order as t h a t adopted by the Committee of Ministers in its Seventh Report (Doc. 485).
7. Pursuing its examination of Assembly Recommendation 82 (1955), the Committee of Ministers decided to transmit the text of the Recommendation to the Executive Secretary of G. A. T. T. and the Secretary-General of O.E.E.C, with a request that the views of the Assembly set out under point (c) of the Recommendation be submitted for consideration to the Contracting Parties in the case of G. A. T. T. and the Council of Ministers in the case of O.E.E.C.
8. Subsequently, O.E.E.C. has communicated the information that the special report of t h a t Organisation for the second part of the 8th Session of the Consultative Assembly will describe developments in the work of O.E.E.C. in the customs field, and will contain such comments as the Organisation is able to make at the present time with regard to the problems dealt with in Recommendation 82.
9. Insofar as G. A. T .T. is concerned, information has been received that the proposal made by the Assembly under point (c) of Recommendation 82 has been placed on the provisional agenda of the 11th Session of the Contracting Parties, to open on 11th October 1956, although the wording of the item will not refer exclusively to this Recommendation, but more generally to proposals for closer economic integration in Europe by means of the formation of a customs union and/or free-trade area.
10. The Committee of Ministers has examined on several occasions the problems connected with the establishment of a European atomic energy organisation as also the institution of a common market, to which questions it attaches special importance.
11. It has noted with great interest the proposals made in this connection by the Assembly in Resolution, 89 and 97 (1955) relating to atomic energy and Resolution 90 (1955) relating to the institution of a general common market.
12. It is glad to note the work undertaken both by O.E.E.C. and by the Intergovernmental Committee set up by the Messina Conference. It agree with the Assembly t h a t the discussions which are now proceeding at these two levels are mutually complementary and hopes that they will yield satisfactory results.
13. The Committee of Ministers will continue to follow the work done in these two fields and will inform the Assembly of any measures it may decide to take in the future.
14. After examining Assembly Recommendations 91 (1955) and 95 (1956), the Committee of Ministers adopted the following Resolution (56) 15 :
"The Committee of Ministers:
15. The Committee of Ministers has duly transmitted to the Assembly the comments of O.E.E.C. on Recommendations 77 and 78 (1955) (Doc. 532).
16. It will re-examine this question after ascertaining the Assembly's reply to these comments and to the opinion expressed by 0 . E. E. C. in its 7th Annual Report (Doc. 479) concerning Recommendation 77 (1955).
17. The Committee of Ministers has decided to convene a committee of experts who will pronounce on the advisability of concluding a European convention for protection against restrictive business practices.
18. Switzerland and Portugal will also be invited to participate in the work of this Committee.
19. Incidentally, the Committee of Ministers has agreed to the request of the Chairman of the Committee on Economic Questions that the Secretariat-General's memorandum on this question should be communicated to the Assembly.
20. The Committee of Ministers has considered the report of the fourth session of the Committee of Experts on Public Health (8th to 10th February 1956).
21. In accordance with the wish expressed by the Swiss representative on the Committee of Experts and on the recommendation of that Committee, the Committee of Ministers agreed | to extend to Switzerland the system of direct | contacts now established between the national i health services of member countries with a view to regular exchanges of information and documents.
22. As regards other non-member countries, the Committee of Ministers decided to ask the Committee of Experts to put forward concrete proposals, while reserving the right to settle each individual case on its own merits.
23. The Committee of Ministers authorised the Secretary-General to circulate both to Member States and to Switzerland the questionnaire prepared by the Committee of Experts concerning the programme for pooling climatic and hospital facilities and special treatments.
24. As for the recommendation concerning the duty-free import of artificial limbs and orthopaedic equipment, put forward by the Committee of Experts at their third session (July 1955), the Committee of Ministers decided to refer the matter to G. A. T. T. and W. H. 0. for examination. It will reconsider this question in due course.
25. The next session of the Committee of Experts will take place from 6th-9th November 1956.
26. The Committee of Ministers, which shares the Assembly's interest in the subject of a European Code of Social Security, had counted on being able to transmit a draft Code to the Assembly for an opinion in time for the second part of the Eighth Session.
27. The draft prepared by the Committee of Experts on Social Security met with a large measure of agreement in the Committee of Ministers. Certain divergent views have emerged, however, which though they do not jeopardise the project as a whole, necessitate further work by the Committee of Ministers on this subject. The Committee hopes to agree on a final text in time to forward it to the Assembly for its Session in January 1957.
28. With regard to the convening of a European Labour Conference on the basis of a tripartite representation of Governments, employers and workers, as proposed in Assembly Recommendation 28 (1950), the Committee of Ministers felt that in the present circumstances such a Conference would not be necessary, since the views of representatives of employers and workers concerning International Labour Convention 102 on Minimum Standards of Social Security, upon which the European Code is based, have already been expressed at the International Labour Conferences of 1951 and 1952.
29. The Committee of Experts on Social Security will meet in October 1956 for further examination of the desirability of adding a draft Protocol to the Code.
30. The Social Committee held its third session from 24th to 27th April at Strasbourg. The meeting was attended by observers from I. L. 0., O.E.E.C. and W. E. U.
31. The Committee of Ministers duly examined the report of the third session of the Social Committee.
32. It approved the proposal of this Committee that the Committee of Experts on Public Health should be asked to draft the questions coming within its province for inclusion in the questionnaire to be sent to Member Governments concerning the social rights which might be incorporated in the Social Charter.
33. In accordance with the recommendation of the Social Committee, the Committee of Ministers has decided to invite Member Governments which have not yet done so to accede to the Convention of l 7 t h April 1950, on the Exchange of Trainees, in pursuance of Article 13 of that Convention.
34. The United Kingdom Government has already announced its agreement to the extension of the Convention to other Member States of the Council of Europe.
35. The Committee of Ministers also agreed t h a t the joint meeting between certain experts on the Social Committee and Assembly Representatives on the Committees on Social and Economic Questions should be postponed until after the fourth session of the Social Committee, to be held from 27th to 30th November 1956.
36. The United Kingdom instrument of ratification of the agreement on the exchange of war cripples between member countries of the Council of Europe with a view to medical treatment was deposited with the Secretary- General of the Council of Europe on 13th July 1956.
37. Under the terms of Article 8, paragraph 2, the Agreement became binding upon the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 1st August 1956.
38. The Agreement was signed by Norway on 21st September 1956 without need for ratification.
39. This Agreement, which was signed by France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and Sweden without need for ratification, had already entered into force for these countries (Doc. 485, paragraphs 25 and 26).
40. The Convention and Protocol were ratified by Belgium on 24th July 1956 and by the Federal Republic of Germany on 24th August 1956.
41. The following member countries have now ratified this Convention and Protocol: Belgium, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, the Saar, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
42. These Agreements and their Protocols were ratified by the Federal Republic of Germany on 24th August 1956.
43. The following member countries have now ratified the Agreements and their Protocols : Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Saar, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
44. The Advisory Committee of the Special Representative, set up under Resolution (56) 8 of the Committee of Ministers, held its first meeting in Paris on 11th and 12th June 1956. Representatives of the following international organisations were present : I. L. 0 . , 0 . E. E. C, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and I. C. E. M.
45. Furthermore, the two main organs of the Resettlement Fund, namely the Governing Body and the Administrative Council, held their first meetings in Paris from 13th to 15th June and from 16th to 18th July 1956, respectively.
46. During the Assembly's present Session the Special Representative will be giving an account of his activities and of the setting up of the Resettlement Fund.
47. The Committee of Ministers has undertaken with interest a preliminary examination of the problem raised by the Assembly in its Recommendation 92 (1956).
48. It has decided to carry out a detailed study of ways and means of solving this problem and of the financial implications of such solutions as might be proposed.
49. It will take care to keep the Assembly informed on the action taken on this Recommendation.
50. Having examined the draft Rules of Procedure of the Joint Cultural Committee as revised by the Committee of Cultural Experts, and having introduced certain amendments, the Committee of Ministers approved the text which has already been communicated to the Assembly.
51. The Committee of Cultural Experts held its twelfth session at Strasbourg from 3rd to 9th May, in the presence of observers from UNESCO and W. E. U.
52. The Cultural Experts prepared a draft convention on the equivalence of periods of study spent at universities, which they have submitted to the Committee of Ministers for approval and signature after the national authorities have been consulted. The Committee of Ministers will examine this draft convention in the near future.
53. The Committee of Ministers decided to accept the Experts' proposal that for 1956 the Council of Europe should finance the participation of representatives of the eight Member States of the Council which are not Members of W. E. U. in the European Universities Committee functioning under the aegis of W. E. U.
54. The Committee of Ministers also agreed in principle to the Experts' recommendation t h a t a Youth Conference be held in 1957 with the main object of allowing non-governmental youth organisations which had received consultative status to discuss ways and means of co-operating with the Council of Europe.
55. The Committee of Ministers likewise accepted the Experts' proposal t h a t the Council of Europe should grant its patronage to the festival of ancient Greek tragedy at Delphi.
56. The other proposals made by the Cultural Experts which have budgetary implications will be considered at the same time as the 1957 Budget as a whole.
57. At 12th session its the Committee of Cultural Experts also took the following decisions :
The Austrian Government will be responsible for organising the fifth course in 1957.
The 1957 Course of European Studies will be arranged for trade unionists and the 1958 Course for leaders of youth movements.
The fifth conference on the revision of history textbooks, in 1957, will be organised by the Netherlands Government.
In 1956 the grant to encourage exchanges of workers will be awarded to Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
The third European Exhibition will be held in Rome from 1st November 1956 to 31st January 1957, the subject being " The XVIIth Century in Europe : Realism, Classicism and Baroque ".
58. The Selection Committee for the award of Council of Europe and ECSC Research Fellowships for the year 1956 met in Strasbourg on 29th June.
59. The Committee was composed of the following members : M. van Kleffens, Minister of State and Ambassador of the Netherlands (Chairman), Professor Clausen (Denmark), Professor Di Nardi (Italy), Mr. Morrison, Rapporteur of the Committee of Cultural Experts, and M. Rabier, Rapporteur of the High Authority of E. C. S. C.
60. The Committee awarded eleven fellowships to nationals of member countries of the Council of Europe and one to a refugee candidate from a non-member country lawfully resident in the territory of a member country. It also allocated the five fellowships offered by the High Authority of E. C. S. C.
61. After examining Assembly Recommendation 96 (1956) the Committee of Ministers decided to transmit it to the Bureau of the Committee of Cultural Experts, which met in Rome on 27th September 1956.
62. The Bureau was asked to study the possibility of extending contacts among young people to music festivals, folklore displays, etc. and of allowing young people from European non-member countries already associated with certain activities of the Council of Europe to take part in these events.
63. The European Cultural Convention, signed in Paris on 19th December 1954, was ratified by Luxembourg on 30th July 1956.
64. The Convention has now been ratified by the following member countries : Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.
65. This Convention, signed in Paris on 11th December 1953, was ratified by the Netherlands on 27th August 1956.
66. The Convention has now been ratified by the following member countries : Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Tceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Saar and the United Kingdom.
67. Under the terms of Article 59 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the members of the European Commission of Human Rights shall be entitled, during the discharge of their functions, to the privileges and immunities provided for in Article 40 of the Statute of the Council of Europe and in the Agreements made thereunder.
68. These Agreements, however, which at present comprise the General Agreement of Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe and the Protocol to this Agreement, only cover the privileges and immunities of the Council of Europe, Representatives on the Committee of Ministers and Committee of Ministers' Deputies, Representatives to the Consultative Assembly, Permanent Representatives of Member Governments to the Council of Europe, and staff of the Council of Europe.
69. It is therefore necessary to define to which of these various privileges and immunities the members of the European Commission of Human Rights are entitled.
70. This question has duly been examined by the Committee of Ministers.
71. The Committee recognised that the privileges and immunities of members of the Commission are governed by Article 59 of the Convention which is now binding on all its Signatories except France, which has not yet deposited its instrument of ratification.
72. In this respect the French delegation pointed out t h a t France could not legally apply Article 59 of the Convention until the completion of the ratification procedure which its Government had initiated and was actively pursuing. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs was, however, prepared to facilitate on a provisional basis and as a measure of courtesy the work and journeys of members of the Commission.
73. The Committee of Ministers has furthermore decided that the nature and extent of the privileges and immunities of Members of the Commission should be laid down in a new Protocol to the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe. When this Protocol is signed, which may be in the near future, each Government concerned will be required to specify whether, under its constitutional system, signature alone would be sufficiently effective or whether ratification, subject if necessary to parliamentary approval, would be required.
74. When the Assembly adopted Recommendation 52 in 1953, only three Parties to the Convention had agreed to the right of individual application to the European Commission of Human Rights. Seven Parties have now accepted the relevant clauses of Article 25 of the Convention, thus enabling the Commission to exercise, in respect of these Parties, its competence in regard to individual applications. Resolution 58 of 24th September 1954, which was a sequel to Recommendation 52, would therefore appear to have largely lost its point.
75. With regard to Recommendation 52, the Committee of Ministers recalls the reply i t gave to M. Hermod Lannung in November 1955, that " the representatives of those Governments which had already recognised the rightof individual petition had expressed the desire that the other Governments should follow suit ".
76. M. Rolin, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions, made a statement to the Ministers' Deputies during their 41st meeting (20th- 29th September 1956) explaining the reasons why the Assembly had been led to adopt its Recommendation 83 (1955).
77. The Committee of Ministers decided t h a t the text of this statement should be sent to Member Governments together with a memorandum by the Human Rights Directorate of the Secretariat-General on the experience gained and the results achieved by the European Commission of Human Rights in the matter of individual applications.
78. The Committee of Ministers will resume its examination of this question in the light of these documents.
79. The Committee of Ministers adopted the following Resolution (56) 16 on this subject :
" The Committee of Ministers,
Having taken note of the memorandum by the Secretary-General dated 16th May 1956 (SG (56) 1), concerning the application of Article 15, paragraph 3, of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,
Decides that any information transmitted to the Secretary-General by a Contracting Party in pursuance of Article 15, paragraph 3, of the Convention must be communicated by him as soon as possible to the other Contracting Parties and the European Commission of Human Rights. "
80. This Resolution was brought to the attention of the Assembly Representatives during the meeting of the Joint Committee on 1st October 1956.
81. M. Hermod Lannung, Chairman of the Assembly Sub-Committee on Frontier Formalities of the Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions, made a statement to the Ministers' Deputies during their |41st meeting (20th-29th September 1956) on the problems of simplifying frontier formalities for travellers which form the subject of Assembly Recommendations 51, 59, 81, 84, 85, 86 and 97.
82. The Committee of Ministers requested the Secretariat-General to send Member Governments the text of M. Hermod Lannung's statement. It will then re-examine the whole problem in the light of the views expressed by the Governments and will consider the advisability of taking a political decision on the subject.
83. The question of convening the Committee of Government Experts proposed in Resolution (55) 8 of the Committee of Ministers will also be examined within the framework of the problem as a whole.
84. The Committee of Ministers further noted with interest the opinion of O.E.E.C. on Assembly Recommendations 84 and 85, and expressed its satisfaction that the recommendations of the Council of O.E.E.C. to its Member Governments largely reflected the wishes expressed by the Assembly. They decided to transmit the OEEC opinion containing the memoranda of the Secretary-General, together with the texts adopted by the Council of O.E.E.C, to the Assembly for information (letter from the Chairman of the Deputies to the President of the Assembly of 2nd October 1956).
85. The Committee of Ministers, having noted that the OEEC opinion did not mention the questions referred to in Sections B and D of Recommendation 81 which had been transmitted to that Organisation, instructed the Secretary-General to ask the latter for its opinion on these points.
86. O.E.E.C. was also asked for an opinion on the proposal, that members of the Assembly Sub-committee on Frontier Formalities should have an opportunity to exchange views with representatives of the competent bodies of O.E.E.C. by means of the Liaison Committees. The possibility of such an exchange of views might be considered at one of the forthcoming meetings of the Liaison Committees.
87. With regard to Section A of Recommendation 81, the Secretariat-General was requested to obtain information on the action taken by Member Governments on Resolution (52) 47 of the Committee of Ministers.
88. This information will be communicated to the Assembly in due course.
89. An agreement, taking effect as from 15th June 1956, has been concluded between Greece and Ireland for the mutual abolition of tourist visas between these two countries.
90. The Saar and Turkey have concluded an agreement for the mutual abolition of visas as from 30th May 1956.
91. The Committee of Ministers is glad to be able to announce t h a t visas have now been abolished between all Member States of the Council of Europe.
(a) The Federal Republic of Germany has conclued certain agreements with Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg according to which, on a reciprocal basis, tourists from any of these countries visiting another of them no longer require a passeport provided their stay in thist country does not exced three months.
These agreements come into force on ist an 5th August 1956 respectively. The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany is now negotiating with other European countries namely, France, Austria and Swituerlaud — for the removal of passeport requirements.
92. The Committee of Ministers decided to transmit to Member Governments the text of Assembly Recommendation 94 (1956).
93. With regard to Resolution 93 (1956) on the same subject, the Committee of Ministers examined it at the same time as Recommendation 93 (1956) on improving methods of promoting the European idea in member countries (see Chapter VII.
94. The Committee of Governmental Experts convened under Resolution (55) 28 of the Committee of Ministers (Doc. 485, para. 70) met in Strasbourg from 14th to 18th May 1956.
95. , After examining the Report of the Committee of Experts, the Committee of Ministers decided to instruct the Experts to continue their work and prepare a draft Multilateral Convention on the treatment of legal persons other than non-profit-making companies, associations or foundations.
96. The Committee of Ministers decided to refer the draft European Multilateral Convention on Extradition forthwith to the Assembly for its opinion.
97. It will re-examine the draft when it has received the Assembly's reply.
98. In accordance with the request of the Experts, the Committee of Ministers decided to widen their terms of reference by instructing them to prepare a draft convention on mutual assistance in criminal proceedings.
99. M. Rolin, Chairman of ithe Assembly Committee on Legal and Administrative Questions, made a statement to the Ministers' Deputies during their 41st meeting (20th- 29th September 1956), concerning the draft Convention.
100. The Committee of Ministers requested the Secretary-General to send to Member Governments the text of M. Rolin's statement together with a memorandum by the Secretariat- General on the differences between the draft Convention and the United Nations General Act of Geneva.
101. The Committee of Ministers decided to remind Member Governments of the necessity of taking a decision to enable the Convention, if adopted, to be signed during the 19th Session of the Committee of Ministers in December 1956.
102. As mentioned in the Seventh Report of the Committee of Ministers to the Assembly (Doc. 485, para. 82), the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, adopted on 28th|September 1954, b y the United Nations Conference has so far been signed by the following Member States: Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
103. Denmark has already ratified the Convention.
104. Ratification is in process in Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
105. Iceland and Ireland have stated that they have under consideration the possibility of acceding to the Convention.
106. As regards the second part of Assembly Recommendation 87 (1955) on the question of convening the International Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the reduction or elimination of future statelessness, nine Member Governments— Belgium, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom —have declared that they are in favour of this Conference being convened and would take part in it.
107. The Government of Luxembourg has agreed to the convening of the Conference but has reserved its attitude as regards its participation.
108. The Italian Government has declared t h a t at the present stage it has no fundamental objection to the convening of the International Conference of Plenipotentiaries but would have to bear in mind the reservations it made when signing the Convention concerning the scope of Article 32.
109. The Turkish Government has announced that, although it has reached no final decision on this subject, it intends to sign the Convention shortly.
110. The Greek Government has reported that it cannot sign the Convention for the time being owing to the problems caused by overpopulation and under-employment in that country. It hopes, however, t h a t the situation in these fields will improve, thus as to enable it to accede to the Convention.
111. As for the Austrian Government, which only recently became a Member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe, a letter was sent to it on 29th May 1956 in order to ascertain its position with regard to Recommendation 87.
112. In its Resolution (56) 13, the Committee of Ministers accepted the invitation extended to the Council to send an observer to meetings of the European Consultative Group of the United Nations dealing with the prevention of crime and treatment of offenders.
113. The Secretary-General was requested :
114. The Netherlands instrument of ratification of the Convention relating to the Formalities required for Patent Applications, signed in Paris on 11th December 1953, was deposited with the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe on 9th May 1956. This ratification took effect on 1st June 1956.
115. The Convention was ratified by Denmark on 3rd September 1956.
116. It has now been ratified by eight member countries : Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, the Saar and the United Kingdom.
117. The Permanent Representative of Turkey has announced that his country's instruments of ratification will be deposited in the near future.
118. On 11th July 1956, the Permanent Representative of the Italian Government deposited with the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe his country's instrument of ratification of the Protocol to the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe, signed at Strasbourg on 6th November 1952.
119. Italy is therefore the ninth country to ratify this Protocol, which had already been ratified by Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
120. In accordance with Article 7, paragraph (b), of the Protocol, the latter entered into force on 11th July 1956, by which date it had been ratified by all the signatories who had also ratified the General Agreement itself.
121. The instruments of accession to the General Agreement and its Protocol already deposited by the Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland and the Saar entered into force on the same date in accordance with Article 7, paragraph (d), sub-paragraph (i) of the Protocol.
122. During their 41st meeting (20th-29th September 1956) the Ministers' Deputies heard a statement by Mr. Nicolson, member of the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions and Chairman of the Sub-committee on Information of the Assembly, who explained the Assembly's views on the proposals put forward in Recommendation 93 and commented in this connection on the Report of the Committee on Cultural Questions (Doc. 490).
123. The Committee of Ministers will decide on the Assembly proposals after it has examined their financial implications.
124. With regard to the extension of the terms of reference of the Secretariat-General in the information field (point 2 of Recommendation 93), the Committee of Ministers will examine this question in the light of the proposals put forward by certain Governments which are on similar lines to those of the Assembly and which recommend the creation of an information organ. The Committee of Ministers will also take into consideration the memorandum to be prepared by the Secretariat-General on the subject.
125. The Committee of Ministers took note of Assembly Resolution 94, it being understood t h a t no member of the Secretariat-General should sit on the proposed Sub-committee, which should be regarded as an organ of the Assembly alone and not one specifically entrusted with the task of ensuring " effective liaison between the Assembly and the Secretariat- General on information questions ".
126. The Committee of Ministers renewed its invitation t o Member Governments to let the Secretariat-General have their views on this question in writing.
127. After examining the general progress report on this subject, the Committee of Ministers decided to approve the proposals contained therein.
128. In particular, it approved :
129. The Committee of Ministers has approved in principle the holding of a conference in Strasbourg of representatives of national associations of the local authorities of member countries as proposed in Assembly Resolution 76 (1955).
130. It decided to include in the 1956 Budget a supplementary credit of 3,500,000 francs fort his purpose, to be utilized by the Assembly as it thinks fit.
131. The Assembly was notified of the decision of the Committee of Ministers by a letter from the Secretary-General to the President of the Assembly of 28th June 1956 (Doc. 527).
132. The Committee of Ministers would emphasise t h a t its decisions apply to the convening of a single Conference only.
133. In accordance with the request of the President of the Assembly, the Committee of Ministers duly authorised the postponement of this Conference until January 1957.
134. The Committee of Ministers has examined point 5 of Recommendation 90 (1955) on the Budget of the Council of Europe, concerning the European Prize :
135. For the current year the Committee of Ministers decided to include in the Budget a supplementary credit of 200,000 francs to cover the incidental expenses already incurred; this credit is in addition to the 250,000 francs reserved for the Prize itself.
136. The Committee of Ministers decided t h a t in future years the Prize should remain at 250,000 francs net. The incidental expenses (travel and subsistence expenses of the mayor and mayoress, medal and diploma) will be borne by the Council.
137. The Assembly was notified of these decisions of the Committee of Ministers by a letter from the Secretary-General to the President of the Assembly of 28th June 1956 (Doc. 527).
138. M. E. Ludwig was appointed Permanent Representative of the Republic of Austria to the Council of Europe on 2nd May 1956.
139. M. P. Renter was appointed Permanent Representative of Luxembourg on 7th June 1956, in succession to M. Kremer.
140. M. G. Bombassei Frascani de Vettor was appointed Permanent Representative of the Republic of Italy to the Council of Europe on 22nd July 1956, in succession to M. G. Cittadini Cesi.
141. Mile. M. Witteveen was appointed Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe on 1st August 1956, in succession to M. H. Th. van Rijckevorsel.
142. M. K. Albertsson was appointed Permanent Representative of Iceland to the Council of Europe on 23rd September 1956, in succession to M. H. Kroyer.
143. M. Leon Marchal, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, died on 24th September 1956.
144. In pursuance of Resolution (55) 29 of the Committee of Ministers concerning the functions of the Deputy Secretary-General and the Clerk of the Consultative Assembly, Mr. Dunstan Curtis, Deputy Secretary-General, will be acting temporarily as Secretary-General of the Council of Europe.
145. The Committee of Ministers informed the Joint Working Party at its meeting on 1st October 1956 of the text it has adopted on this subject.
145. The first meeting of the Working Party set up under Resolution (55) 19 of the Committee of Ministers (Doc. 485, paras. 112-114) was held at Strasbourg on 19th and 20th June 1956.
147. The text of this Resolution reads as follows :
" The Committee of Ministers,
Having regard to the views expressed on a number of occasions by the Consultative Assembly, concerning the problem of a European Civil Service;
Having regard to the interest to be attached to the general study of the various problems arising from the existence of active officials in European organisations ;
Having regard to the study being made for the establishment of regulations for a European Civil Service applicable to the greatest possible number of European organisations and included by the Committee of Ministers in its Special Message concerning the programme of work of the Council of Europe,
Resolves :
1. That the Secretary-General be instructed to invite the following organisations to participate in a Working Party to study problems connected with the establishment of a European Civil Service :
2. The Working Party shall be asked to put forward proposals on the following points in turn :
3. The Working Party shall be composed of :
4. The Working Party shall make reports. Each organisation shall decide what action shall, in its own case, be taken in the light of these reports.
The Secretary-General shall submit the reports to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
5. The Working Party shall be empowered :
6. Each organisation shall meet the expenses of its representatives in the Working Party.
Travelling expenses of Government-nominated experts shall be met by the Council of Europe as is now the case for Committees of Experts. "
148. After discussing its terms of reference as embodied in the above-mentioned Resolution, the Working Party set up a Committee to examine questions of staff structure, recruitment, remuneration and pensions. On the last point, the Committee appointed a Sub-committee to look into the question of pension schemes.
149. The Committee and Sub-committee held their first meeting in Paris on 18th July. Another meeting has been fixed for the beginning of November.
150. The Committee of Ministers is in favour of inviting particular European non-member countries who so desire to accede to the conventions and agreements of the Council of Europe open to such accession, more especially the European Cultural Convention
151. Furthermore, the Committee of Ministers will give favourable consideration to proposals by the committees of experts to invite non-member countries to take part in their work.
152. In this connection, the Committee of Ministers has decided to accede to the wish expressed both by certain members of the Committee of Experts on Patents and by the representatives of Yugoslavia and the Principality of Monaco t h a t these two countries should be invited to send Observers.
153. 1956
19th April
CE/OEEC Liaison Committees (Strasbourg)
24th-27th April
Third session of the Social Committee (Strasbourg)
1st May
Bureau of the Committee of Cultural Experts (Strasbourg)
2nd-9th May
Twelfth session of the Committee of Cultural Experts (Strasbourg)
7th May
Joint Cultural Committee (Strasbourg)
14th-18th May
Committee of Experts on the Treatment of Legal Persons (Strasbourg)
23rd-26th May
Working Party of the European Commission of Human Rights (Strasbourg)
28th May-2nd June
Fifth session of the European Commission of Human Rights (Strasbourg)
4th June
Joint Working Party (Paris)
4th June
Joint Committee (Paris)
8th-16th June
40th Meeting of the Ministers' Deputies (Strasbourg)
11 th - 12 th June
Advisory Committee of the Special Representative for Refugees and Over-population (Paris)
13th-15th June
Governing Body of the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund (Paris)
19th-20th June
Working Party to study the problems of a European Civil Service (Strasbourg)
29th-30th June
Selection Committee for the award of Council of Europe and E C S C Research Fellowships (Strasbourg)
2nd July
Working Party of the Ministers' Deputies on the Brussels Exhibition (Strasbourg)
5th July
Working Party of the Ministers' Deputies (Paris)
6th July
Joint Committee (Paris)
16th-18th July
Administrative Council of the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund (Paris)
18th July
Committee of the Working Party to study the problems of a European Civil Service (Paris)
20th July
16th special session of the CE/OEEC Liaison Committees (Paris)
21st July
17th special session of the CE/OEEC Liaison Committees (Paris)
2nd-9th September
4th Conference on the revision of history textbooks (Royaumont)
3rd September
Budget Committee (Strasbourg)
20th September
41st Meeting of the Ministers' Deputies (Strasbourg)
24th-25th September
Group of independent experts on the development of Africa (Paris
24th-26th September
Working Party of the European Commission of Human Rights (Strasbourg)
27th-28th-September
Bureau of the Committee of Cultural Experts (Rome)
27th Sept.-3rd Oct.
6th session of the European Commission of Human Rights (Strasbourg)
1st October
Joint Working Party (Strasbourg)
1st October Joint Committee (Strasbourg)
15th-25th October
Sixth Course of European Studies (Strasbourg)
154. With due regard to the opinion expressed by the Assembly in its Resolution 98 (1956), the Committee of Ministers adopted an additional text proposed by O.E.E.C, laying down the conditions for co-operation between the Council of Europe and O.E.E.C. and based on Assembly Recommendations 77 and 78 (1955), which had been transmitted to O.E.E.C. for its opinion.
155. This text is attached hereto.
156. During the period under review, the Committees for Liaison between the Council of Europe and O.E.E.C. have held three special sessions attended by members of certain Assembly Committees and O.E.E.C. experts.
157. 15th special session, Strasbourg, 19th April 1956 : Nuclear energy problems in Europe, attended by members of the Committees on General Affairs and Economic Questions.
158. 16th special session, Paris, 20th July 1956 : Work of the Session of the OEEC Council of Ministers held in Paris from 17th to 19th July, other than decisions concerning nuclear energy, attended by members of the Committee on Economic Questions.
159. 17th special session, Paris, 21st July 1956 : Work of the Session of the OEEC Council of Ministers in the field of nuclear energy, attended by members of the Committees on General Affairs and Economic Questions.
160. The Committee of Ministers authorised the Secretary-General to approach the Director of the Combined International Bureaux for the Protection of Industrial Property and Literary and Artistic Works with a view to negotiating a more extensive agreement than that already concluded with that organisation.
161. During their 41st meeting (20th-29th September 1956), the Ministers' Deputies heard a statement by M. Magnin, Deputy Director of the Combined International Bureaux, who explained the scope of the proposed new Agreement, the main feature of which was that it enabled the Combined International Bureaux to submit reports to the Assembly.
162. This draft Agreement has been submitted to the Combined International Bureaux for approval.
163. Under its Resolution (56) 14, the Committee of Ministers decided to grant consultative status, Category " A ", to :
and Consultative Status, Category " B ", to :
164. After examining Recommendation 98 (1956), the Committee of Ministers decided :
The new provisions set out below relate to the following headings of the previous texts, which should be amended accordingly :
Attendance of observers of the Council of Europe at meetings of OEEC bodies.
20. The Council of Europe will be invited to send an observer to meetings of the Council wheneverer the business relates to :
21. The Council of Europe will be invited to send an observer to meetings of the agricultural bodies whenever their activities relate to questions concerning its own work in the sector of agriculture and food.
22. [paragraph 20 of the existing text.]
23. [paragraph 21 of the existing text],
24. In addition, the Council of Europe will be invited to send an observer to meetings of the technical committees whenever their business relates to the study of a recommendation by the Consultative Assembly referred to the Organisation by the Committee of Ministers.
Representatives of committees of the Consultative Assembly may consult OEEC experts. The guiding principles which shall apply to such consultations are as follows :
(a) The term " O E E C experts " means experts of the Secretariat of O.E.E.C.
Nevertheless, when consultations are held on agricultural problems, the Chairman and the Vice-Chairmen of the Committee of Deputies of the Ministerial Committee for Agriculture and Food shall take part in these consultations.
The Executive Committee may also decide, on the proposal of the Liaison Committee, to associate other persons in the consultations
[The rest of paragraph 22 remains unchanged.]
Paragraph 1 of the Additional Arrangements of 1953 is replaced by the following text :
Whenever a recommendation of the Consultative Assembly is referred to O.E.E.C. by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for study, it is essential that O.E.E.C. should receive the fullest information relating to it. With this end in view, a representative of the Council of Europe designated by the Committee of Ministers is invited to attend a meeting of the appropriate body of the Organisation to give all the necessary explanations and information.
The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe will also provide the relevant organs of O.E.E.C. with any additional explanations which they might need in the course of their work.