European parliamentary institutions

Report | Doc. 628 | 18 March 1957

Committee

Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy

Rapporteur :

Mr Karl MOMMER, Germany

Thesaurus

A Draft Resolution

The Standing Committee, on behalf of the Assembly,

Recalling Recommendation 117;

Expressing its satisfaction at the outcome of the representations made by the Bureaux of the three existing European Assemblies to the six Ministers of the countries which have negotiated the Common Market and Euratom Treaties, representations which have resulted in removing the danger of the creation of a fourth assembly;

Noting with satisfaction the interest taken by the United Kingdom Government in the problem of rationalising European institutions and the fact that the Council of Western European Union is to undertake a study of this problem;

Regretting that the Foreign Ministers of the Six did not communicate to the delegation from the Bureaux of the three Assemblies the text of the articles of the draft Treaties dealing with the Assembly, so as to enable them to put forward in due course such comments as they might deem advisable and, more particularly, to allow the Assembly of the Council of Europe to fulfil its consultative role;

Noting that the draft Treaty instituting the European Economic Community does not refer to the links to be established with the Council of Europe,

Expresses the wish :

1 that the principles laid down in the memorandum submitted by the delegation of the Bureaux of the three European Assemblies to the Intergovernmental Committee at Brussels on 4th February 1957 be respected in the Treaties;

2 that it should be specifically mentioned in the Treaties that the new Assembly must include a certain number of members of the Consultative Assembly and that the Assembly may adopt the practice of having substitute representatives;

3 that, immediately on the creation of the new Assembly of the Six, joint meetings should be provided for with the Consultative Assembly, on the model of the joint meetings which the Common Assembly holds with the Consultative Assembly;

4 that, immediately after the Treaty setting up the European Economic Community is ratified, an agreement should be concluded with the Council of Europe in order to establish close collaboration between these two international organisations;

5 that the study envisaged by the Brussels Conference on the direct election of European parliamentarians by the countries concerned be carried out pari passu with the study of the plan for creating a single Assembly.