asked the Minister for External Affairs what is the attitude of the Government with regard to Recommendation No. 398 on the GATT trade negotiations (Kennedy Round) which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 4th November 1964; and what action the Government have taken, or contemplate taking, on it.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Council of Europe Recommendations.
39.
The Government share with the other members of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe the hope that the Kennedy Round of GATT trade negotiations will result in real benefits in all of the fields adverted to in Recommendation 398 of the Consultative Assembly. The Committee of Ministers have informed the Assembly that they examined this Recommendation at their 35th Session last December and decided to keep it on their agenda.
40.
asked the Minister for External Affairs what is the attitude of the Government with regard to Resolution No. 280 on Europe's position in world economic relations which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 4th November 1964; and what action the Government have taken, or contemplate taking, on it.
Resolution 280 adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 4th November, 1964, is still under examination in preparation for its later consideration by the Committee of Ministers.
41.
asked the Minister for External Affairs what is the attitude of the Government with regard to Recommendation No. 401 on future action by the Council of Europe in the cultural field which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 4th November, 1964; and what action the Government have taken, or contemplate taking, on it.
Recommendation 401 adopted by the Consultative Assembly in November, 1964, recommends first of all that the Committee of Ministers should adopt the proposals of the Council for Cultural Co-operation and the ad hoc Committee regarding the future cultural programme of the Council of Europe. The Government approve the general directives on the CCC's programme prepared by the ad hoc Committee.
The second proposal relating to the provision of sufficient resources to the Cultural Fund and the Directorate of Education and of Cultural and Scientific Affairs has been examined by the Committee of Ministers meeting at Deputy level. Taking into account the cash resources of the Cultural Fund at the end of 1964, it was considered that a budgetary grant for 1965, limited to 1,500,000 F.Frs., would make it possible to carry out the programme of the CCC. Provision has however been made for an additional guarantee against loss in the amount of 250,000 F.Frs. in order to ensure the implementation of the cultural programme.
Lastly, Recommendation 401 recomtatio mends that the proposals of the ad hoc Committee on the need to strengthen national machinery for European cultural co-operation should be most attentively considered by the Committee of Ministers. The Ministers have expressed reservations concerning the practical implications of some of these proposals and accordingly decided to take no action on this part of the Recommendation.
42.
asked the Minister for External Affairs what is the attitude of the Government with regard to Recommendation 403 on contacts between the Members of the European Economic Community and other member states of the Council of Europe and on European political union, which was adopted by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe on 6th November, 1964; and what action the Government have taken, or contemplate taking, on it.
The Government are in general sympathy with the intentions of this Recommendation. With regard to the first part of the Recommendation the Committee of Ministers regularly hold discussions on the problems of European economic integration. At their last meeting the Ministers heard statements from the German and British representatives in their capacities as Chairmen of EFTA and the EEC respectively, on developments within the two economic groups.
With regard to the second part of the Recommendation which calls for the Committee of Ministers being set up as an "institutional" link which would propose all suitable contacts to ensure better political co-ordination between the political union contemplated by the Six and the other Members of the Council of Europe, it is not feasible to put this suggestion into practice as it has not met with general support among member Governments.