Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l'Europe

1. Recalling its Recommendation 748 (1975), on the role and management of national broadcasting, and in particular its belief that broadcasting can constitute an important means of furthering European unity ;

2. Aware of the service provided by Eurovision, but noting that the programmes accepted for this complex network are restricted in type (being important events or items of mass appeal) ;

3. Believing that the activity of many European organisations, and in particular that of the Assembly of the Council of Europe, is inadequately presented to the European public for want of immediate relevance, whereas the relevance of such activity would be significantly increased by a more general awareness on the part of the public ;

4. Recalling its Resolution 584 (1975), on the broadcasting of national parliamentary debate, and believing that the principle can apply no less to parliamentary debate on a European level, especially where, as in the Assembly of the Council of Europe, this debate is aimed at a genuine and open exchange of experience across the face of European democracy,

5. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite member governments :

a. to pursue a more active policy of programme exchanges between European states, where possible using subtitling rather than dubbing to surmount language difficulties ;

b. to promote on their own national networks regular and serious (rather than sensational) coverage of the current activities of the major European organisations ;

c. to hold consultations with a view to establishing in Strasbourg a centre to co-ordinate the preparation of basic material for such transmissions.

[1]. Assembly debate on 23 January 1975 (18th Sitting) (see Doc. 3520, report of the Committee on Culture and Education).

Text adopted by the Assembly on 23 January 1975 (19th Sitting).