Doc. 10633

4 July 2005

Activities and orientations of the Council of Europe Development Bank

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Schreiner and others

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is the democratic assembly before which several international organisations, which do not have any parliamentary branch, come regularly to present their past activities and their future orientations.

That is the case of the European Conference of Ministers of transport – ECMT - of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – OECD – and of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Originally, the European Council set up a bank devoted to the financing of the reinstallation of displaced populations, under the name of the Reestablishment Fund, and known today as the Council of Europe Development Bank.

After a series of considerable difficulties, which the Parliamentary Assembly had justifiably mentioned in the report from Mr Mikko ELO, the Fund is now a bank which legal base is a partial agreement in which some 38 member states are participating.

Taking into account the different enlargement of its composition and the evolution of our societies, the Council of Europe Development Bank finances projects which are more and more diverse, but always remain oriented toward improving the situation of the poorest: apart from helping the refugees, the migrants and the displaced populations, the CEDB is also involved in the renovation of orphan centres and hospitals, social housing, formation and education services, the assistance to regions hit by natural disasters and the preservation of the historical and artistic patrimony…

The fact that the activity of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – EBRD – is presented each year by its chairman before our parliamentary assembly, which discusses its orientations, when the Council of Europe Development Bank does not have this opportunity for a dialogue, is a paradox.

The very origin of the Council of Europe Development Bank, as its orientations toward the improvement of the social cohesion of our most vulnerable fellow citizens amply justify the organisation of a periodical debate about the activity and the projects of an institution which current amount of granted loans adds up to 11 billion euros, when the same figure applied to the EBRD is about 16 billion.

Consequently, the Assembly decides to invite the governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank to present before her the current activities and the projects being considered, during a debate which could be modeled on the annual debate on the contribution of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Central and Eastern Europe.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed ¹:

SCHREINER, Bernard, France, EPP/CD

ALAY FERRER, Vicenç, Andorra, SOC

BARTUMEU CASSANY, Jaume, Andorra, SOC

BRANGER, Jean-Guy, France, EPP/CD

COUSIN, Alain, France, EPP/CD

DREYFUS-SCHMIDT, Michel, France, SOC

DURRIEU, Josette, France, SOC

FARRÉ SANTURÉ, Joan Albert, Andorra, ALDE

GARCIA PASTOR, Eva, Andorra, ALDE

GARDETTO, Jean-Charles, Monaco, EPP/CD

GLESENER, Marcel, Luxembourg, EPP/CD

GOULET, Daniel, France, ALDE

GUBERT, Renzo, Italy, EPP/CD

KOX, Tiny, Netherlands, UEL

LAMBERT, Geert, Belgium, SOC

LEGENDRE, Jacques, France, EPP/CD

LENGAGNE, Guy, France, SOC

LONCLE, François, France, SOC

MARQUET, Bernard, Monaco, ALDE

MASSERET, Jean-Pierre, France, SOC

MEYER, Gilbert, France, EPP/CD

MIGNON, Jean-Claude, France, EPP/CD

ØSTERGAARD, Morten, Denmark, ALDE

SCHNEIDER, André, France, EPP/CD

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group