Strengthening of the co-operation between Council of Europe member states to prevent and tackle health risks linked to the development of pandemics

Doc. 10815
25 January 2006

Strengthening of the co-operation between Council of Europe member states to prevent and tackle health risks linked to the development of pandemics

Motion for a resolution
presented by Mr Evin and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1. The threats linked to the development of bird flu are now hovering over all of the Council of Europe's member countries. Everyone realises to what extent arrangements to prevent and handle situations where people might be contaminated by the virus in one member country concerns all the others.

2. This situation, highlighted today by bird flu, may be equally applicable to other health risks whose spread does not halt at the borders of each State.

3. Yet, faced with those risks, not all Council of Europe member countries have organised themselves to ensure that its people are as safe as possible. The shortcomings of one country may have repercussions for the others.

4. To better prevent the emergence and spread of such risks, stronger international cooperation seems necessary in this field.

5. Consequently, the Assembly decides to examine the possible legal conditions and procedures for strengthened international cooperation, either through the preparation of a specific convention organising this cooperation or through the insertion of a special provision in the revised Social Charter or in any other appropriate form.

Signed ¹:

EVIN, Claude, France, SOC
ASPHJELL, Jorodd, Norway, SOC
BLANCO, Jaime, Spain, SOC
DEES, Dirk, Netherlands, ALDE
EVANS, Nigel, United Kingdom, EDG
FLYNN, Paul, United Kingdom, SOC
GOUTRY, Luc, Belgium, EPP/CD
LELIC, Ruža, Croatia, EPP/CD
LINDINGER, Ewald, Austria, SOC
MARQUET, Bernard, Monaco, ALDE
McHUGH, Paddy, Ireland, SOC
�HMAN, Conny, Sweden, SOC
ROSEIRA, Maria de Bel�m, Portugal, SOC
SCHMIED, Walter, Switzerland, ALDE
SIZOPOULOS, Marinos, Cyprus, SOC
STANTCHEVA, Darinka, Bulgaria, ALDE
URB�NI, Milan, Slovakia, NR
van WINSEN, Bart, Netherlands, EPP/CD
WATKINSON, Angela, United Kingdom, EDG

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