Interim reply to Recommendation 1319 (1997) on the organisation by the Council of Europe of a second European campaign on North-South interdependence and solidarity in 1998

Communication from the Committee of Ministers

Doc. 7882

11 July 1997

adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 3 July 1997 at the 598th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies

The Committee of Ministers noted with interest Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1319 (1997) on the organisation by the Council of Europe of a second European campaign on North-South interdependence and solidarity and conveyed it, in April 1997, to the Governments of the member States.

It wishes to assure the Parliamentary Assembly that North-South interdependence and solidarity have all the necessary attention of the Organisation's member States. The Committee of Ministers is therefore considering the study in greater detail of the possibility of organising a second campaign in the Council of Europe, an organisation with an essentially pan-European vocation.

A final decision could, however, only be taken once the lessons have been learned from the first Council of Europe campaign on North-South interdependence. Furthermore, since 1988, the year of the first North-South campaign, the European political scene, and by extension, the Council of Europe have changed considerably. At present, following its enlargement to the countries of central and eastern Europe, the Council of Europe is endeavouring, above all, with its limited budgetary resources, to consolidate democracy, the rule of law and the respect of human rights in those of its members States most in need.

The Council of Europe's participation at the Lisbon Universal Exposition, should make it possible to draw the attention of public opinion in member states to the importance of global interdependence and solidarity.

Bearing in mind the Parliamentary Assembly's proposal to launch the campaign at the same time as the Universal Exposition in Lisbon, the Committee of Ministers has instructed the Secretariat to submit to it, in September 1997, a brief assessment of the first Council of Europe North-South campaign. The Ministers' Deputies would then hold an extensive exchange of views on the results of the first campaign and the possible organisation of a second one. The Committee of Ministers therefore proposes to give its final reply to the Parliamentary Assembly before the end of 1997.