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8 April 1994
Doc. 7063
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
Supplementary reply to Recommendation 1144 (1991)
on the situation of frontier populations
and workers
(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 5 April 1994
at the 511th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)
1. As announced in the interim reply of March 1993 to Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1144 (1991), the Committee of Ministers submitted to the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Authorities (CDLR) the draft model inter-state agreement on transfrontier co-operation in matters concerning lifelong training, information, employment and working conditions, based on the draft set out in Appendix III to the Assembly Recommendation 1144 (1991).
2. At their 508th meeting (February 1994), the Deputies authorised the Secretary General to transmit to the governments of member States and to all authorised persons concerned the "model inter-state agreement on transfrontier co-operation in matters relating to lifelong training, information, employment and working conditions" finalised in the Council of Europe in pursuance of Article 3 of the European Outline Convention on Territorial Communities or Authorities (ETS 106). They also authorised the publication of this model agreement's text for the information of the specialised bodies concerned.
3. This model inter-state agreement contains, compared to the draft set out in Appendix III of Recommendation 1144 (1991), a supplementary article (Article 8) set out as follows:
"The Contracting Parties undertake to promote and implement co-operation among public employment bodies in frontier regions in order to ensure or, where applicable, improve the exchange and joint management of information concerning the employment and working conditions of frontier workers.
They shall promote the establishment of joint information centres for frontier workers, enabling the latter to obtain detailed and accurate information on all questions concerning them."
4. The Committee of Ministers held the view that this new model inter-state agreement was perfectly in line with the model inter-state agreements already set out in Appendices 1.1 to 1.5 to the European Outline Convention (ETS 106). It would nevertheless call attention once more to Article 3 paragraph 1 of the Outline Convention which states that "these model and outline agreements (...) are intended for guidance only and have no treaty value".
5. On the other hand, in the framework of the Intergovernmental Programme of Activities for 1994 the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) has started a new project with the principle objective to make information on short term migrations in Greater Europe available. The States of Central and Eastern Europe will be invited to take an active part in the realisation of this project, which has been entrusted by the CDMG to the Select Committee of Experts on Short-term Migrations (MG-R-MT). This project shall be achieved during the first semester of 1995.
6. Finally, concerning the fiscal questions raised in Appendix II of Recommendation 1144 (1991) the Committee of Ministers authorised in September 1993, the publication of the report on "Transfrontier fiscal equalisation concerning the incomes of frontier workers" prepared by the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Authorities (CDLR).