12 December 1995

Doc. 7438

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Resolution (95) 37

on observer status for the United States of America

with the Council of Europe

Letter from the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers

to the President of the Assembly,

dated 8 December 1995

Dear President,

      I refer to your letter dated 27 November 1995, for which I thank you, concerning observer status for the United States with the Council of Europe.

      Please find enclosed Resolution (95) 37 on this subject, adopted by the Ministers' Deputies on 7 December 1995. The fifth paragraph of the Preamble, referring to the Parliamentary Assembly's opinion, means that this resolution cannot enter into force until the Standing Committee adopts the opinion concerned on 10 January 1996.

Yours sincerely,

(signed)

Marie-Louise Overvad

RESOLUTION (95) 37

on observer status for the United States of America

with the Council of Europe

(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 7 December 1995

at the 551st meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

      The Committee of Ministers,

      In view of the interest officially expressed by the United States of America in obtaining Observer Status with the Council of Europe in the context of Statutory Resolution (93) 26 and according to the terms of the letter of 22 August 1995 of the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs;

      Considering that the United States share the ideals and values of the Council of Europe;

      Conscious of the particular interest of the United States of America in strengthening co-operation with a view to increasing stabilisation in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe;

      Bearing in mind the necessity to intensify functional co-operation between the Council of Europe and the OSCE in the Human Dimension field, recognised in the Vienna Declaration of 1993;

      Pending confirmation of the positive opinion of the Parliamentary Assembly,

      Decides to invite the United States of America to become an Observer with the Council of Europe. This status will give the United States the possibility of:

i.       naming a permanent observer to the Council of Europe;

ii.       sending observers to those Committees of Experts of the Council of Europe instituted in application of Article 17 of the Statute to which all member States may designate participants;

iii.       sending their permanent observer to the subsidiary meetings of the Deputies, including those devoted to the planning and programming of the activities of the Council of Europe aiming at the strengthening of democratic institutions, the establishment of the Rule of Law and the reinforcement of Human Rights;

iv.       sending, following an invitation from the host country, observers to Conferences of Specialised Ministers;

v.       participating in the activities of the Partial and Enlarged Agreements following invitation and in conformity with the rules applicable to such Agreements.