Reply to Recommendation 1352 (1998) - 2nd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 10-11 october 1997)

Doc. 8075

20 April 1998

2nd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 10-11 october 1997)

Reply to Recommendation 1352 (1998)

from the Committee of Ministers

adopted on 16 April 1998 at the 628^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies

1. The Committee of Ministers took note with great interest of Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1352 (1998) on the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 10-11 October 1997).

2. The Committee of Ministers agrees with the Assembly’s positive assessment of the results of the Summit; it would refer in this connection to its reply to Recommendations 1324 (1997) and 1342 (1997), as adopted on 14 January 1998 at the 614th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies. The Committee of Ministers also agrees with the Assembly that the ultimate success of the Summit will depend on the implementation of the decisions taken on 10 and 11 October 1997 by the Heads of State and Government. At their 101st session (6 November 1997) the Ministers made a very clear political undertaking to implement these decisions.

3. In this connection the Committee of Ministers would like to remind the Assembly of the first practical measures already implemented, particularly the adoption at the Committee of Ministers’ 101st session of an additional protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine prohibiting the cloning of human beings (protocol opened for signature in Paris on 12 January 1998 and so far signed by 21 member States), and of twenty Common Principles to be implemented in national legislation against corruption. Moreover, the Working Party set up by the Deputies to supervise the implementation of the decisions of the Summit and the Committee of Wise Persons, which is chaired by Mr Mario Soares and is mandated to prepare proposals for structural reform in the Council of Europe, are already operational. Both these bodies will report on their work at the 102nd session of the Committee of Ministers on 5 May 1998. The content of these reports will be transmitted to the Assembly.

4. In connection with the more specific recommendations set out in para. 12 of the Recommendation 1352, the Committee of Ministers would like to draw the Assembly’s attention to the following facts:

i. the Assembly’s wish to participate fully in the work of the Ad hoc Working Party on the follow-up to the summit (GT-SUIVI) has been fulfilled in two different ways: the Clerk of the Parliamentary Assembly attends the GT-SUIVI’s meetings as a full member, and joint meetings are held as needed on follow-up to the Summit (the first such meeting will be held during the next meeting of the Joint Committee on 23 April);

ii. the Assembly’s wish to ensure that the Committee of Wise Persons take due account of the Assembly’s proposals on structural reform has also been fully granted, at least as regards the responsibility of the Committee of Ministers, which has appointed the President of the Parliamentary Assembly as one of the representatives and authorities fully involved in the work of the Committee of Wise Persons (it was also agreed that the Clerk of the Assembly should, together with the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, hold the office of joint secretary of the Committee of Wise Persons). The “Wise Persons” therefore have very direct, authoritative access to the Parliamentary Assembly’s proposals on structural reform, although the Committee of Ministers obviously cannot prejudge the extent to which these proposals will be taken into account by the Committee of Wise Persons in its final report;

iii. in connection with the additional proposals made by the Heads of State and Government in their addresses at the Summit, the Committee of Ministers has decided to concentrate first of all on implementing the Action Plan, and deal with follow-up to the Final Declaration afterwards. Consequently, no specific follow-up is being envisaged for these additional proposals, because the countries in question are responsible, if they so wish, for ensuring that the proposals are considered under the Council of Europe’s normal procedures;

iv. in connection with the idea of associating outstanding personalities with the implementation of the decisions taken at the Summit, the Committee of Ministers has expressed interest in this proposal, particularly because it would give the venture a higher profile and provide new avenues for securing additional resources. However, it considers that this matter should be considered in more depth, and that an initial exchange of views with the Assembly could be held during the Joint Committee meeting on 23 April;

v. lastly, with regard to the recommendation “to make available the necessary funds to enable the Council of Europe to implement, in a responsible way, the tasks and priorities set by the Summit”, the Committee of Ministers would like to underline that several decisions of the Summit have already found their funding through voluntary contributions (in particular the youth exchange programme, which will begin at the beginning of the school year 1998/99). Furthermore, the Secretary General has submitted proposals aimed at ensuring that the 1999 budget takes full account of these tasks and priorities. These proposals were discussed during a preliminary exchange of views in the GT-SUIVI on 17 February 1998. They will now continue to be examined under the budgetary procedure, which provides for consulting the Assembly before the summer.