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ANNEX
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DRAFT MULTILATERAL AGREEMENT ON SOCIAL AND MEDICAL Assistance BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES SIGNATORY TO THE TREATY OF BRUSSELS
ARTICLE I
Each of the contracting countries undertakes that nationals of the other countries signatory to the Treaty of Brussels who are normally resident in territory subject to their metropolitan legislation and are without sufficient resources shall benefit, equally with their own nationals and on the same conditions, from the legal provisions for social and medical assistance.
The present agreement does not apply to non-contributory pensions, or to payments made by virtue of special legislation about assistance for old people, infirm persons or the unemployed.
ARTICLE II
The cost of such assistance shall be borne by the country of residence, which shall not in any case be entitled to require payment thereof by the country of origin.
ARTICLE III
The Government of the country of residence shall not repatriate to the country of origin a national of the latter country on the sole ground that he is in need of assistance which is likely to be prolonged and costly, unless that person fulfils all the conditions mentioned below:-
(a) he has resided in the first-named country for less than five years if he entered it before attaining the age of 55 years, or for less than ten years if he entered it after attaining that age;
(b) he is in a fit state to be transported; and
(c) he has no close family ties in the country of residence;
provided that nothing in this Article shall prejudice the right to deport on any grounds of public interest other than those mentioned in the first paragraph.
ARTICLE IV
Repatriation costs as far as the frontier of the country of origin shall be borne by the country of residence.
ARTICLE V
Each one of the contracting countries undertakes to receive any of its nationals who may have been repatriated by one of the other countries in pursuance of Article III.
ARTICLE VI
The conditions for the application of the present Agreement, including in particular the specification of legislation covered, the scope of the term "nationals and persons treated as nationals" in Article VIII and the method of calculating the duration of residence and questions pertaining to repatriation, shall be determined by administrative agreement between the competent authorities of the contracting countries.
ARTICLE VII
Any questions as to the interpretation of the present Agreement shall be resolved through diplomatic channels. In any case where it may have been impossible to arrive at a solution through such channels, the disagreement is to be submitted, at the request of either of the two parties, to the judgment of a mixed commission composed of representatives of the contracting countries, each such country, nominating one representative.
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ARTICLE VIII
The presage Abбeone shall extend to nationals anagergone afted as nationals of any of the contracting countries whose place of origin is not in the metropolitan territory of that country, but who would benefit from the legisla- tion relating to assistance in force in that territory if they resided there.
ARTICLE IX
The present Agreement shall be ratified and the official ratification shall be notified to the Secretary-General of the Brussels Treaty Permanent Commission. It shall come into force, at a date fixed by agreement, when the ratification by three countries has been registered by the Secretary-General, in so far as the relations between these countries are concerned, and shall extend to relations between these countries and each of the other contracting countries as from the first day of the month after the month in which the ratification of each is registered.
Signed
on the