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HIS DOCUMENPas

IS

Civentated 16/11/49(5.0mm)

✓ 298

580 of FOGERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MASTY' &FYÜZÒMENT)

SECRET

C.P. (49) 230

16TH NOVEMBER, 1949

CABINET

7 31

COPY NO.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE: SECOND SESSION OF

THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

I submit herewith for the information of my colleagues a brief account of the meeting of the Committee of Ministers held in Paris from 3rd November to 5th November, 1949.

The full agenda which was placed before the Committee

2. is annexed.

3.

The recommendations of the Assembly with which the Committee had to deal fall broadly into three categories:-

A. Suggested amendments to the Statute.

In general, several Governments, notably the Scandinavians, felt that since the Statute was an international agreement only very recently ratified by the Parliaments of the participating countries, there would be considerable difficulty in recommending alterations so soon. They also feared that to start changing the Statute before the Council of Europe had been in existence for a full year would set an awkward precedent and create the impression that the Statute could be amended at will. For my part, I was prepared to agree to many of the Assembly's recommendations for amendments, in accordance with the recommendations in C.P.(49) 204 of 24th October, approved by the Cabinet on 27th October (C.M.(49) 62nd Conclusions, Minute 5). In deference, however, to the strong wishes of the Scandinavian Ministers, I agreed that wherever possible the Committee of Ministers should meet the wishes of the Consultative Assembly, but without actually amending the Statute.

The most important of the amendments suggested by the Consultative Assembly concerned: -

(i) New Admissions

The Consultative Assembly recommended an amendment to the Statute making it obligatory on the Committee of Ministers to obtain the approval of the Consultative Assembly, such approval to be by a simple majority, before admitting a new member to the Council. The Committee shared my view that this amendment was unacceptable in that it would confer on the Assembly, which is a consultative and non-representative body, a measure of control over the policies of the responsible Governments of Member States. We were, however, concerned to find some way of safeguarding this point of principle without offending the Assembly. Moreover, it was necessary to take a deciBaga 586 afb097ot regarding the admiss Page 586ofm097, the

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