COUNCIL OF EUROPE
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
________
RESOLUTION (96) 35
REVISING THE PARTIAL AGREEMENT
IN THE SOCIAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH FIELD
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 2 October 1996,
at the 574th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)
The Representatives, on the Committee of Ministers, of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom,
Recalling Resolution (59) 23 of 16 November 1959, concerning the extension of the activities of the Council of Europe in the social and cultural fields;
Recalling Resolution (61) 40 of 16 December 1961, concerning the transfer to the Council for Cultural Co-operation of the cultural activities listed in the appendix to Resolution (59) 23;
Having regard to Statutory Resolution (93) 28 on partial and enlarged agreements, adopted on 14 May 1993, at its 92nd Session;
Having regard to the joint opinion of the Committee on the Rehabilitation and Integration of People with Disabilities (partial agreement) (CD-P-RR) and of the Public Health Committee (partial agreement) (CD-P-SP);
Having regard to Resolution (96) 34 of 2 October 1996, whereby the Committee of Ministers authorised the adoption of revised rules for the partial agreement,
Resolve:
1. to continue, on the basis of revised rules replacing those set out in Resolution (59) 23, the activities hitherto carried out and developed by virtue of that resolution. These are, in particular, aimed at:
a. raising the level of health protection of consumers in its widest acceptation: constant contribution to harmonise - in the field of products having a direct or indirect impact on the human food chain as well as in the field of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics - regulations and practices governing, on the one hand, quality, efficiency and safety controls for products, and, on the other hand, the safe use of toxic or noxious products;
b. integrating people with disabilities into the community: definition - and contribution to implement it at European level - of a model coherent policy for people with disabilities, which takes account, simultaneously, of the principles of full citizenship and independent living; contribution to eliminate barriers to integration, whatever their nature: psychological, educational, family-related, cultural, social, professional, financial or architectural.
2. To endorse, by virtue of Article IV of Statutory Resolution (93) 28, the specific character of the working methods of this revised partial agreement; in particular that any other Council of Europe member state may accede to this partial agreement by virtue of the provisions laid down in Article V of Statutory Resolution (93) 28 on partial and enlarged agreements, after a favourable opinion expressed by the CD-P-RR and the CD-P-SP.
3. The observer status granted in the past to Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Canada is hereby confirmed.
4. The Representatives, on the Committee of Ministers, of the member states of the partial agreement in the Social and Public Health field may decide at any time to transform this partial agreement into an enlarged partial agreement, open to non-member states of the Council of Europe.
5. The Secretary General will inform the Committee of Ministers of any accession to the partial agreement.
6. Expenditure related to the implementation of the activities and common secretariat expenditure shall be covered by a partial agreement budget funded by the member states thereof.
The budget and the specific scale of contributions shall be adopted annually by the Representatives, on the Committee of Ministers, of the member states of this partial agreement.
The Financial Regulations of the Council of Europe shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the adoption and management of the budget of this partial agreement.
7. In compliance with Article 2 of Resolution (96) 34, the specific working methods shall continue to be applied within the framework of this revised partial agreement, in particular:
a. Resolution (76) 3 of the Committee of Ministers shall not apply to the drawing up of the work programme and the setting up of subordinate committees by the CD-P-RR and the CD-P-SP;
b. consultations between the relevant national ministries and between them and the Secretariat shall be conducted via the "liaison sections" set up in each national ministry concerned;
c. as a rule, recommendations (called "resolutions") shall contain standard regulations, in order to facilitate the incorporation into national legislation and regulations of the provisions of international texts normally drawn up by those actually responsible for their implementation at national level;
d. the meetings of the partial agreement bodies will continue to be held in Strasbourg as well as in the various member states;
e. as a rule, technical documentation shall be prepared by national delegations.
8. The CD-P-RR and the CD-P-SP will send their meeting reports to the Representatives, on the Committee of Ministers, of the member states of the partial agreement, who will decide what action to take on these reports. The latter will be forwarded, for information, to the Representatives, on the Committee of Ministers, of the other Council of Europe member states.
A chapter on the partial agreement activities will continue to be incorporated in the report which the Committee of Ministers is required to submit to the Assembly.
9. This resolution enters into force on 1 January 1997.