EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY AND ITS MEMBERS

Grey River Argus, 18 August 1949, Page 5

EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY AND ITS MEMBERS

(Rec. 11.30) STRASBOURG, Aug. 17 The Deputy British Prime Minister, Mr Herbert Morrison speaking during a resumed debate in the European Assembly on changes in the European political structure, said it was essential for the Assembly to pay due regard to the interests of the individual member countries. He added that, as far as Britain was concerned, it, was essential that she should maintain ties which linked her with her Commonwealth of Nations, and maintained responsibilities she shared with Belgium, France, ' and the Netherlands fop the welfare of neoples of other continents, particularly Africa.

Proposal For United States Of Europe LONDON, Aug. 16. Mr R. W. G. Mackay, a British Labour M.P., proposed a plan for the creation of a United States of Europe within two years to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe at Strasbourg. His resolution was formerly submitted for committee and Assembly action. He said he would take the floor this week to speak to the resolution, which calls tor the creation of a “European authority with limited fmict’ons but real powers.” The plan proposes the creation of an Assembly Commission to blueprint the suggested authority and tne earl?/ submission of its report to the member Governments and Parliaments so that it may become the chief item on the agenda of the next session. He said economic unity was the strength of United States of America. The. Marshall Plan shuold be made contingent upon European unification —even withheld until unification was realised. The Assembly should become a European Parliament next year with power to write a federal constitution and set up a Federal Government of Europe, similar to the United States of America. , . , .. , „ Lord Layton (Britain) said that the creation of a United Europe Fedeiation in the near future was ,out of the question. Instead the European Council nations should concentrate on increasing economic co-operation, and drawing up a European human rights charter. There were three main stumbling blocks to early European federation. First such an organisation never ex- . me Secondly, there was Britain’s special relation with her Commonwealth. Thirdly several European Council nations do not belong to the Atlantic Pact. He proposed setting up a commit-1

tee of experts to examine the idea of federation and report back to the Assembly in a year. Mr Thorkil Kristensen (Norway'), urged the unification of European forces —military, economic and cultural. “We cannot be satisfied with a state of affairs in which the European countries depend unon outside aiH as at present.” he said. For the first time the question of the admission of Germany to the European Assembly was introduced by a Dutch delegate, M. Van Der Goss. He placed at the ton of a series of unifying proposals the admission of Germany at the Assembly’s next session in August, 1950.