TASK OF PROMOTING COOPERATION BETWEEN MEMBER STATES .
25 THE FRENCH REPUBLIC' S ARGUMENT THAT THE WHOLE AREA OF POLICY ON FOREIGN NATIONALS FALLS OUTSIDE THE SOCIAL FIELD INASMUCH AS IT INVOLVES QUESTIONS OF PUBLIC SECURITY FOR WHICH THE MEMBER STATES ALONE ARE RESPONSIBLE CANNOT BE ACCEPTED . WHILST IT IS TRUE THAT PURSUANT TO THEIR RULES GOVERNING FOREIGN NATIONALS MEMBER STATES MAY TAKE MEASURES WITH REGARD TO WORKERS WHO ARE NATIONALS OF NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES - EITHER BY ADOPTING NATIONAL RULES OR BY NEGOTIATING INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS - WHICH ARE BASED ON CONSIDERATIONS OF PUBLIC POLICY, PUBLIC SECURITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND WHICH ARE, AS SUCH, THEIR SOLE RESPONSIBILITY, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE WHOLE FIELD OF MIGRATION POLICY IN RELATION TO NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES FALLS NECESSARILY WITHIN THE SCOPE OF PUBLIC SECURITY .
26 THE ARGUMENT RAISED BY THE FRENCH REPUBLIC AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY TO THE EFFECT THAT THE DUTY OF NOTIFICATION IS LIABLE TO JEOPARDIZE THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECRECY AND CONFIDENTIALITY, PARTICULARLY IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES, MUST LIKEWISE BE REJECTED SINCE THERE IS NO IMPERATIVE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DRAFTS TO BE NOTIFIED UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THEY ARE PUBLISHED . MOREOVER, UNDER ARTICLE 4 OF THE DECISION THE MEMBER STATES ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY STEPS TO SAFEGUARD THE CONFIDENTIAL NATURE OF THE INFORMATION EXCHANGED, WHICH MUST COVER INFORMATION COMMUNICATED VOLUNTARILY BEFORE PUBLICATION .
27 SINCE THE CONTESTED DECISION FALLS ONLY PARTLY OUTSIDE THE SOCIAL FIELD COVERED BY ARTICLE 118, IT MUST BE CONSIDERED WHETHER THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 118, WHICH PROVIDES THAT THE COMMISSION IS TO ACT, INTER ALIA, BY ARRANGING CONSULTATIONS, GIVES IT THE POWER TO ADOPT A BINDING DECISION WITH A VIEW TO THE ARRANGEMENT OF SUCH CONSULTATIONS .
28 IN THAT CONNECTION IT MUST BE EMPHASIZED THAT WHERE AN ARTICLE OF THE EEC TREATY - IN THIS CASE ARTICLE 118 - CONFERS A SPECIFIC TASK ON THE COMMISSION IT MUST BE ACCEPTED, IF THAT PROVISION IS NOT TO BE RENDERED WHOLLY INEFFECTIVE, THAT IT CONFERS ON THE COMMISSION NECESSARILY AND PER SE THE POWERS WHICH ARE INDISPENSABLE IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT THAT TASK . ACCORDINGLY, THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 118 MUST BE INTERPRETED AS CONFERRING ON THE COMMISSION ALL THE POWERS WHICH ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO ARRANGE THE CONSULTATIONS . IN ORDER TO PERFORM THAT TASK OF ARRANGING CONSULTATIONS THE COMMISSION MUST NECESSARILY BE ABLE TO REQUIRE THE MEMBER STATES TO NOTIFY ESSENTIAL INFORMATION, IN THE FIRST PLACE IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS AND IN THE SECOND PLACE IN ORDER TO PINPOINT THE POSSIBLE GUIDELINES FOR ANY FUTURE JOINT ACTION ON THE PART OF THE MEMBER STATES; LIKEWISE IT MUST BE ABLE TO REQUIRE THEM TO TAKE PART IN CONSULTATIONS .
29 INDEED, THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN MEMBER STATES REQUIRED BY ARTICLE 118 IS ONLY POSSIBLE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF ORGANIZED CONSULTATIONS . IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY ACTION TO INITIATE IT THAT COLLABORATION MIGHT REMAIN A DEAD LETTER, EVEN THOUGH PROVISION IS MADE FOR IT