CELEX: 51982PC0140
Language: en
Date: 1982-03-17 00:00:00
Title: RECOMMENDATION FOR COUNCIL DECISION authorizing the Commission to negotiate an exchange of letters between the European Economic Community and the European Foundation (submitted by the Commission to the Council)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (82) 140
Vol. 1982/0046
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit
règlement.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243,
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983,
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                         COM(82)140 final
                                                         Brussels . 17 March 1982
                        RECOMMENDATION FOR COUNCIL DECISION
                authorizing the Commission to negotiate an exchange
                                                       \
                of letters between the European Economic Community
                           and the European Foundation
                 ( submitted by the Commission to the/ Council)
                                                                                  !
COM ( 82 ) 1^0 final
 ---pagebreak---                                                    c<jwv
                   EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM        |
                                                                       I
■             :         ••■■■■■                     ' - il      J
  1.    The European Council session on 7/8 April 197 ,8 decided that
        there should be set up a European Foundation paving as its
  purpose to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of
  the Community and promote better knowledge of the ^European
  cultural heritage in its rich diversity and its unity and fuller
  understanding of European integration .
       It was subsequently settled that the Foundation should be
  instituted by an agreement under international law to which all
  the European Community Member States would be contracting parties .
 2.    The draft Agreement establishing the Foundation provides
       that the Foundation 's activities are to complement those
of other existing Institutions or bodies , and are not to overlap
with Community programmes . To ensure proper coordination between
the respective activities , it provides that a number of members of
the Board of the Foundation are to be appointed by the Community.
The Commission considers the Community should accept this offer .
3-     By the terms of the draft Agreement the funding ^or the
       Foundation would come from (a ) a Community contribution and
                                                           ι
 (b ) voluntary contributions public and private .
       The Commission considers that there will not be a sufficient
flow of private contributions to the Foundation in the Initial
running-in period . There is therefore the danger that the Foundation
will not be able to launch its activities effectively without a
substantial contribution from the Community . The Commission
also takes the view that some of the Foundation 's activities are
of particular value to the Community and hence warrant Community
funding .                    .       -
k.     The Commission considers the best way to assure ^he Foundation
       of the funds essential to its launching is a contractual
undertaking between the Community and the Foundation , whereby the
Foundation would have a certain modicum of funds available to it
                                           J
                                                                • • •/• • •
 ---pagebreak---                                 2
for its first few years : the overall sum it would need in its first
three years would , the Commission estimates , be at least four
million ECUF . The Budgeting Authority would of course determine
each year in the course of the budget procedure what appropriation
was to go into the Community Budget : that appropriation in the
Commission 's view would rank as non-compulsory expenditure .
5.   The Member States now plan to sign the Act establishing the
     European Foundation on 29 March next . Although the
Community/Foundation negotiations cannot begin until the
establishing agreement has been ratified by the Member States
in accordance with their respective internal arrangements , it
would be well to get the directives for the negotiations laid
down right away , thus giving the Member States advance notice of
how it is' intended the Community should take part in the Foudation 's
activities .
6«   The Commission accordingly recommends that the Council
     authorize it to negotiate with the Foundation when the
latter is legally established an agreement in the form of an
exchange of letters as contained in the annex to this recommendation .
 ---pagebreak---                Recommendation for a
                 COUNCIL DECISION
authorizing the Commission to negotiate an exchange of
letters between the European Economic Community and the
              European Foundation
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community ,
having regard to the recommendation from the Commission ,
                                               ■ ρ
whereas the Member States of the European Communities have by
an agreement of ............. set up a European Foundation ,
                                                 i
whereas that agreement contains provision for the European
Economic Community to appoint ten members of the Board of the
Foundation and to make a financial contribution to the Foundation ,
DECIDES :
                        Sole Article
     The Commission is hereby authorized to negotiate an •
exchange of letters between the European Economic Community
and the European Foundation in accordance with the annexed
outline .
 ---pagebreak---                                                     ANNEX
              DRAFT LETTER TO EUROPEAN FOUNDATION       j
 Sir ,
       The European Economic Community has noted with satisfaction
 that the Member States of the European . Communities have s$t up
the European Foundation .
       It is of the opinion that the functions of the Foundation
are complementary to its own activities .     Proper coordination
must therefore be ensured between Community and Foundation
activities .
       To help achieve this the Community , availing itself of
the opportunities afforded by the terms of the Agreement
setting up the Foundation , will
       . first , appoint ten members of the Board of the Foundation
         for a period of four years ;
       . secondly , place at the disposal of the Foundation a
         financial contribution of four million Ecus for a period
         of three years .
       This is on the understanding that the Foundation agrees ,
in compliance with the rules applying to the General Budget of
the Communities , to scrutiny by the Commission and the Court of
Auditors of the use made of the Community contribution .
       I shall be glad if you will kindly acknowledge receipt of
this letter and confirm that you agree to its terms .
       Pray accept , Sir . the assurance of my highest consideration .
                                            For the Council