Accordo di Venezia del giugno 1980 sulla partecipazione britannica alla CEE
SUMMARY BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL
1. The conclusions reached on 29 and 30 May by the Council of Ministers of the Community were noted with satisfaction. These conclusions enabled a solution to be found to the problem of the United Kingdom’s contribution to the Community budget, led to an agreement on 1980/1981 farm prices and on the sheepmeat problem and defined the guidelines for a comprehensive common fisheries policy. The outcome of these discussions has led, inter alia, to finalization of the 1980 budget, thereby normalizing the working of the Community.
A key feature of the agreements thus reached is the Community commitment to implement structural changes which, by ensuring a more balanced development of common policies, based on respect for their fundamental principles, and by preventing the recurrence of unacceptable situations, will enable each Member State to become more closely identified with Community objectives and with the deepening process of European integration.
This commitment is a fundamental prerequisite, especially bearing in mind the prospect of enlargement, if the Community is to be able to meet its internal and international responsibilities authoritatively and effectively; to respond to the expectations of the citizens of Europe with ever closer solidarity between Member States in the various sectors of political, economic and social activity; to promote greater convergence and the harmonious development of their economies, help to reduce the disparities between the various regions and the ground to be made up by the less well-off; in short, to realize in full the objectives enshrined in the Treaties, in total compliance with the ideals underlying the grand design of European unification.
2. A review of the economic and social situation confirmed the judgements expressed at the European Council meeting on 27 and 28 April 1980.
In particular, the keenest concern was expressed at the hardening inflationary pressures, which represent the gravest of threats to the stability and to the development of the Member States’ economies; these pressures also pose a threat because of the varying degrees to which they are evident in the various countries of the Community.
The major short term objective must be to contain inflation. This should be done by means of appropriate monetary and fiscal policies, coupled with measures designed to sustain investment and to cope with the employment situation while keeping external imbalances within acceptable bounds.
Given the slow-down in demand which is appearing in other major economic areas, stress was laid on the importance of action to ensure that the risk of a general recession in demand is averted through appropriate international collaboration.
3 In the face of the increasingly disturbing employment situation, particularly as regards young people, there was reaffirmation of the priority need, in some of. the Member States, for short-term structural measures in the context of an active employment policy.
It is essential that the Community should be in a position systematically to evaluate the impact on employment of the various Community policies from the time of their inception, to ensure a better co-ordination of employment policies at Community level and to harmonize Community action in the field of economic policy with that taken in the social and employment fields.
The outcome of the Social Affairs Council on 9 June 1980 was noted with satisfaction, especially as regards the consultations between employers and labour. The Council is asked to continue its proceedings with a view to achieving the above objectives, on the basis of periodic reports from the Commission on the employment situation.
4. In the belief that in 1980 the decline in growth rates in the various industrialized areas would be quite sharp, among other things because of the rise in crude oil prices, the commitment to take an active part in strengthening the open and multilateral international trade system was renewed, in accordance with the statement by the member countries of the OECD at the ministerial meeting on 3 and 4 June 1980. In particular, the hope was expressed that all the industrialized countries would do their utmost to confront and resolve the outstanding trade problems, adopting solutions in line with the content and spirit of the outcome of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations.
5. With reference to the conclusions of the European Council in Luxembourg on 27 and 28 April 1980, a further examination of the international monetary situation took place. This was seen still to be dominated by the problems of the huge balance of payments disequilibria stemming from recent oil price increases. Righting of these imbalances can only be effected in the long term by means of stabilization of the terms of trade and the necessary real adjustments to our economies.
The recycling of oil surpluses can in the short term attenuate the negative effects of these imbalances.
This process, to which the private capital market has an essential contribution to make, must be backed up by development of the role of international financial institutions.
6. Stress was laid on the primary importance of the North-South Dialogue for the stability of international relations. It is intended that a further boost should be given to co-operation with the developing countries. This should contribute, on the basis of interdependence and mutual advantage, to creating the degree of economic expansion required, in the context of a restructuring of international economic relations, to enable the developing countries to make rapid progress.
With this in view, the need remains for a political commitment to the global negotiations, to finalizing the Third International Development Strategy, to the agreements on the statutes of the Common Fund for the stabilization of raw material prices and the continuation of the negotiations on commodities.
Much is expected of the 11th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, The report of the Brandt Commission could, it is felt, make a particularly interesting contribution to its successful outcome.
Inevitably, concern was expressed about the effect on development policy of the continuing increases in crude oil prices and of the economic and political tensions to which these have given rise.
7. Particular attention was devoted to the worsening international energy crisis. The decisions of the Council of Ministers (Energy) on 13 May and 9 June to reduce the ratio between the growth of GNP and increased energy consumption and the share of oil in the Community’s energy budget were noted with satisfaction. The keenest concern was expressed at the further pressures for a price increase brought toe bear in Algiers; it was pointed out that no objective grounds existed for increasing the price of crude at the present time.
The repetition of such increases constitutes an obvious threat to international stability. Its effects upon the phenomenon of inflation and consequently upon economic expansion, investment, employment and the balance of payments give rise to intolerable burdens for the industrialized regions and even more so for the emergent countries, the latter being confronted with truly insoluble problems of readjustment which can clearly not be resolved by recycling alone.
These aspects of the crisis which will be highlighted at the forthcoming Economic Summit, must be given their full weight.
The Community remains willing to enter into a dialogue with all the countries concerned. It regrets, however, that the recent OPEC decisions may have made such a dialogue more difficult to achieve.
Brussels, 18 June 1980
CORRIGENDUM (e)
to
Point 6, 2nd Paragraph of the
SUMMARY BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL
This paragraph should read as follows:
“With this in view, the political commitment to the global negotiations, to finalizing the Third International Development Strategy, and to the agreements on the statutes of the Common Fund for the stabilization of raw material prices and the continuation of the negotiations on commodities, remains fully valid.”