Opean Mmunitie

OPEAN MMUNITIE Ia 1 11 L\ 1977 :) Commission 10th year ) \ \ U The Bulletin of the European Communities reports on the activities of the Commission and the other Community institutions. lt is edited by the Secretariat-General of the Commission (rue de la Loi 2OO, B-1049 Brussels) and published eleven times a year (one issue covers July and August) in the official Community languages and Spanish. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged. The following reference system is used : the first digit indicates the part number, the second digit the chapter number and the subsequent digit or digits thg point number. Citations should therefore read as follows: Bull. EC 1-1977, point 1.1.3 or 2.2.36. Supplements to the Bulletin are publishd in a separate series at irregular intervals. They contain official Commission material (e.9. communications to the Council, programmes, reports and proposals). The Supplements do not appear in Spanish. Printed in Belgium BULLETIN OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES European Coal and Steel Community European Economic Community European Atomic Energy Community Commission of the European Communities Secretariat-General \ Brussels \ No 11 1977 Sent to press in December 1977. 1Oth year contents SPECIAL PART ONE FEATURES 1. European Union: 1977 reports to the European Council from the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and the Commission 6 2. A European Foundation: the Commission's report to the Euro- pean Council 7 3. Steel and shipbuilding: industries in crisis 9 4. The Community and the arts: Commission communication 13 5. Consumer protection and information: First Report 14 ACTIVITIES PART TWO IN NOVEMBER 1977 1. Building the Community 18 - Economic and monetary policy 18 - lnternal market and industrial affairs 19 - Customs union 22 - Competition 26 - Financial institutions and taxation 32 - Employment and social policy 34 - Regional policy 37 - Environment and consumer protection 38 - Agriculture and fisheries 39 - Transport policy 43 - Energy policy 45 - Research and development, science and education 47 2. External relations 52 - Enlargement 52 - Political cooperation 52 - Multilateral approaches 53 - Development 56 Commodities and world agreements 59 - policy 60 - Commercial - lnternational organizations 62 - Mediterranean countries 65 - ACP States and the OCT 67 - Other countries 69 - Diplomatic relations 71 3. lnstitutional and political matters 71 - lnstitutional developments - European policy 71 - lnstitutions and organs of the Communities 72 o Parliament 72 o Council 77 o Commission 80 r Court of Justice 82 o Court of Auditors 88 o Economic and Social Committee 88 o European lnvestment Bank 92 - Financing Community activities 99 PART THREE DOCUMENTATION 1. Additional references in the Official Journal 106 2. Report on political cooperation 108 3. Transport: Priority business for a working programme to 1980 113 Publications of the European Communities Supplements 1977 1/77 Equality of rights for commercial agents 2/77 Community regional policy - New guidelines 3/77 Common policy for science and technology 4/ 77 Youth employment PART ONE SPECIAL FEATURES \ - 1. European Union European Union the ism to be prevented and for access to external 1977 reports to markets, energy sources and commodity sources European Council from the to be safeguarded. The Community must adapt Ministers for Foreign Affairs the structures of its economy to bring them clos- er into line with the new international economic and the Commission situation, particularly as regaids the developing countries. 1.1.1. The Eureopean Council on 5 and 6 De- The Commission also recalls that on the eve of cember had before it reports from the Ministers direct elections most Europeans still regard the for Foreign Affairs and the Commission on prog- Community as something theoretical and far ress made towards European Union in 1977.1 away. It emphasises that substantial efforts must When it met in The Hague on 29 and 30 Novem- be made to bring the Community home to the ber 1976, the European Council, having exam- public. ined the Tindemans Report on European Union,2 The planned European Foundation should be asked the Foreign Ministers and the Commission able to help here, as should the various declara- to report once a year'on the results obtained and tions on fundamental rights and democracy as the progress which can be achieved in the short part of the very essence of the Community. The term in the various sectors of the Union, thus Commission's view is that the accent should be translating into reality the common conception of placed on those aspects of the Community's ac- European Union'.1 tivities which are evidence of its involvement in day{oday life, notably by speeding up progress 1.1.2. The Commission's report notes that in on the environment, consumer protection and 1977 lhe Member States have been preoccupied free movement of persons. almost exclusively with the domestic effects of the crisis and have not been able to seize the op- Lastly, the Commission reaflf,trms that the insti- portunities offered by the Community to solve tutions of the Community need strengthening if their problems. It is thus hardly surprising that union is to be attained. Direct elections are of meagre progress has been made towards Euro- especial importance here. They provide a means of pean Union this year, though the Community interesting the citizen of Europe in the Commu- has at least managed to prevent a retum to pro- nity, giving him a sense of responsibility and giv- tectionism. The Commission believes that if ing a new political impetus to our shared objec- progress is to be made towards European Union tive. The other Community institutions must the objective of economic and monetary union likewise be strengthened so as to improve their must be relaunched. Progress will be possible operation. only if the Member States immediately reaflirm their determination to achieve it and actively pre- pare the ground for the qualitative jump to ec- bnomic and monetary union. The urgency of this is all the greater as the Community now faces the challenge of a second enlargement. In external relations the Commission notes that progress has been made in that the Community is increasingly regarded as an entity in its own Supplement 8/77 Bull. EC. right. It feels that it is vital for the multilateral Supplement l176 - Bull. EC. economic system to be developed, for protection- Bull. EC ll176, point- 2501. 6 Bull. EC ll-1977 2. A European Fou ndation European Foundation The Commission's report discussed in detail the rationale for a European Foundation, in order to meet needs especially to the European Council acutely felt at the present time: the Community's work must be better understood and more widely supported, understanding between the Commu- 1.2.1. On l7 November, the Commission sent a nity's own citizens strengthened and the Com- report to the European Council on the terms of munity's image projected to the rest of the world. reference, nature and funding of a European For this purpose an independent Foundation Mr Foundationr along the lines suggested by complementing the work of the European insti- European Tindemans in his report on Union.2 tutions would be exceedingly useful, provided its At its meeting in Rome on 26 March 1977 the methods were clearly defined and priorities European Council instructed the Commission to agreed. draw up this report for its last meeting of the year on 5 and 6 December.s Objectives In preparing the report, the Commission was as- sisted by a group of outside experts. 1.2.3. The report goes on to consider the aims the Foundation would be assigned in the various fields listed by Mr Tindemans: Tasks and methods of the Foundation (a) youth work: particular stress is laid on schemes for the young at school and university, 1.2.2. The Commission's report first examines and still morc for'young adults', with special ref- the tasks of a European Foundation, as Mr erences to exchanges of young workers and stu- Tindemans had proposed. He had suggested that dents; the task of the Foundation could be (b) scienti/ic debates and symposia and research ac- 'to promote, either directly or by assisting exist- tivities: the Foundation could be very helpful in ing bodies, anything which could help towards breaking down barriers between national projects greater understanding among our peoples by plac- youth and coordinating research on European integra- ing the emphasis on human contact: activ- tion; ities, university exchanges, scientific debates and symposia, meetings between the socio-profession- (c) social and occupational groups: the Foundation al categories, cultural and information activities. could help to get these groups to know one an- This Foundation will also have a role to play in other better and form a fuller and clearer picture presenting abroad the image of a United Europe. of what life is like in one another's countries; By virtue of its character, this Foundation will of- (d) cultural and information operations.'while tak- ten by able to intervene more flexibly and more ing care not to encourage anything in the nature effectively than national or European authorities. of elitism, the Foundation should work for better It will also offer the innumerable supporters of knowledge the common European heritage European unification in our countries an oppor- of and encourage contact between leading lights in tunity to make a personal contribution by aiding the Community countries' socio-cultural affairs. the Foundation. In this manner it will be more clearly apparent that the creation of the Union I Supplement 5177 Bull. EC. can and must be a matter for us all.' 2 Report on European- Union by Mr I*o Tindemans, the part Prime Minister of Belgium, to the European Council; Chap- Before considering the the Foundation could ter IV, 'A citizen's Europe'; Supplement 1176 Bull.

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