Commission reports annually on its work to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Functions and Powers

The Commission affords a mechanism, under the auspices of the United Nations, through which European governments may study and take concerted action, on an agreed basis, for European regional and intergovernmental economic reconstruction and development. This has involved such activities as allocation of coal, facilitation of international transport, arrangements for the return and exchange of rolling stock, standardization of rolling-stock parts, and periodic reviews of the general economic situation in Europe, including the annual Economic Survey of Europe. The coal, steel, and transport committees of the Commission have been particularly active, carrying on a variety of activities through technical subcommittees. Recommendations on technical matters agreed upon by the committees of the Commission ordinarily go directly to the governments from the delegates to ECE without going through the Commission. The Commission cooperates with the regional commissions for the Far East and Latin America on subjects of mutual interest and concern.

Relations Between ECE and Other
European Organizations

Although there is no formal tie between the Organization for European Economic Cooperation and ECE, informal relationships have been established.

The Western Union (Brussels Pact)

Origin and Purposes

BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER Ernest Bevin, in a major foreign

policy address to the House of Commons on January 22, 1948, called for a consolidation of Western Europe. Following this initiative, the Brussels Pact, establishing the Western Union, was signed on March 17, 1948, by France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom for the purpose of closer collaboration in economic, social, and cultural matters and for collective self-defense.

Functions and Organization

The major significance of the Western Union lies in the fact that its establishment reflected official recognition of the need for collective self-defense and the consolidation of Western Europe. It has served as the forerunner of other European and North Atlantic organizations, which are now pursuing its purposes on a broader basis.

With the activation of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE), the military functions of the Western Union were absorbed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As a result of the formation of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), which includes all the Brussels powers, only one month after the signing of the Brussels Pact, economic cooperation never became a major concern of the Western Union. In addition, the assembly of the Council of Europe has recommended that the social and cultural functions of the Western Union be transferred to the Council of Europe. This question is now under study.

The primary function of the Western Union was to provide permanent consultative machinery for joint defense against armed aggression in Europe. In some respects the organizational structure set up under the Brussels Treaty served as a model for NATO.

Beyond its military activities, the social and cultural activities of the organization have been most important. A number of conventions and agreements have been reached between the Brussels powers resulting from the work of its technical committees on such matters as social security, cultural identity cards, labor exchanges, and "health areas."

The Western Union organization consists of a Consultative Council made up of the Foreign Ministers of the five member nations, a Permanent Commission to act in behalf of the Council between sessions, and several subordinate committees, boards, and subcommittees of ministers or experts on military, economic, social, and cultural questions. Although for the most part inactive, except for the social and cultural committees, this organization still exists.

The Organization for European
Economic Cooperation (OEEC)

Origin and Purpose

IN RESPONSE TO Secretary of State George C. Marshall's

speech of June 5, 1947, proposing American aid to those European countries willing to work out a plan for common action to bring about economic recovery, the Committee for European Economic Cooperation was established to formulate a joint recovery program. In the general report of the Committee, the 16 participating countries stated that "if means for carrying out the program are made available, a joint organization to review progress achieved in the execution of the program will be necessary." Immediately following passage of the first European Recovery Act in April 1948, the Convention on European Economic Cooperation, containing the charter of OEEC, was signed.

The fundamental purpose of the Organization is the achievement of a healthy and prosperous European economy through cooperative effort among its members. In pursuing this goal, the members set their immediate task as the elaboration and execution of a joint recovery program.

Organization

The following countries are the present members of OEEC: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the Anglo-American zone of the Free Territory of Trieste. In June 1950 the United States and Canada accepted an invitation to associate themselves informally with OEEC and, although they are not members, they are usually represented at its meetings.

The Organization, which has its seat in Paris, consists of a Council of Ministers, an Executive Committee, a General Secretariat, the Managing Board of the European Payments Union