On 2 May 1968, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the Council’s reply to WEU Assembly Recommendation 164 on the political responsibilities of WEU countries outside Europe. The Council outlines the various activities and consultations, particularly concerning the Middle East, Africa, East–West relations and the action of non-aligned countries. These consultations and exchanges of information on the international situation reveal a common approach on several aspects of the questions discussed. Although the progress in European integration may lead governments to work towards closer political collaboration, the Council emphasises the importance of pursuing consultations on such issues.

On 14 July 1960, the Council of Western European Union (WEU) circulates its final reply to Assembly Recommendation 40 on the state of European security. The Council appreciates the attention that the Assembly Committee on Defence Questions and Armaments has devoted to the analysis of defence issues in the WEU member countries. But the Council cannot accept the Assembly’s argument that nuclear parity is leading to the threat of a limited war in Europe, since NATO doctrine precludes such a possibility. This doctrine states that the NATO shield should be strong enough to form a deterrent to all kinds of minor aggression. Moreover, the Council cannot accept the premise in the Assembly’s Recommendation on the adoption of a regional policy for European security within the Atlantic Alliance, since it believes that the collective defence of Europe and North America should be based on this organisation. It cannot accept that in the event of an attack on a NATO member, the other states would not provide their full support. The Council also considers the creation of a joint European strategic nuclear force under WEU control to be unacceptable. On the matter of cooperation in the field of arms production, the Council explains that experience has shown that it is virtually impossible to develop an overall plan for the joint production of armaments.

In a note dated 6 June 1956, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the draft reply from the WEU Council to the preliminary report of the Assembly’s Committee on Defence Questions and Armaments. The Council believes that it is important to give a brief summary of how the question of collective defence in Western Europe has developed before replying to the additional questions, so that the Assembly can clearly understand how tasks are divided between WEU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The WEU should be seen only as the depository of the solemn undertaking to afford mutual assistance embodied in Article V of the modified Brussels Treaty and as the guardian of the procedure laid down in Article VIII. Consequently, the Council is not in a position to reply to matters relating to the maintenance and the defence of peace in Western Europe, which are the responsibility of NATO. But the Council is able to reply to any questions relating to its subsidiary bodies, the Standing Armaments Committee (SAC) and the Agency for the Control of Armaments (ACA).

On 12 September 1952, the French daily newspaper Le Monde comments on the appointment of Paul-Henri Spaak as President of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community in Strasbourg.

On 8 February 1977, the Secretariat-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates a draft reply, prepared by the French delegation, to Assembly Recommendation 296 on western Europe’s policy towards Mediterranean problems. The draft reply sets out the WEU Council’s position on the situation in the eastern Mediterranean and emphasises that the defence of that region is currently the responsibility of the Atlantic Alliance. The establishment of a programme to strengthen Europe’s role in the joint defence of the eastern Mediterranean is scarcely within the realm of the WEU Council’s tasks.

On 14 June 1977, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the reply by the WEU Council to Assembly Recommendation 292 on the role of the Atlantic Alliance in the world today. Despite the economic crisis affecting the Western world, the Council emphasises the vigilance that must be exercised in order to ensure balance and stability in Europe, noting the importance of the Helsinki Final Act and the vital role of effective joint defence in view of the growing threat of the Warsaw Pact. The Council particularly mentions the action taken by WEU Member States in the various international bodies (CSCE, NATO, etc.) on issues relating to disarmament, defence, the promotion of parliamentary democracy and respect for human rights.

On 5 February 1982, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates a draft reply prepared by the French delegation to WEU Assembly Recommendation 374 on the reappraisal of global dangers to western peace and security. The WEU Council emphasises that it is paying particular attention to the development of relations between East and West and notes that the WEU Member States are in favour of any political consultation mechanisms that would enable a common assessment to be made of crisis situations endangering international peace. The Council believes that it is impossible to dissociate the security of the areas covered by the North Atlantic Treaty from that of other parts of the world. The Council’s final reply reproduces the French proposal in its entirety (C (82) 46).

In 1953, three political groups are formed in the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community: the Christian-Democratic Group, the Socialist Group and the Liberal Group.

Statement of formation of the Christian-Democratic Group as a faction in the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, dated 23 June 1953.

Report presented on 19 November 1954 by Pierre-Henri Teitgen concerning the powers of scrutiny of the Common Assembly and their use.