Part I
The Antecedents
of the Alliance
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Treaty
of Economic, Social and Cultural Collaboration and Collective Self-Defence
("The
Brussels Treaty")
Brussels, March 17, 1948
His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Belgium, the President
of the French Republic, President of the French Union, Her Royal Highness
the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands
and His Majesty The King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions
beyond the Seas,
Resolved:
- To reaffirm their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity
and worth of the human person and in the other ideals proclaimed in
the Charter of the United Nations;
- To fortify and preserve the principles of democracy, personal freedom
and political liberty, the constitutional traditions and the rule of
law, which are their common heritage;
- To strengthen, with these aims in view, the economic, social and
cultural ties by which they are already united;
- To cooperate loyally and to coordinate their efforts to create in
Western Europe a firm basis for European economic recovery;
- To afford assistance to each other, in accordance with the Charter
of the United Nations, in maintaining international peace and security
and in resisting any policy of aggression;
- To take such steps as may be held to be necessary in the event of
a renewal by Germany of a policy of aggression;
- To associate progressively in the pursuance of these aims other States
inspired by the same ideals and animated by the like determination;
- Desiring for these purposes to conclude a treaty for collaboration
in economic, social and cultural matters and for collective self-defence;
- Have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries: His Royal Highness the
Prince Regent of Belgium: His Excellency Mr. Paul-Henri Spaak, Prime
Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and His Excellency Mr. Gaston
Eyskens, Minister of Finance; The President of the French Republic,
President of the French Union: His Excellency Mr. Georges Bidault, Minister
of Foreign Affairs, and His Excellency Mr. Jean De Hauteclocque, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic in Brussels;
Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg: His Excellency Mr.
Joseph Bech, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and His Excellency Mr. Robert
Als, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Luxembourg
in Brussels; Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands: His Excellency
Baron C.G.W.H. Van Boetzelaer Van Oosterhout, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
and His Excellency Baron Binnert Philip Van Harinxma Thoe Slooten, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands in Brussels; His
Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions
beyond the Seas for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland: The Right Honourable Ernest Bevin, Member of Parliament, Principal
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and His Excellency Sir George
William Rendel, K.C.M.G., Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of His Britannic Majesty in Brussels; who, having exhibited their full
powers found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE I
Convinced of the close community of their interests and
of the necessity of uniting in order to promote the economic recovery
of Europe, the High Contracting Parties will so organise and cordinate
their economic activities as to produce the best possible results, by
the elimination of conflict in their economic policies, the coordination
of production and the development of commercial exchanges.
The cooperation provided for in the preceding paragraph,
which will be effected through the Consultative Council referred to in
Article VII as well as through other bodies, shall not involve any duplication
of, or prejudice to, the work of other economic organisations in which
the High Contracting Parties are or may be represented but shall on the
contrary assist the work of those organisations.
ARTICLE II
The High Contracting Parties will make every effort in
common, both by direct consultation and in specialised agencies, to promote
the attainment of a higher standard of living by their peoples and to
develop on corresponding lines the social and other related services of
their countries.
The High Contracting Parties will consult with the object of achieving
the earliest possible application of recommendations of immediate practical
interest, relating to social matters, adopted with their approval in the
specialised agencies.
They will endeavour to conclude as soon as possible conventions with each
other in the sphere of social security.
ARTICLE III
The High Contracting Parties will make every effort in
common to lead their peoples towards a better understanding of the principles
which form the basis of their common civilisation and to promote cultural
exchanges by conventions between themelves or by other means.
ARTICLE IV
If any of the High Contracting Parties should be the object
of an armed attack in Europe, the other High Contracting Parties will,
in accordance with the provisions of Article 51 of the Charter of the
United Nations, afford the Party so attacked all the military and other
aid and assistance in their power.
ARTICLE V
All measures taken as a result of the preceding Article
shall be immediately reported to the Security Council. They shall be terminated
as soon as the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to maintain
or restore international peace and security.
The present Treaty does not prejudice in any way the obligations of the
High Contracting Parties under the provisions of the Charter of the United
Nations. It shall not be interpreted as affecting in any way the authority
and responsibility of the Security Council under the Charter to take at
any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore
international peace and security.
ARTICLE VI
The High Contracting Parties declare, each so far as he
is concerned, that none of the international engagements now in force
between him and any other of the High Contracting Parties or any third
State is in conflict with the provisions of the present Treaty.
None of the High Contracting Parties will conclude any alliance or participate
in any coalition directed against any other of the High Contracting Parties.
ARTICLE VII
For the purpose of consulting together on all the questions
dealt with in the present Treaty, the High Contracting Parties will create
a Consultative Council, which shall be so organised as to be able to exercise
its functions continuously. The Council shall meet at such times as it
shall deem fit.
At the request of any of the High Contracting Parties, the Council shall
be immediately convened in order to permit the High Contracting Parties
to consult with regard to any situation which may constitute a threat
to peace, in whatever area this threat should arise; with regard to the
attitude to be adopted and the steps to be taken in case of a renewal
by Germany of an aggressive policy; or with regard to any situation constituting
a danger to economic stability.
ARTICLE VIII
In pursuance of their determination to settle disputes
only by peaceful means, the High Contracting Parties will apply to disputes
between themselves the following provisions.
The High Contracting Parties will, while the present Treaty remains in
force, settle all disputes falling within the scope of Article 36, paragraph
2, of the Statute of the International Court of Justice by referring them
to the Court, subject only, in the case of each of them, to any reservation
already made by that party when accepting this clause for compulsory jurisdiction
to the extent that that Party may maintain the reservation.
In addition, the High Contracting Parties will submit to conciliation
all disputes outside the scope of Article 36, paragraph 2, of the Statute
of the International Court of Justice. In the case of a mixed dispute
involving both questions for which conciliation is appropriate and other
questions for which judicial settlement is appropriate, any Party to the
dispute shall have the right to insist that the judicial settlement of
the legal questions shall precede conciliation.
The preceding provisions of this Article in no way affect the application
of relevant provisions or agreements prescribing some other method of
pacific settlement.
ARTICLE IX
The High Contracting Parties may, by agreement, invite
any other State to accede to the present Treaty on conditions to be agreed
between them and the State so invited.
Any State so invited may become a Party to the Treaty by depositing an
instrument of accession with the Belgian Government.
The Belgian Government will inform each of the High Contracting Parties
of the deposit of each instrument of accession.
ARTICLE X
The present Treaty shall be ratified and the instruments
of ratification shall be deposited as soon as possible with the Belgian
Government.
It shall enter into force on the date of the deposit of the last instrument
of ratification and shall thereafter remain in force for fifty years.
After the expiry of the period of fifty years, each of the High Contracting
Parties shall have the right to cease to be a party thereto provided that
he shall have previously given one year's notice of denunciation to the
Belgian Government.
The Belgian Government shall inform the Governments of the other High
Contracting Parties of the deposit of each instrument of ratification
and of each notice of denunciation.
In witness whereof, the above-mentioned Plenipotentiaries have signed
the present Treaty and have affixed thereto their seals.
Done at Brussels, this seventeenth day of March 1948, in English and French,
each text being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall remain
deposited in the archives of the Belgian Government and of which certified
copies shall be transmitted by that Government to each of the other signatories.
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