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New inventory of Council archives for 1970

Posted on 26 February 2015
The new inventory of Council archives for 1970 sheds light on the Internal Market and in particular taxes on the consumption of manufactured tobacco, regulations concerning the autonomous Common Customs tariff on certain products and the establishment of a joint regime applicable to importations from third countries with details of the decisions taken by the Council on commercial agreements with third countries.

The inventory to the archival fonds of the Council of the European Communities for the year 1970 (CM2/1970) has been finalised and is now available on the website of the Historical Archives of the European Union.

The Council of the European Union is part of the EU legislature and represents the executives of EU Member States. The Council developed from the first Special Council of Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community of 1951. Under the Treaties of Rome in 1957, the Councils of the European Economic Community and of the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) were added. With the Merger Treaty of 1967 the three bodies were combined into a single Council of Ministers.

The 1,552 files of 1970 which are now available for research reflect the Council’s relations with the other EEC institutions, in particular the CES. The Council cooperated closely with the GATT and the OECD and finalised an international agreement on sugar which was adopted by the United Nations Conference.

There is also material devoted to the work of the Special Committee for Agriculture, the reform of agricultural policy in the context of the Mansholt Plan and the financing of the CAP. Numerous documents concern the application of import and export certificates and agricultural prices. The harmonisation of legislative provisions and rules in the field of agriculture by the national administrations are listed for the various agricultural products regulated by the European Communities; wine, fish and fish products and specialised vegetable products were the subject of specific regulations during 1970.

Social issues were also at the fore of decisions taken by the Council in 1970 with files relating to social security,  the free movement of workers and the organisation of a special conference on employment which was held in Luxembourg on the 27-28 April 1970.

Also, the European Communities’ food aid programme for developing countries and relations with Third countries, African countries, Commonwealth and Mediterranean countries is well documented in the fonds as is the work carried out in the area of transport with the introduction of a control device in the field of road transport.

Access the Council archives inventory for 1970
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