functioh~at present, and then examine them to' find"out~ïf they form

a sufficient institutional framework to conduct the affairs of the maghreb economic community.

1 ^- The council of ministers ;

The council of ministers is the highest body in the scheme for

the economic integration. It consists of the economic ministers who

are authorised by their respective countries to deal with the problems

of economic integration of the maghreb.

It defines the task of the standing consultative committee of the maghreb

(CPCN)

and confines to that committee the studies and ^re¬

searches for the economic co-ordination and harmonization between the countries of the maghreb, and decides the measures

to be taken in the

different fields in which the studies have been made.

In the administrative sphere, the council of

ministers decrees

the budget of the CPCN, controls its

adminstration and chooses the

secretary and the director of the Center of "Industrial Studies of the Maghreb"

(CEIM).

What the council of ministers has done so far is the issuing of Pro¬

tocoles of

conventions/'

^or Declarations. In the first four meetings the

ministers signed Protocoles of convention which show declarations of

intention and, decisions.

(2) (ï)

Protocoles d'accord.

(2)

The fifth session of the council which was held in Tunis in

November 1967 ended by a ministerial declaration. This form was chosen because of the problems of approach to economic, integration.

Since

1967,

"the Standing Committee, faced with certain

difficulties

in the commercial and industrial co-operation, suggested ^{a new}

strategy ï overall solution for a transitional period of five years.

This suggestion was taken into consideration by the council of

ministers. So in the prospect of adjusting the overall programme of the economic co-operation, the ministers will be satisfied with

a Declaration anticipating the signing in due time-of an accord by the government concerning this five year transitory solutions.

The ministers are sometimes called upon, between sessions, to

discuss projects of decisions which are put before

them by the PCPM.

Thisisaflexible form in the institutions which was established by experience.

2 ^- The Standing Consultative Committee of the Maghreb.

The Standing Consultative Committee is a body

supervised by the

Council of Ministers, whose general function is to

study the problems

stemming from the economic co-operation between the maghreb

countries,

and to suggest to the council of ministers all the measures which

would strengthen that co-operation, and realize the establishing

of

the maghreb Economic Community.

The Committee may be considered as the main-spring

(ï)

of the

economic integration of the maghreb, particularly since

the fourth

session of the Council of ministers

(February ^^66, Alger),

which

decided its location in Tunis, where since that date,

the delegates

exercise their activities continuously.

The committee is composed ofa president of ministerial rank, and

four permanent delegates representing Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and

Tunisia.

The presidency is given to each member country for a period of

one year in general. Most of the prerogatives of the President are undertaken by the vice-president who is the permanent delegate of the country which is exercising the presidential function. The CPCM is also assisted by a Secretary, administrative and financial

chargé

d1affaires.

The CPCM has authority over and supervises the work of, all the

commissions and- specialized bodies, the activities of which it co¬

ordinates and orients. It often participates actively in the study

and the elaboration of the work assigned to any of these specialised bodies.

(ï)

Cheville ouvrière,

(King-pin)

IDEP/ET/2340

Page 131

The Committee, according to the instructions of the Council of ministers, has to establish close relations with international,

regional and sub-regional bodies as well as all the economic organisa¬

tions. The committee has its legal personality.

The Specialised Commissions and Bodies

Following the recommendations of the Council of Ministers, the Standing Committee established several specialized commissions a: d bodies, composed of the Maghreb experts, to help implement the

principles laid down by the council in order to achieve economic in¬

tegration. These bodies would begin their work by examining the

fields of co-ordination which have been decided by the council of ministers. The commissions or bodies which deal with important

sectors have been given a special status, and situated in specific places, with permanent secretariats.

Distinction may be made between the commissions and committee

on the one hand and inter-maghreb organizations for trade and research

on the other hand, such as the maghreb "comptoir" for the

Alfa,(l)

and the center of Industrial

Studies.(2)

1 - The Specialized Commissions and Committees

a)

The Maghreb Committee for the co-ordination of Post-

-and Telecommunication

(CMCPT)

s

The role of this committee is to unify the types of administra¬

tion and exploitation of the means of post and Telecommunications,

and to harmonize the structure of the Telecommunication networks.

It also co-ordinates the realization of project in this domain ^0„

The CMCPT is composed of delegates of the four countries and ordinary sessions are held every two years. The presidency is given

to each member.country successively. The regularity of the work of

this committee and the contacts it has made have assisted the

(ï)

Le Comptoir Maghrébin de l'Alfa

(COMALFA)

(2)

Centre d'Etudes Industrielles du Maghreb

(C.E.I.M.).

co-operation between the Maghreb administrations of.post and

Telecom¬

munications and achieved some harmony in this field, :Amongst the resulte achieved is the establishment of direct telephonic and

telegraphic connections between the Maghreb capitals, and the ap-_ h^ca¬

tion of post preferential tariffs,

b)

The Maghreb Commission for Transports and Communication 1 This commission comprises the heads of the specialized

committee-of different branches of transport as well as eight members, two from

each country.

The commission works for the development of transports and communi¬

cation in the Maghreb countries5 encourages the

co-ordination

of trans¬

port in these countries,•and harmonize the

regulations of transports

and communication.

Its office is in

Tunis,from

which it

co-ordinato

and follows r~>

itr

specialized committees, and submits to the

CPCM all iiseful recommenda¬

tions. The committees are four s the'Maghreb committee for air Trans¬

port

(1) (CMTA),

the committee for Railways Transport

of the Maghreb(2^

(CTFM),

the

Maghreb

committee for Road Transport

(3) (CMTR),

and

the

Maghreb

committee,:for.

maritime.. Transport

(4) (C.M.T.M, ).

The interhaT'r'egulations of these committees are more or less tht

same, except

for the

Railway

Committee which holds half yearly

Dans le document Economic integration in the Maghreb (Page 130-133)