Paris Agreements

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Paris Agreements 1954 (creating the Modified Brussels Treaty) (1954)

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The Treaty of Brussels 1948 signed on 17 March 1948, which created the Western Union Defence Organization was amended by the Paris Agreements signed on 23 October 1954. The resultant treaty was known as the Modified Brussels Treaty, and the WUDO was renamed the Western European Union (WEU).
Source: WEU Website - 'Text of Modified Brussels Treaty'.

2423299Paris Agreements 1954 (creating the Modified Brussels Treaty)1954

TITLE

Protocol Modifying and Completing the Brussels Treaty

Preamble

His Majesty the King of the Belgians, 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 Her Majesty The Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Parties to the Treaty of Economic, Social and Cultural Collaboration and Collective Self-Defence, signed at Brussels on March 17, 1948, hereinafter referred to as the Treaty, on the one hand, and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and the President of the Italian Republic on the other hand,

Inspired by a common will to strengthen peace and security;

Desirous to this end of promoting the unity and of encouraging the progressive integration of Europe;

Convinced that the accession of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Italian Republic to the Treaty will represent a new and substantial advance towards these aims;

Having taken into consideration the decisions of the London Conference as set out in the Final Act of October 3, 1954, and its Annexes;

Have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:

His Majesty the King of the Belgians His Excellency M. Paul-Henri Spaak, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The President of the French Republic, President of the French Union His Excellency M. Pierre Mendès-France, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The President of the Federal Republic of Germany His Excellency Dr. Konrad Adenauer, Federal Chancellor, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The President of the Italian Republic His Excellency M. Gaetano Martino, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg His Excellency M. Joseph Bech, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands His Excellency M. Johan Willem Beyen, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Her Majesty The Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth For the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The Right Honourable Sir Anthony Eden, K.G., M.C., Member of Parliament, Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Who, having exhibited their full powers found in good and due form,

Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE I

The Federal Republic of Germany and the Italian Republic hereby accede to the Treaty as modified and completed by the present Protocol. The High Contracting Parties to the present Protocol consider the Protocol on Forces of Western European Union (hereinafter referred to as Protocol No. II), the Protocol on the Control of Armaments and its Annexes (hereinafter referred to as Protocol No. III), and the Protocol on the Agency of Western European Union for the Control of Armaments (hereinafter referred to as Protocol No. IV) to be an integral part of the present Protocol.

ARTICLE II

The sub-paragraph of the preamble to the Treaty: "to take such steps as may be held necessary in the event of renewal by Germany of a policy of aggression" shall be modified to read: "to promote the unity and to encourage the progressive integration of Europe". The opening words of the second paragraph of Article I shall read: "The co-operation provided for in the preceding paragraph, which will be effected through the Council referred to in Article VIII ...".

ARTICLE III

The following new Article shall be inserted in the Treaty as Article IV: "In the execution of the Treaty the High Contracting Parties and any organs established by Them under the Treaty shall work in close co-operation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. "Recognising the undesirability of duplicating the military staffs of NATO, the Council and its Agency will rely on the appropriate Military Authorities of NATO for information and advice on military matters". Articles IV, V, VI and VII of the Treaty will become respectively Articles V, VI, VII and VIII.

ARTICLE IV

Article VIII of the Treaty (formerly Article VII) shall be modified to read as follows:

«For the purposes of strengthening peace and security and of promoting unity and of encouraging the progressive integration of Europe and closer co-operation between Them and with other European organisations, the High Contracting Parties to the Brussels Treaty shall create a Council to consider matters concerning the execution of this Treaty and of its Protocols and their Annexes. «This Council shall be known as the 'Council of Western European Union'; it shall be so organised as to be able to exercise its functions continuously; it shall set up such subsidiary bodies as may be considered necessary: in particular, it shall establish immediately an Agency for the Control of Armaments whose functions are defined in Protocol No. IV. «At the request of any of the High Contracting Parties the Council shall be immediately convened in order to permit Them to consult with regard to any situation which may constitute a threat to peace, in whatever area this threat should arise, or a danger to economic stability. «The Council shall decide by unanimous vote questions for which no other voting procedure has been or may be agreed. In the cases provided for in Protocols II, III and IV it will follow the various voting procedures, unanimity, two-thirds majority, simple majority, laid down therein. It will decide by simple majority questions submitted to it by the Agency for the Control of Armaments.»

ARTICLE V

A new Article shall be inserted in the Treaty as Article IX: "The Council of Western European Union shall make an Annual Report on its activities and in particular concerning the control of armaments to an Assembly composed of representatives of the Brussels Treaty Powers to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe". The Articles VIII, IX and X of the Treaty shall become respectively Articles X, XI and XII.

ARTICLE VI

The present Protocol and other Protocols listed in Article I above shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited as soon as possible with the Belgian Government. They shall enter into force when all instruments of ratification of the present Protocol have been deposited with the Belgian Government and the instrument of accession of the Federal Republic of Germany to the North Atlantic Treaty has been deposited with the Government of the United States of America. The Belgian Government shall inform the Governments of the other High Contracting Parties and the Government of the United States of America of the deposit of each instrument of ratification. In witness whereof the above-mentioned Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Protocol and have affixed thereto their seals. Done at Paris this twenty-third day of October, 1954, in two texts, in the English and French languages, each text being equally authoritative 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.

Signatories

For Belgium:
(L.S.) P.-H. SPAAK.

For France:
(L.S.) P. MENDÈS-FRANCE.

For the Federal Republic of Germany:
(L.S.) ADENAUER.

For Italy:
(L.S.) G. MARTINO.

For Luxembourg:
(L.S.) JOS. BECH.

For the Netherlands:
(L.S.) J.W. BEYEN.

For the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
(L.S.) ANTHONY EDEN.

Annex I

A. Letter Concerning the Application and Interpretation of Article X of the Modified Brussels Treaty, Addressed by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Other Governments Signatory to the Protocol Modifying and Completing the Brussels Treaty B. Reply to the Letter of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany by the other Governments signatory to the Protocol modifying and completing the Brussels Treaty

Annex II

A. Letter Concerning the Application and Interpretation of Article X of the Modified Brussels Treaty, Addressed by the Government of Italy to the Other Governments Signatory to the Protocol Modifying and Completing the Brussels Treaty B. Reply to the Letter of the Government of Italy by the Other Governments Signatory to the Protocol Modifying and Completing the Brussels Treaty Protocol No. II on Forces of Western European Union Agreement Drawn up on 14 December 1957 in Implementation of Article V of Protocol No. II of the Brussels Treaty as modified by the Protocols signed at Paris on October 23, 1954

Protocol No. III on the Control of Armaments Protocol No. IV on the Agency of Western European Union for the Control of Armaments Declaration Inviting Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany to Accede to the Brussels Treaty