THE COUNCIL
HAVING REGARD to Article 13(a) of the Convention for European Economic Co-operation of 16th April 1948;
HAVING REGARD to the Recommendation of the Council of 27th July concerning the Simplification of Formalities required in the matter of Passports for Crossing Frontiers;
CONSIDERING that under Section II of this Recommendation the Tourism Committee was instructed to draw up a standard specimen of an identity card which could be used for international travel;
HAVING REGARD to the Report of the Tourism Committee of 3rd April on Identity Cards [Doc. No. C(57) 56]; and
CONSIDERING that, if it is not possible for all Member countries whose Administrations issue identity cards to adopt an identical card immediately, such countries could at the present stage agree that a minimum of standard particulars should appear on their cards;
DECIDES:
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2, the Member countries whose Administrations issue identity cards shall take the necessary measures to ensure that, from 1st January 1959, the printed text of national identity cards shall reproduce in the same order the particulars listed in the Annex to this Decision. These particulars may be followed by such other particulars as may be necessary to comply with the requirements of internal policy.
2. Member countries which recently introduced a new model of identity card will not be obliged to issue identity cards reproducing the particulars listed below until the stock of their current cards is exhausted, on the understanding that the provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to such Member countries with effect as from 1st January 1960.
ANNEX
Particulars to be included in the Identity
Cards of Member Countries
Issuing such Documents
Name ………………………………………………………………………..
First names …………………………………………………………………
Date and Place of birth ……………………………………………………
Nationality …………………………………………………………………..
Domicile …………………………………………………………………….
Special Particularities ……………………………………………………..
Height ……………………………………………………………………….
Signature of Bearer
Issued on ……………………………………………………………………
Issued at …………………………………………………………………….
Photo 3.5 × 4 cm.
in adopting this Decision, the Council:
I. INSTRUCTED the Secretary-General, with reference to Part I of the Report of the Tourism Committee referred to above concerning passports, to write to Member countries which had not so far been able to comply with the recommendations contained in the Recommendation of the Council of 27th July 1956 concerning the Simplification of Formalities required in the matter of Passports for Crossing Frontiers,([1]) drawing their attention to the desirability of their doing so as soon as possible.
II. INSTRUCTED the Tourism Committee:
1. With reference to Part III of the Report dealing with the Use of Identity Cards for International Tourism:
(a) To review, at its next meeting, the progress of the bilateral negotiations referred to in paragraph 11 and to report on what action, if any, the Council might take in the light of the situation disclosed;
(b) To convene a Group of Financial Experts to study what steps could be taken to reconcile the use of identity cards by tourists with the present practice of the exchange control authorities in certain Member countries concerning the inscription on the tourists' identity document of foreign exchange allocations.
2. With reference to Part IV of the Report dealing with Reduction to a Minimum of Frontier Controls of Tourist Identity Documents, to convene a meeting of competent experts to consider this question and to consider whether a simplified form of control could be adopted for young people travelling abroad.
III. NOTED, as regards paragraph 2 above, that the Delegate for the United Kingdom reserved his country's position concerning any recommendations which might arise from this study.