Consultative Council of Western Powers1

Eighth SessionThe eighth session of the Consultative Council of Western Powers was held in Brussels on April 16 and 17, 1950. The main business of the meeting was to discuss how the costs of the joint defense projects could be shared. Up to this time each government had paid the costs of its own contingents at the disposal of the organization and all expenditure incurred within its own territory. From the French point of view this had tended to make the common effort relatively more expensive for France than for the other countries while from the United Kingdom point of view, simply fixing the percentages that each country should, bear of the total expenditure would not necessarily be fair, as an airfield built under the treaty plans could in peace time be an advantage to the country in which it was located. This point of view was, in turn, not particularly favored by the Belgians who felt that Belgium had contributed to the common defense proportionally as much as the other powers. The relative amount in each country's budget devoted to the common pool was not an accurate indication as each budget had been drawn up in an entirely different manner, making comparisons difficult. The only thing which counted was the final result: the number of men trained and equipped as well as the material which each country could put on the line; in this regard the Belgians felt they were certainly not lagging behind. It was finally agreed at the meeting that projects of common interest should be paid for in common. The procedure for such payment was to be the subject of proposals submitted to the governments.