HC Deb 18 December 1974 vol 883 cc1584-8
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Roy Hattersley)

I will, with your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, make a statement about business to be taken in the Council of Ministers of the European Community during January. The monthly forecast for January was deposited yesterday. The House will understand that because of the recess my statement has had to be made earlier than usual in the month.

At present five meetings of the Council of Ministers are proposed for January. Agriculture Ministers will meet on 13th–14th and 20th–22nd, Foreign Ministers on 20th-21st, Finance Ministers on 27th, and Development Ministers on a date yet to be set. It may also be necessary for Ministers to discuss the latest position in the negotiations with the developing sugar-producing countries.

Agriculture Ministers will resume their discussion of Community farm prices for 1975–76 and of proposals for the beef régime.

The Foreign Affairs Council will be the first since the recent Heads of Government meeting in Paris about which my right honourable Friend the Prime Minister made a statement last Monday, 16th December. It is likely that the Foreign Ministers will wish to review the outcome of that meeting, although the full agenda for that Council is not yet available.

The agenda for Finance Ministers is also not known, although they are likely to have their usual monthly discussions on the economic situation in the Community.

Development Ministers will consider the release of a further Community contribution to the United Nations emergency measures, a Commission proposal on guidelines for a new aid framework for the Community, and food aid policy.

There is also likely to be a ministerial meeting between the EEC and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to conclude the negotiations for a new Convention of Association.

Mr. Rippon

I thank the Minister for that essentially business statement. Since it was largely concerned with business, could he perhaps give a little more information about the possible meeting in relation to the developing sugar-producing countries and the likelihood of the ministerial meeting concluding the negotiations for a new Convention of Association? Is there any reason for doubt about meetings of that kind being held in January? If so, for how long would he expect them to be postponed?

Mr. Hattersley

I have no doubt. The negotiations are now taking place between the sugar producers and those countries which hope to import their sugar. I hope for progress, although each party is at present taking up negotiating positions. The meetings of the Council very much depend on the outcome of the immediate negotiations. The meeting between the EEC Ministers and the ACP countries depends on the timetable by which the parties will have achieved their joint negotiating positions. The ACP countries are meeting in Dakar today and, I think, tomorrow, and the availability of the EEC Ministers is absolute. We would have met the ACP representatives this week had they wanted us to do so. We are at their disposal when they arrive at a common position.

Mr. Marten

Could the Minister ask his right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to take up the point of political union which was raised during the summit conference, where it was apparently agreed that it would take a year to decide what was meant? As a referendum is to be held in less than a year I imagine, could not a decision on this matter be expedited? The EEC has been in existence for 17 years. It is one of the aims of the EEC to achieve political union—

Mr. Speaker

Order. A debate on this matter will be held tomorrow. I hope that Questions today will be confined strictly to EEC business for the next month or so.

Mr. Spriggs

May I draw the attention of my right hon. Friend to the need for future business arrangements within the Community regarding matters affecting the North-West textile industry and the danger of the importation of textiles under disguise from foreign countries? Will the Minister see if he can put this subject on the agenda so that the danger of mass unemployment in the North-West textile industry can be overcome?

Mr. Hattersley

I am happy to tell my hon. Friend that the item is already on the agenda. The EEC, including the Commission, which negotiates with third countries on behalf of each member State, is conscious of the problem to which my hon. Friend refers. Indeed, the Commission is meeting today to consider what emergency measures are necessary to provide the right sort of protection for the textile industry. I very much hope that a statement about the Commission's decision will be made before the House rises.

Mr. Scott-Hopkins

Will the Ministers be meeting to consider the implementation of the regional policy decisions? Will the Energy Ministers be meeting in Council before the end of January?

Mr. Hattersley

I think it is unlikely that the Energy Ministers will be meeting during the month. If the meeting takes place at all, it will occur towards the end of the month. The Energy Ministers had a very successful meeting yesterday concerning which I am sure all hon. Members wish to offer congratulations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy.

As regards the implementation of the regional policy, the summit meeting made a major breakthrough on regional policy. Indeed it established something which appeared impossible before. I am sure that the implementation of that decision will be discussed by the Foreign Ministers in January.

Mr. D. E. Thomas

Could the Minister give further information about the time scale of the new EEC beef regime and how many meetings are scheduled on this subject during the course of the first three months of 1975? Will he say when he expects an agreement to be reached on the new beef régime?

Mr. Hattersley

The Agriculture Ministers are already scheduled to meet twice during January. They are doing that with the intention, pioneered by my right hon. Friend, to obtain a new agriculture regime in general and a beef regime in particular, during the early weeks of 1975.

The new price structure for last year was somewhat delayed, with detrimental consequences to the industry. It is the intention of my right hon. Friend to ensure the operation of the new regime and price structure during the early weeks of 1975.

Mr. Russell Johnston

Referring to the question asked by the hon. Member for Derbyshire, West (Mr. Scott-Hopkins), surely it is not the Foreign Ministers who will be primarily concerned with the operation of the regional fund. Is it not strange that, in view of the fact that the fund is being established on 1st January, the Industry Ministers are not meeting during that month. When does the Minister expect that they will meet?

Mr. Hattersley

The natural process for for the implementation of this decision is for it to filter down from the heads of Government to the senior Council of the EEC—the Council of Foreign Ministers. The decisions of the Council of Ministers will be implemented in more detail by their industry colleagues.

I have had to give the House a somewhat interim account of the EEC business because of the early date of this month's statement. The Council will want to take every step to ensure that the timetable laid down for the Regional Fund by the Prime Minister is adhered to. That will have to happen at the meeting of Ministers.

Mr. John Davies

With the passage through the Congress of the United States Trade Bill, nothing is perhaps more important to the future of the world economy than the expediting of trade negotiations on a world basis within the GATT. Can the Minister please say to what degree this matter will be dealt with by the Foreign Ministers during the course of the next month in the Community, because the EEC holds a large part of the key to the future of these negotiations?

Mr. Haltersley

The Community has been ready to make progress in this area for some time. The passage of the Bill referred to by the right hon. Gentleman has been awaited for some time. Now that it has been passed, I have no doubt the appropriate commissioner will be reporting it initially to the Foreign Ministers in January. Whether he will be able to report that the Community has arrived at a satisfactory arrangement with the United States depends on the outcome of his discussions with the other parties.

Mr. Cryer

Could the Minister give us some idea when the commissioners will make a decision concerning the reduction of tariffs on steel imported from developing countries? In the current year their decision-making process was so lethargic that it involved retrospective legislation in this country. I am sure the Minister will agree that retrospective legislation is undesirable but that the lethargy is fairly typical of the EEC bureaucracy.

Mr. Hattersley

I think my hon. Friend misunderstands the structure of the EEC. Normally, when a long time is taken for the confirmation of decisions it is not because the Commission has behaved in a dilatory way but because the Council of Ministers has wished to meet several times to decide whether the Commission's proposals are right or not. I am sure that after reflection on the matter to which he refers, my hon. Friend would prefer the constant democratic scrutiny of the Council of Ministers rather than the speedy rubber-stamping of Commission proposals.

Sir Brandon Rhys Williams

Can the Minister say what business will be considered by the Finance Ministers at the January meeting and whether it is intended to react to the Kissinger Plan for recycling petrodollars?

Mr. Hattersley

I regret I can tell the hon. Gentleman no more about the Finance Ministers than what I said in my initial statement, other than the fact that they have their usual examination of general economic matters affecting member States. The inability to give precise information about the agenda is forced on me by the wish of the House, which I understand, appreciate and support, to have a statement every month. Therefore, in December there is a need to make a statement before the agendas are completed.