HC Deb 22 March 1978 vol 946 cc1508-9
12. Mr. Crawford

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to meet the President of the European Economic Community.

28. Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the President of the European Economic Community Commission.

Mr. Judd

My right hon. Friend is due to meet the President of the EEC Commission at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 4th April.

Mr. Crawford

Will the Minister remind the President of the EEC that Shetland voted against remaining in the Community? As this House seems to give priority to the rights of Shetland, when does he intend to table a Bill to enable Shetland to come out of the Common Market?

Mr. Judd

That is not primarily for the Foreign Office.

Mr. Spearing

When he meets the President, will my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary point out that there have been a number of occasions on which hon. Members in this House have objected strongly to senseless measures of harmonisation proposed by the Commission? May I point out to him that many of the much larger measures of harmonisation are against the Government's views about the powers of national Governments and of this House? Does he agree that measures of this kind are a waste of time and that the Commission would be better employed on more constructive proposals?

Mr. Judd

We are against the concept of harmonisation for harmonisation's sake, because that can develop into a bureaucrats' picnic. The governing criterion on harmonisation is whether it results in policies that are more in the interests of the British people and those of other member States.

Mr. Ian Lloyd

When the Minister next meets the President, will he draw his attention to an article in today's edition of The Times about the state of affairs in Addis Abbaba, and suggest to him that the most destabilising effects there are a combination of Kalashnikovs, Karl Marx and barbarism? Will he impress upon the President that this should be taken into account by the Community when formulating its policy on Africa?

Mr. Judd

The President reads The Times regularly. I am sure that he will come to his own conclusions.