§ "With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a Statement about business to be taken in the Council of Ministers of the European Community during July. For some time written forecasts of Council business have been deposited in the Vote Office towards the end of each month. The forecast for July was deposited this morning. On May 2 my right honourable friend the Lord President of the Council told the House that the Government intended to implement the Foster Committee's recommendation that there should be an accompanying oral Statement. To-day's Statement is, therefore, the first of a regular series. These Statements will normally be made on the last Wednesday of each month. They will provide the House with a regular opportunity to seek clarification of the programmes and timing of Community work.
§ "At present four meetings of the Council of Ministers are proposed in July. Finance Ministers will meet on July 15; Agricultural Ministers on July 15 and 16; Development Ministers on July 16; and Foreign Ministers on July 22 and 23."
§ "It is expected that the Finance Ministers will be mainly concerned with the economic situation in the Member States of the Community and joint action to be taken against inflation. They are expected to consider Commission proposals for economic and monetary measures. It is the Government's intention that before this meeting the House will have an opportunity to debate these matters to which the Scrutiny Committee has drawn attention.
§ "The Agriculture Council will continue its examination of the problems which have arisen on Community markets for beef, pigmeat and wine. It is now unlikely to consider in detail the future Community sugar régime since revised proposals are not expected to be available in time.
§ "Development Co-operation Ministers will continue the discussion of a Community contribution to the U.N. emergency measures for those less developed countries most hit by the oil price rises. On aid to non-associates, Ministers will consider the framework for the Community's overall aid policy including the achievement of a satisfactory balance in the distribution of Community aid. This was called for at our initiative by the Council in April and was discussed for the first time by the Development Council on June 13th.
§ "The Foreign Ministers' Council will have a lengthy agenda. The Council may consider an interim report on the matters raised by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary on June 4. Other important items are likely to be improvements to the Community's scheme of Generalised Preferences for imports from the developing countries and the Community's negotiations with Commonwealth and other developing countries eligible for association with the Community under Protocol 22 1477 of the Treaty of Accession. The Council will be preparing for the proposed joint meeting between Community Ministers and Ministers of the Protocol 22 countries in Jamaica at the end of July. The Commission document on strategy for an energy policy may also be on the agenda. In addition the Council may have a further exchange with the European Assembly on the package concerning the Assembly's budgetary powers which the Council provisionally agreed on June 4".