HL Deb 29 October 1975 vol 365 cc499-500
Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOE

My Lords, a Statement is being made in another place today about business to be taken in the EEC Council of Ministers during November. With the leave of the House, I will, as usual, arrange for the Statement to be made available in the Official Report.

The Statement referred to is as follows:

"With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I will make a Statement about business to be taken in the Council of Ministers of the European Community during November. The monthly forecast for November was deposited yesterday.

"At present five meetings of the Council of Ministers are proposed for November. Foreign Ministers will meet on 5th and 6th; Agriculture Ministers on 10th and 11th; Finance Ministers on 17th; Fiscal Ministers on the 24th November and Budget Ministers on a date yet to be set. There will also be a tripartite Conference, probably on the 18th of November, of Ministers of Employment and Economic Affairs, the Commission and European Employer and Trades Union organisations. In addition there is to be a meeting of Education Ministers on the 20th November.

"At the Foreign Affairs Council, Ministers will discuss the consumer/producer dialogue in preparation for the conference on international economic co-operation. They are also likely to discuss preparations for the European Council meeting scheduled for early December. They will consider the extension of the fishing zones around Iceland and possibly around Norway, and will resume their consideration of the overall Mediterranean approach in the context of negotiations with the Maghreb and of the mandate for negotiation with the Mashraq. There will also be discussion of the Community's relations with Portugal and Canada, and of long-term contracts with Egypt, and consideration will be resumed on the 1976 scheme of generalised preferences. There is also likely to he discussion of the Working Group report on direct elections to the European Assembly which was commissioned by Heads of Government at their last meeting in July.

"Agriculture Ministers are expected to resume consideration of the re-structuring of the Community wine regime and the arrangements for UK imports of New Zealand butter after 1977. There may also be a joint meeting of Foreign and Agriculture Ministers, on a date not yet set, but likely to be near the end of the month, to discuss aspects of the CAP stocktaking report.

"Finance Ministers will consider the annual report on the economic situation in the Community following the convergence decision of the 18th of February 1974. They will also discuss possible Swiss membership of the Snake and perhaps Euratom loans for nuclear power stations.

"At the Fiscal Council, Ministers are expected to consider the draft sixth directive on Value Added Tax, the Commission's action programme on taxation, and possibly the Commission's draft proposal on tax reliefs for small packages imported from third countries and the draft second directive on tobacco duty harmonisation.

"Ministers at the Budget Council will consider the amendments and modifications proposed by the European Assembly to the draft Community budget for 1976.

"The tripartite Conference on the 18th November stems from a decision taken at the meeting of the European Council in July following representations by the European Trade Union Confederation, and is expected to focus on the employment effects of the present economic crisis and the measures which are being or might be taken to deal with these effects.

"The meeting of Education Ministers will consider a report from the Education Committee about educational co-operation in the European Community."