Viscount LongMy Lords, it has been agreed through the usual channels that the Statement that is to be made in another place on the Foreign Affairs Council should, by leave of the House, be printed in the Official Report.
§ Following is the Statement referred to:
§ "With permission, Mr. Speaker, I will make a statement on the Foreign Affairs Council held in 1205 Brussels on the 22nd and 23rd of July, at which my right honourable friend the Minister for Trade and I represented the United Kingdom.
§ "The Council discussed the arrangements for the Intergovernmental Conference called by the Milan European Council. A copy of its conclusions on that subject has been placed in the Library of the House. The conference will take place at the level of Foreign Ministers. The first meeting will be in Luxembourg on the 9th September. The Political Committee has been asked to draw up, by 15th October, a draft Treaty on Political Co-operation on the basis of our own and the Franco-German proposals. Proposals for treaty amendment will be looked at in a group which will meet at official level to prepare work for Foreign Ministers to consider.
§ "Agreement was reached on two directives providing for freedom of establishment for pharmacists and mutual recognition of their qualifications.
§ "The Council agreed a Community position on the future of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement for the GATT textiles committee meeting on 23rd July.
§ "The Commission reported to the Council on the negotiations between the Community and the United States on steel products not covered by the 1982 Carbon Steel Arrangement; and on the current trade dispute between the Community and the United States on citrus and pasta. The Council held a first discussion on the Commission proposals to increase the Community's tariff on video tape recorders and reduce the tariff on semi-conductors, and approved the eighth annual report on cooperation with the EFTA countries.
§ "The Council agreed a negotiating mandate for an EC/Central America co-operation agreement. It also reviewed progress in EC/Gulf Co-operation Council relations.
§ "The Council agreed arrangements for approving proposals brought forward under the Mediterranean financial protocols. It also agreed the terms to be applied to Spain's use of pre-accession aid to reduce excess fishing capacity.
§ "The Council formally adopted the Reference Framework for 1986 in accordance with the Council conclusions of December 1984 on controlling Community expenditure. This fixes the maximum level of permitted expenditure to finance Community policies in 1986. Following a meeting with the European Parliament, the Council also adopted the agreed regulation implementing integrated Mediterranean programmes.
§ "Meeting in political co-operation, the Foreign Ministers discussed the recent resurgence of terrorism and hijacking. They agreed to put urgent work in hand for joint action by the Ten to combat this problem. They also issued statements on Afghanistan and to make clear their concern at recent developments in South Africa. Texts of these statements have been placed in the Library of the House".