European Union: Common Embassies (Hansard, 17 December 2003)

§ Lord Harrison
asked Her Majesty's Government: In view of the expected accession of 10 countries to the European Union, what opportunities they see in establishing, in conjunction with the European Commission, common embassies with other member states.

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)
My Lords, the British Government have no plans to establish common embassies with other member states or common missions overseas with the European Commission, although we have welcomed the proposal to redesignate the 138 European Commission offices overseas as European Union delegations.

§ Lord Harrison
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Given that the establishment of EU common embassies on single sites will afford embassy staff greater protection from terrorist attack; will give the EU a sharper image; will provide greater opportunities for accession countries; and will provide British and European citizens and businessmen and women with better services, will she not revive the proposal lost in the IGC of turning the EU Commission offices into EU embassies in order to fulfil the aims I have described and to support the putative EU Common Foreign Minister?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, my noble friend makes an interesting suggestion. However, there is a difference between the co-location of embassies on a single site—which may deliver on the kinds of points he raises, particularly in relation to security, which is a matter of growing interest—and a common embassy. We have co-locations—for example, in Tanzania—and the Foreign Office is considering ways of improving the security of a number of our embassies which are considered to be vulnerable, but I draw a distinction between a common embassy and co-location. The one is not an issue to which we shall return; however, it is sensible to consider the other in the light of the issues raised by my noble friend.

§ Lord Wallace of Saltaire
My Lords, can the Minister inform the House—perhaps by a common letter—with which embassies in third countries do we now share services, not only location, with others? I recall that when I was in Reykjavik, someone noted that the British and German embassies there now share security and some common conference rooms, for example. I understand that the same takes place in some central Asian countries. Did the British Government support the proposal for a commonly staffed EU external representation service put forward in the IGC?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, as to the noble Lord's first point, I shall be very happy to provide him with a list. Off the top of my head, the one I can think of is in Tanzania. However, I should stress that it is one thing to talk about common services on issues such as security, but it is a very different thing to talk about having a common core to policies when we have made a point of ensuring that CFSP remains an intergovernmental rather than a Commission issue. As the noble Lord knows, we were very keen on that in the recent IGC.
1147 The noble Lord also raised the issue of the European external action service. We have been very interested in this but, as the noble Lord will know, it was dependent on a successful outcome to the IGC. That issue will have to await further discussion on the point made at the IGC about bringing together the Patten post and the Solana post.

§ Lord Tomlinson
My Lords—

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords—

§ Lord Wright of Richmond
My Lords—

Noble Lords
Chalker.

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, I hear my name being mentioned far too many times. Can the noble Baroness tell us what is happening about the cross-training between embassy staff, which was started some years ago, to try to provide better co-operation? While I support what she said about maintaining separate embassies in the EC, it is important that there is a greater understanding between those who work on EC matters in capitals. If she does not have the answer, perhaps she would write to me.

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, the cross-training will concern issues where there is an EU competence- the issues in Christopher Patten's remit of aid and trade. Of course, I understand the noble Baroness's interest regarding aid. I understand that progress is being made, particularly with the French, on some of these issues. I cannot give the her a full list of the countries involved, although my noble friend is telling me that we are giving support to countries that are taking on the presidency. I can write to the noble Baroness and give her a further detailed breakdown. There is not, however, training on issues surrounding CFSP, and 1 think it is important to maintain that distinction. Those of your Lordships who sat into the wee small hours discussing these matters will know how important that has been to many.

§ Lord Wright of Richmond
My Lords, is the Minister aware that during my three ambassadorial postings, it was the custom to have regular meetings not only between the ambassadors of the EU in the post concerned but also between our commercial secretaries? It was also quite common practice for all of us to send a combined, concerted report to our respective Foreign Offices on political questions and, perhaps rather more importantly, on economic questions.

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I am aware of that and am happy to say that concerning issues such as aid and commercial issues in particular, the Foreign Office still upholds that practice. The noble Lord will understand that on some matters of foreign policy, however, this has not been a particularly fruitful year in that respect.

§ Lord Tomlinson
My Lords, as we are talking both in the convention and in the intergovernmental conference about a community of sovereign nation states, does it not therefore become imperative that those sovereign nation states have separate diplomatic representation on matters that are of import principally to them?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Yes, my Lords, that is very much the point I was endeavouring to make about the difference between co-location and having a sovereign embassy. There is no suggestion that the European external action service and the EU delegations should replace national diplomatic representation. It is enormously important to stress that. The draft treaty states that the external action service shall work in, co-operation with the diplomatic services of the Member Slates", and that Union delegations shall operate, in close co-operation with the Member States' diplomatic missions". I think that makes the distinction very clear.

§ Lord Howell of Guildford
My Lords, did I understand from the noble Baroness's reply to the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, that the project for a European external diplomatic corps has now been pushed into the long grass, along with the whole constitution project?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, we have not dealt with how the IGC will now be dealt with by the Irish presidency. If I may say so very gently, the noble Lord is leaping ahead a few steps in that thought progression. It is now for the Irish to look at the ways in which they wish to progress what has happened following the IGC. The Taoiseach has made it very clear that he wants to have a round of discussions first and that he does not see there being any progress in the immediate future—that is, in the next few weeks—but we will have to wait and see how his discussions progress.