§ Mr. Jim SpicerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in theOfficial Report a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 14 and 15 December.
§ Mrs. ChalkerMy right hon. and learned Friend and I attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 14 December. The Council discussed the programme of work on European Community future financing and spending control before the Brussels European Council on 11–12 February. Ministers agreed to devote the next Foreign Affairs Council on 25–26 January to these issues.
The Council adopted the advance telecommunications research programme, RACE, and approved the additional protocols to the EC-Israel co-operation agreement which take account of Spanish and Portuguese accession to the Community. The Council reached a common position subject to formal Italian approval, on a framework regulation laying down maximum permitted levels of radioactivity in foodstuffs in the event of a nuclear accident. The regulation will be adopted after the necessary procedures in the European Parliament have been completed. In parallel, Ministers agreed to adopt, initially for three months, a new regulation governing food imports following the Chernobyl accident. The duration of this regulation will be extended to 24 months when the framework regulation is formally adopted.
The Council heard reports from the Commission on progress in the Uruguay round of trade negotiations, and on recent high level meetings with the United States and Japan.
The sixth EC-Yugoslavia co-operation council was held at the end of the Council. A resolution on the future development of co-operation between the EC and Yugoslavia was adopted.