COUNCIL OF MINISTERS: FORTHCOMING MEETINGS (Hansard, 16 November 1992)

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)

The following meetings are planned:

3rd November: Consumer Affairs Council
9th November: Foreign Affairs Council
10th November: Internal Market Council
12th November: Culture Council
13th November: Health Council
16th/17th November: Agriculture Council
17th November: Budget Council
18th November: Development Council
19th November: Telecommunications Council
23rd November: Economic and Finance Council
23rd November: Fisheries Council
24th November: Industrial Affairs Council
27th November: Education Council
30th November: Energy Council

The following subjects are likely to be discussed:

(a) Consumer Affairs Council—3rd November
- Sixth amendment to cosmetics directive
- Time-share
- Distance selling
- Comparative advertising
- Consumer aspects of Sutherland report on operation of the Internal Market
- Enforcement of consumer protection law
- Rapid information exchange system on con-sumer products
- European home and leisure accident surveil-lance system (EHLASS)
(b) Foreign Affairs Council—9th November
- Follow-up to Birmingham European Council
  - Ratification of Maastricht
  - Subsidiarity
  - Transparency
- Delors II package
- Enlargement—Finland
- 33rd meeting of EC/Turkey Association Council
- Ex-Yugoslavia
- PHARE programme
(c) Internal Market Council—10th November
- Abolition of frontier controls
- Second amendment of machinery directive (possible)
- External projections on vehicles of category N(possible)
- Regulation of the CE mark (possible)
- Vehicle noise (possible)
- ⅔ wheeled vehicles: braking and power (possible)
- Second company law directive
- European company statute (6516/91)
- Making the Single Market work post 1992
- Community trademark regulations
- Medicines—agency and future systems (9490/91)
- Rental and lending rights (possible) (6344/92)
- Harmonisation of copyright term
- Amendment to public works directive (possible)
- Food hygiene directive (possible) (4690/92)
- Sweeteners directive (possible) (7762/92)
- Directive and regulation on cultural goods (9962/91)
- Standardisation and intellectual property
(d) Culture Council—12th November
- Cultural priorities
- City of culture
- Books and reading
- Cultural goods (possible)
(e) Health Council—13th November
- Future action in the field of public health (SEC(92)1866)
- Communicable diseases
- Health education (6571/92)
- Drugs second drug demand reduction report (7291/92)
  - information of the European Drugs Prevention Week
- Tobacco draft tobacco advertising directive (6294/92)
  - orientation debate on Presidency memorandum (9030/92)
- Cancer evaluation (possible)
(f) Agriculture Council—16th–17th November
- Bananas (8372/92; 9023/92; 9421/92; 9432/92)
- Agrimoney (7907/92; 9361/92)
- Milk codification (8950/91; 9280/92)
- Italian milk quotas (8067/92; 9261/1/92)
- Spanish and Portuguese transition
- GATT (not applicable)
- Integrated controls (possible) (10537/91; 9373/92)
- New Zealand butter (possible)
- Sheep VRAs (possible)
- Sugar (cane) (possible)
- Animal identification (possible) (6414/92; 9446/92)
- Exotic disease (possible)
- General welfare (possible)
(g) Budget Council—17th November
- Draft community budget for 1993
(h) Development Council—18th November
- Development co-operation policy in the run-up to 2000 (107/3/92)
- Family planning in co-operation with develop-ing countries (121/1/92)
- Human rights, democracy and development (125/92)
- Follow up to UNCED
  - clean and efficient energy for development (120/1/92)
  - financial aspects
- Emergency aid
  - Somalia
  - Mozambique
  - Flexibility in responding to disasters and subsequent rehabilitation needs
- Untying of aid
- Co-operation with NGOs
(i) Telecommunications Council—19th November
- ONP directive on voice telephony
- Resolution on frequencies
- Resolution on numbering policy
- Review of Article 90 services directive and ONP
- framework directive
- HDTV action plan
- Postal services green paper
- Telecoms manufacturing industry
- Trans-European networks (possible)
- ETSI and intellectual property rights (possible)
(j) Economic and Finance Council—23rd November Delors II
- Belgian convergence programme
- Relations with FSU/CEE
- Abolition of fiscal frontiers
- Investment services directive
- Direct tax
- Fraud
- Customs convention
- Balance of payments loan to Italy
- Transport taxation (possible)
(k) Fisheries Council—23rd November
- Annual price fixing for fish
- Tariff suspensions/quotas
- New basic regulation (replacing 170/83)
- Amendment of structure regulation (4028/86)
- Orientation debate on structural policy (possible)
- Commission report on industrial fishing (possible)
- Commission report on discards (possible)
(I) Industrial Affairs Council—24th November
- Business and environment
- SMES
- Competition policy
- Administrative simplification
- ECSC—Future of Treaty of Paris
  - —Spanish steel
- Mining (possible)
- Maritime industries (possible)
(m) Education Council—27th November
- Tempus II (educational links with Eastern and Central Europe) (9082/92)
- European dimension in higher education
- Open and distance learning
- Health education in schools (6571/92)
- EC/US co-operation in education and training (7192/92)
- European schools (6700/92)
- Information from the Commission
  - consultation on commission memorandum
  - on higher education (9497/91)
(n) Energy Council—30th November
- Liberalisation of energy markets (4911/92)
- Hydrocarbon licensing regimes (6566/92)
- Oil crisis measures (6245/92)
- EC accession to the International Energy Agency (IEA) (6245/92)
- New and renewables (ALTENER) programme (7757/92)
- Energy efficiency (SAVE) programme (7847/92)
- Stabilization of CO² emissions (8918/91)
- European Energy Charter

The Consumer Affairs Council will meet on 3rd November, where Ministers will seek to achieve a common position on the proposed 6th Council amendment to the cosmetics directive. The Council will also discuss the following: time-share and distance selling; comparative advertising; consumer aspects of the Sutherland report on operation of the Internal Market; the enforcement of consumer protection law; the rapid information exchange system on consumer products and the European Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System (EHLASS).

The Foreign Affairs Council will meet on 9th November. Items for consideration by Ministers will include follow-up to the Birmingham European Council; further discussion on the Commission's proposals for the future financing of the Community (the "Delors II package") and progress on the current applications for EC membership. Ministers will also discuss the former Yugoslavia and the Community's response to the latest developments, including the humanitarian crisis. The Council will approve draft conclusions outlining the Commission approach to the second phase of the PHARE programme. A Cooperation Council with Turkey will also be held in the margins.

The Internal Market Council will meet on 10th November and will discuss the abolition of frontier controls; the second company law directive; European company statute; making the Single Market work post 1992; the Community tradesmark regulation; proposals for regulation and directives on the future system for the free movement of medicinal products; harmonisation of copyright term; a proposal for a Council regulation on the export of cultural goods, and standardisation and intellectual property. The Council may also consider the second amendment of the machinery directive; external projections on certain goods vehicles; vehicle noise; rental and lending rights; an amendment to the public works directive; the food hygiene directive and the sweeteners directive.

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The Culture Council will meet on 12th November. The Council will consider a Commission communica-tion on new perspectives for the European City of Culture programme; a public awareness campaign for books and reading and a proposal for a regulation on the export of cultural goods.

The Health Council will meet on 13th November and will discuss a framework for future action in the field of public health. The Council is also expected to agree a draft resolution on the monitoring and surveillance of communicable diseases. Other items for discussion by Ministers include: a report on health education in schools; draft conclusions on the second report on drug demand reduction; information on the European Drug Prevention Week; the draft directive on tobacco advertising and an evaluation of the 1991 report on Europe against Cancer.

The Agriculture Council will meet on 16th and 17th November. Ministers will discuss bananas; the agrimonetary system; milk codification; Italian milk quotas; Spanish and Portuguese transitional arrange-ments, and the agriculture aspects of GATT. Discussion may also focus on: integrated administra-tive controls; New Zealand butter; sheep voluntary restraint agreements; animal identification; exotic diseases and general welfare.

The Budget Council will meet on 17th November to discuss the European Parliament's amendments and modifications as a result of their first reading of the draft budget for 1993.

The Development Council will meet on 18th November and will agree common objectives for the Community and member states for the 1990s, including a work programme and mechanisms for improving co-ordination and collaboration. Ministers will endorse priorities and objectives for the community in family planning in co-operation with developing countries. A review of the November 1991 resolution on human rights, democracy and develop-ment in the light of a Commission report on its implementation; how the Community's research and technology programmes might benefit developing countries, and details of the 3 becu promised by the Community in support of Agenda 21 at the Rio Conference will also be considered. The Council will discuss various aspects of the Community's response to disasters, including the Community and member states' action in Somalia and their participation in the UN 100-day plan for Somalia, and ways of increasing flexibility of funding the Community response to disasters. An oral report on Community plans for Mozambique will also be heard. Other items for discussion include: an oral report on progress made in drafting a proposal on untying aid at Community level and a Commission paper which describes follow-up to the May 1991 Council resolution on NGOs.

The Telecommunications Council will meet on 19th November. Discussion will concentrate on the ONP directive on voice telephony; the Council resolution on frequencies, a review of the Article 90 services 36WA directive and the ONP framework directive; the HDTV action plan; the postal services green paper and the telecoms manufacturing industry. Trans-European networks, ETSI and intellectual property rights may also be discussed.

The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 23rd November to consider further the Commission's proposals for the future financing of the Community (Delors II). Ministers will also discuss the Belgian convergence programme; aid to Romania and the Baltic States, and the abolition of fiscal frontiers. The Council will continue in its efforts to achieve a common position on the Investment Services Directive. The draft 7th Directive on the sale of second-hand goods, works of art, antiques and collector's items; the UK Presidency's paper on increases in the current Third Country travellers' allowances; matters concerning the Community action to combat fraud against the EC budget, and a request from Italy for a balance of payments loan may also be discussed. Further items for discussion may include: the draft simplification directives for VAT and excise, and the signing of the Customs Information System Convention by EC Finance Ministers.

The Fisheries Council will meet on 23rd November. Ministers may discuss: annual price fixing on fish; tariff suspension/quotas; the new basic regulation that will replace 170/83; amendment of the structures regulation 4028/83 orientation debate on structural policy; new control regulations; the Commission report on industrial fishing and the Commission report on discards.

The Industrial Affairs Council will meet on 24th November. The Council hope to discuss resolutions on the strengthening of the Community's commitment to minimizing the administrative burdens placed on business by Community legislation and on the proper integration of environmental and industrial policies. Ministers are also expected to discuss the phasing out of the ECSC Treaty; the future direction of Community policy on small and medium sized enterprises; competition policy and the Commission proposal to allow Spain to give restructuring aid to its steel industry. Other items include: communications on maritime industries and Community non-energy mining.

The Education Council will meet on 27th November and will have an orientation debate on the proposal for a second phase of the TEMPUS programme, which offers support to the higher education systems of Central and Eastern Europe. Ministers will also discuss conclusions on measures for developing of the European dimension in higher education, and on criteria for the Community action on open and distance learning. The Council will 37WA consider a report on health education in schools and the Commission's proposal for a programme of EC/US co-operation in education and training. Amendment to the Convention defining the statute of the European schools, and a presentation from the Commission on the outcome of the consultations on their memorandum on higher education in the EC is also likely to be discussed.

The Energy Council will meet on 30th November. Ministers will discuss proposals for the promotion of new and renewable energies (ALTENER); oil crisis measures; Community accession to the IEA, and harmonisation of hydrocarbon licensing regimes. The Council will also consider proposals for liberalisation of the gas and electricity markets; improved energy efficiency as well as progress in relation to the rest of the Community's strategy to limit CO² emissions, and the European Energy Charter. Discussion may further focus on a new Community regime for state aids to the coal industry.