Foreign Affairs Council (Hansard, 17 November 1992)

§ Mr. Hurd

I chaired the Foreign Affairs Council on 9 November. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and, on trade issues including GATT, my hon. Friend the Minister of Trade represented the United Kingdom.

There was a discussion of guiding principles on subsidiarity on the basis of a draft presidency paper. It was agreed that COREPER would report to the next meeting of the Council. There was discussion on how to introduce greater openness into the work of the Community following the discussion at the European Council in Birmingham. COREPER will take this work forward too.

Progress in ratifying the Maastricht treaty was discussed informally. The Danish Foreign Minister explained the Danish proposals. We as presidency agreed to liaise closely with the Danes and our other partners to reach agreement on a framework for a solution at Edinburgh. I reiterated the Government's commitment to securing the passage of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill in order to permit the United Kingdom to ratify the Maastricht treaty.

There was a further discussion on the Community's finances, based on outline conclusions tabled by the presidency and on a presentation by the President of the Commission.

The Commission reported on recent negotiations with the United States on GATT and oilseeds. The Council urged the Commission to resume negotiations with the United States and warned that United States unilateral 165W action could lead to a retaliatory spiral. The Council emphasised the vital importance of early action by both sides to avoid this.

The Council welcomed the Commission's opinion on Finland's application to join the Community. It was agreed that this should be considered as part of the preparations for enlargement negotiations with the EFTA countries.

The right hon. and noble Lord Owen briefed Ministers on recent developments in the former Yugoslavia. Ministers had a wide ranging discussion of the crisis, including the plight of released detainees. They agreed to continue work on tightening sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro.

An EC/Turkey Association Council took place in the margins of the Council. The Council agreed on a new political dialogue arrangements with Turkey, including meetings at the highest level and regular meetings at Foreign Minister level.