Council of Ministers (Hansard, 2 February 1993)

§ Mr. Garel-Jones

The following is the information:

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS BUSINESS FOR FEBRUARY 1993

1. The following meetings are planned:

½ February: Foreign Affairs Council
8 February: Internal Market Council
9/10 February: Agriculture Council
15 February: Economic and Finance Council

(a) Foreign Affairs Council—½ February

Open debate on Danish Presidency work programme
Enlargement
EEA
East/Central Europe
Israel
Former Yugoslavia
GATT
Commercial Defence Instruments
Cocoa

(b) Internal Market Council—8 February

Completion of the Internal Market including follow-up to Council resolution on making the Single Market work
Sutherland report
Abolition of frontier controls
Regulation of control of conformity of third country imports
Regulation on Community trade mark [poss]
Directive on medical devices
Scientific co-operation in food
Additional control measures (food)
Regulation laying down Council procedures for contaminants in food
Fruit juices and similar products (consolidated version of Dir. 80/181)
Regulation on business registers for statistical purposes
Public Works Directive (amendment and consolidation [poss]

Commission presentation of 1993/94 price fixing proposals
Common organisation of the market in bananas (8372/92; 4064/93)
GATT agriculture (10534/92)
Transitional measures for Portugal (10181/92; 4064/93)
Aid for durum wheat producers (4305/93)
Aid for sheepmeat producers [poss] (4307/93)
Limit to the production aid for processed tomato products (10495/92)

(d) Economic and Finance Council—15 February

The Danish Presidency work programme (open debate)
National actions to promote economic recovery in Europe and review of convergence programmes
7th VAT directive
Follow-up to Edinburgh conclusions on future financing of the Community

3. The Foreign Affairs Council will meet on 1–2 February. It will commence with an open debate on the Danish Presidency work programme. On Enlargement, the Council will approve arrangements for the opening session of accession negotiations, and on EEA, the Council will be asked to approve a mandate for the Commission to negotiate with EFTA an additional protocol to the EEA agreement. Ministers will then discuss Irael; East/Central Europe; Former Yugoslavia; the GATT and Commercial Defence Instruments. Cocoa will also be discussed.

4. The Internal Market Council will meet on 8 February and will discuss completion of the Internal Market; the Sutherland report and Abolition of frontier controls. Regulation of control of conformity of third country imports will also be discussed. Other agenda items are for clearance as points only.

5. The Agriculture Council will meet on 9–10 February. Ministers will discuss the price-fixing proposals for 1993–94; banana market regime; agricultural aspects of the GATT negotiations; transitional measures for Portugal; aid for durum wheat producers and aid for sheepmeat producers. They may also discuss production aid for processed tomato products.

6. The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 15 February to discuss the ECOFIN work programme and continue discussions on actions to promote economic recovery and to follow up the agreement of the Edinburgh European Council on the future financing of the Community. There will be an open debate on the Danish Presidency work programme and the proposal to amend the 7th VAT directive (special VAT regime for second-hand goods, works of art, antique and collectors' items) is also scheduled for discussion.