§ Mr. BatesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 18 and 19 July.
§ Mr. HurdI attended the Council.
There was an open debate on the German presidency's programme. My intervention centred on the EU's relations with central and eastern Europe and making common foreign and security policy more effective.
The presidency and Commission briefed member states on follow-up to the White Paper.
The Council discussed the establishment of the Consultative Commission on racism and xenophobia, as agreed at the Corfu European Council. The United Kingdom will nominate its representatives by the end of July. The chairman of the consultative commission will be decided when all United Kingdom members have been appointed.
The Council discussed a Commission paper on relations between the European Union and the countries of central and eastern Europe.
Ministers approved a declaration urging the parties to accept the contact group plan for a negotiated settlement in Bosnia. The presidency reported on plans to inaugurate the EU administration of Mostar on 25 July. Ministers also discussed the situation in the Croatian Krajina and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.
The Council had a general discussion on a number of issues likely to be discussed with the European Parliament in the autumn.
The President of the Commission reported to the Council on the EU-Canada summit in Bonn on 6 July, and the EU-US summit in Berlin on 12 July.
The Council also discussed the outcome of the G7 summit in Naples.
On the Mediterranean, the Commission briefed Ministers on the state of negotiations with Morocco, Tunisia and Israel on new partnership agreements. While those with Tunisia and Israel were making good progress, important differences with Morocco remained to be resolved. The Council agreed conclusions reaffirming the need to deepen EU-Mediterranean relations.
The Council approved negotiating mandates for interim agreements with Russia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and agreed certain changes to the negotiating mandate for a partnership and co-operation agreement with Moldova.
The Council agreed that South Africa should become a beneficiary under its generalised system of preferences, for a list of products to be determined by the end of this month. The Commission reported on its recent meetings with the 518W South African Government, with whom it hopes to negotiate an interim bilateral agreement in the next few weeks, based on the conclusions of the April FAC.
The Council discussed a Dutch-Danish proposal on revised procedures for the handling of requests for documents. The United Kingdom supported attempts to meet Dutch and Danish concerns and voted in favour, but the proposal was voted down.
The Commission presented a strategy paper on strengthening EU-Asia relations. The presidency asked COREPER and the Political Committee to examine ways of enhancing the relationship, and to report back to the Council.
The Council reached agreement on the legal base for the conclusion of the EC-India and EC-Sri Lanka co-operation agreements by qualified majority vote. Portugal and Greece opposed.
The Council agreed by qualified majority vote —with Spain, Portugal and Greece voting against —to an increase of just under 30 per cent in the quota for imports from China of stuffed toys, customs classification 9503 41, for the period March to December 1994. Proposals for similar increases in the quotas for non-stuffed toys representing animals or non-human creatures, 9503 49, and certain miscellaneous toys, 9503 90, were not agreed —Spain, Portugal, Greece and France voting against. The latter two proposals are to be considered further by COREPER.
The Commission reported on the progress of work on proposals to establish a common regime for the use of OPT —outward processing in the textile sector. It was agreed that, due to delays in agreeing the overall regime, the Commission would prepare a separate proposal to establish duty exemption for OPT conducted with the countries of central and eastern Europe.
The Council took note of a number of measures which will be introduced with the aim of improving the effectiveness of procedures in the common foreign and security policy intergovernmental pillar.
Free trade agreements were signed with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The Council agreed the conditions for the release of a 35 mecu balance of payments grant for Albania.
The Council agreed in principle to provide food aid to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The Commission reported to the Council on the outcome of the OECD negotiations for an international shipbuilding agreement, which ended on 17 July. France indicated its opposition to the conclusion of the agreement in its present form and requested the Commission to continue negotiations. The Council will return to this issue at its meeting on 4 October.