HL Deb 22 July 1996 vol 574 cc90-1WA
Lord Clark of Kempston

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they will table the UK Government's proposals for the European Union Intergovernmental Conference foreshadowed in A Partnership of Nations.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

The UK negotiators are today tabling the following proposals in the IGC Working Party:

  1. (a) A memorandum on the European Court of Justice working up in detail the proposals outlined in paragraph 37 of A Partnership of Nations;
  2. (b) The addition of a protocol to the EC Treaty enabling member states to take appropriate action to regulate quota-hopping in the common fisheries policy. The details of this are set out more fully in a Written Answer today from my honourable friend Mr. Tony Baldry, the Member for Banbury, in another place;
  3. (c) A package of measures to improve the quality of EC legislation, including Commission legislation;
  4. (d) An amendment to Article 42 of the EC Treaty to provide for the state aid provisions of the Treaty to apply to all agricultural products;
  5. (e) An amendment to Article 129c of the EC Treaty to make clear that private sector projects are eligible for Community budget support under the financial regulation on Trans European Networks;
  6. (f) The addition of a Protocol to the EC Treaty which will place a formal legal obligation on Community institutions to give full regard to considerations of animal welfare in the exercise of their powers on agriculture, transport, research and the single market. This is set out more fully in a Written Answer of today's date from my honourable friend in another place, the Member for Tiverton.

These proposals were placed in the House Libraries this morning.

We are currently working up a number of other proposals, including on the Health and Safety Article and on subsidiarity, which will be tabled in due course.