§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Council meeting of the Economic and Finance Ministers of the European Union held on 5 November. [15430]
§ Mr. Gordon BrownI represented the UK at the Economic and Finance Council-ECOFIN-of the European Union in Brussels on 5 November. The Economic Secretary accompanied me.
The Council had only one agenda item to consider, the preparation of the Special Employment Council in Luxembourg later this month. The Council discussed the Commission's draft Employment Guidelines brought forward in response to the Amsterdam European Council's remit.
The Council made progress towards a draft that suited all, and the Presidency has undertaken to draft Conclusions in time for the next ECOFIN on 17 November. There was strong support for the development of Action Plans.
The Council gave broad endorsement to the EIB' s plans to assist employment. It also gave a general welcome to the European Parliament's proposed package of EC Budget employment-related spending.