§ Joan RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what input his Department has made in determining the Government's objectives in the forthcoming negotiations on the Biosafety Protocol to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. [70936]
§ Mr. Fatchett[holding answer 15 February 1999]: The UK has reached a common position with EU partners on the objectives for the Biosafety Protocol: to secure an instrument that provides necessary environmental safeguards without hampering trade. FCO Posts have recently conducted a major lobbying exercise in non-EU countries to present the EU and UK position on the Protocol. The results of this exercise have helped to inform the preparations for the final negotiations of the Protocol.