§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what civil and police resource is being planned under Article 308 of the Treaty of the European Community in respect to threats to the operation822W of the single market from (a) inside and (b) outside the European Union, as envisaged in Commission document (00) 119; what form of voting will govern the decision on its establishment; and what estimate he has made of (a) how many personnel will be involved and (b) the cost in the first year of operation. [132573]
§ Mr. VazCommission document COM(2000)119 proposes the creation of a Rapid Reaction Facility. This would allow for rapid intervention in the form of money from the community budget in situations of emerging or actual crisis in third countries. It would complement humanitarian intervention and other tools deployed in crisis situations. The proposal's legal base is Article 308 and voting in the Council would therefore be by unanimity. The Commission has proposed a budget of 30 million euro in year one. The proposal is still under discussion in the Council.