HC Deb 03 August 1978 vol 955 cc558-9W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list in the Official Report and the appropriate official publication all the amendments made to the Treaty of Rome since 1st January 1973 and estimate when any updated version will be published by the EEC and Her Majesty's Government;

(2) if he will list in the Official Report and the appropriate official publication all the amendments made to the Treaties establishing the EEC Iron and Steel Community and Euratom made since 1st January 1973.

Mr. Judd

There have been three amendments to the basic Community treaties since United Kingdom accession on 1st January 1973 as follows:

  1. (a) Council decision of the European Communities on the adjustment of article 32 of the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, article 165 of the treaty establishing the European Economic Community and article 137 of the treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community dated Brussels, 26th November 1974—Command Paper 6013 (Official Journal of the European Communities No. L318 of 28th November 1974).
  2. (b) Treaty amending certain financial provisions of the treaties establishing the European Communities and of the treaty establishing a single Council and a single Commission of the European Communities dated Brussels, 22nd July 1975—Command Paper 7007 (Official Journal of the European Communities No. L359 of 31st December 1977).
  3. (c) Decision of the Council of the European Communities with annexed Act concerning the election of the representatives of the Assembly by direct universal suffrage dated Brussels, 20th September 1976 Command Paper 6623 (Official Journal of the European Communities No. L278 of 8th October 1976; corrigendum Official Journal of the European Communities No. L326 of 25th November 1976).

The first two amendments have been printed in the treaty series. The third amendment contained in Command Paper 6623 came into effect on 1st July 1978 following completion of ratification by all member States, and will be reprinted as a Command Paper in the treaty series shortly. Command Papers printed in the treaty series are lissed in the index to the treaty series published annually. The last such index was published as Command 7156.

The Office of Official Publications of the European Communities estimate that a reprinted version of the volume "Treaties Establishing the European Communities", incorporating the three post-accession amendments listed above, will be available in late November 1978. My right hon. Friend does not think it would be right to incur the expense of duplicating the work of the Communities Office of Official Publications unless stocks of Her Majesty's Stationery Office versions of the treaties are exhausted.