§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what discussions he is currently engaged in with the EEC Commission on matters for which he is responsible, excluding the technical directives listed in Trade and Industry of 16 February; and, in particular, if he will give a detailed breakdown of each topic under discussion with special reference to EEC proposals, actual or envisaged, and their status within the Community's legislative machinery.
§ Mr. HattersleyMy Department is currently engaged in discussion with the EEC Commission on the following matters for which I have responsibility, other than draft and adopted directives under article 100 of the Treaty of Rome:
Control of Concentrations between Undertakings
A draft regulation of the Council proposes measures for the control of business mergers and acquisitions which would otherwise lead to restriction of effective competition within the Community. It is a Commission proposal dating from 1973 which is being discussed in a Council working group. It is not expected to come before the Council for some time.Patent Licensing Agreements
A draft Commission regulation providing for the exemption of certain patent licensing agreements from notification to the Commission under article 85 of the Treaty of Rome has been discussed in the Advisory Committee on Restrictive Practices and Dominant Positions. The draft regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on 3 March 1979, and the European Commission has invited comments on it from interested parties.Unit Pricing Directive
A draft directive on consumer protection in the marking and display of the prices of foodstuffs, under article 235 of the Treaty of Rome, provides for the indication of the selling and or the unit price for virtually all foods sold by retail. The draft instrument which, is currently being discussed in the Council machinery, may go to the Council within the next few months.