HC Deb 15 December 1980 vol 996 cc15-6W
Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Lord Privy Seal what powers are available to the Council of Ministers to ensure that its decisions on food exports to the Soviet Union are adhered to.

Sir Ian Gilmour

Implementation of the 15 January decision of the Council of Ministers on sales of agricultural products to the Soviet Union is the responsibility of the Commission. The Commission seeks the opinion of the product management committees on the individual measures required to implement that decision.

All member States of the Community are represented on the management committees. If the opinion of the management committees on the Commission's proposals for implementation is adverse, the Commission cannot act wihout prior reference to the Council of Ministers. In addition to this, the Commission has reported from time to time to the Committee of Permanent Representatives and to the Council on the process of implementation.

Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, when the Council of Ministers decided that exports of food to the Soviet Union should be restricted to traditional levels it gave any guidance to the EEC Commission on how such traditional levels should be calculated or determined.

Sir Ian Gilmour

The Council meeting on 15 January took a broad policy decision not to replace United States exports to the Soviet Union. The Commission subsequently circulated a paper with details of past levels of trade, and it is on this basis that the Commission has put forward to the individual management committees its proposals for implementing the 15 January decision.

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