§ Sir Paul Bryanasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the meeting of the European Community Finance Council in Brussels on 27 May.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe Finance Council met with the Italian Finance Minister in the Chair.
The Council prepared the ground for discussions of the United Kingdom's contribution to the Community budget at the Foreign Affairs Council on 29 and 30 May.
There was a detailed and useful exchange of views on the outlook for Community revenue and expenditure over the next three years. I emphasised that prospective developments reinforced the need for early agreement on special measures that would relieve the burden on the United Kingdom throughout that period and for a tight control of agricultural expenditure.