HC Deb 01 June 1981 vol 5 cc227-8W

(a) Role of the Council

As agreed by the Heads of State or Government in December 1974 in Paris and the European Council in December 1975 in Rome when approving the "Marlia procedure", the Council of the European Communities (Ministers for Foreign Affairs) is entrusted with the role of providing the impetus and coordination required to ensure consistency in the activities of the Community and continuity in its work.

(b) Consistency of Community action

Such consistency of Community action could be more readily achieved, if, in each Member State, there were better co-ordination among the departments involved in the various dossiers handled by the Council in its different formations. The suggestion was made that, in those countries where this did not already exist, an appropriate body should be set up to carry out such co-ordination. In this connection, Permament Representatives should take part in the process culminating in definition of the position to be adopted by the State they represent.

(c) Delegation of powers to the Commission

It is desirable that powers should be delegated more frequently to the Commission, with the latter being asked to submit stock formulae (as the 'Wise Men' suggested) for the principal eventualities, on the understanding that it remains for the Council to decide, on a case-by-case basis, when the appropriate conditions are fulfilled for recourse to such delegation of powers.

(d) Organisation of Council proceedings

Council agendas should contain only a limited number of items raising important problems. Informal meetings of the Members of the Council should be held only if strictly necessary.

2. The Permanent Representatives Committee

As provided by the Treaty establishing a single Council and a single Commission of the European Communities, the Permanent Representatives Committee 'shall be responsible for preparing the work of the Council' for each of its meetings, regardless of the Council's composition. The Committee should to this end be able to co-ordinate better the activties of the various working parties or specialist committees.

If it is to perform effectively this work of preparing all Council meetings and be able to relieve the Council of a certain number of dossiers, the Permanent Representatives Committee must have wider powers of decision and to this end the Permanent Representatives must be given broad and flexible instructions to enable them, at their level, to resolve the greatest possible number of problems. To this end, instructions such as would enable a common position to be found should be given by each Member State as early as possible in the examination of a dossier, so that meaningful negotiations culminating in agreement may begin within the Permanent Representatives Committee.

To this end:

  1. (a) the Permanent Representatives Committee should aim to submit to Ministers the main problems of principle and then, in the light of guidelines laid down by the Council, it should prepare agreed texts for the Council's approval:
  2. (b) the Council should instruct the Permanent representatives Committee to solve outstanding problems within a certain time-limit and Ministers should then give the Permanent Representatives appropriate instructions;
  3. (c) the Presidency should announce in advance its plans for reaching agreement in the Permanent Representatives Committee so that the Permanent Representatives can obtain instructions in time.

The Permanent Representatives Committee, which has the power to set up working parties, should exert closer control over the activities of these bodies and may itself discuss at any time the dossiers which are before the working parties.

The Permanent Representatives Committee is invited to examine the points in which its working methods might be improved, taking as its basis the various suggestions made during examination of the Report of the "Three Wise Men".

3. The Presidency

The prime role of the Presidency, assisted at all levels by the General Secretariat, involves in particular organising work, preparing Council agendas, monitoring progress in discussions within working parties and coordinating the work done within the different bodies with a view to ensuring the consistency of Council decisions.