§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is the case that if six members of the European Community sign the UNLOSC Convention text, the convention will be binding on all members of the Community, and if so what are the Government's intentions given that France, Holland, Ireland, Greece and Denmark are ready to sign while Britain, Germany, Belgium and Italy are not and Luxembourg alone remains undecided.
§ Lord BelsteadThe present position is that Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands signed the convention on 10th December 1982. If six of the member states have signed, the convention allows signature by the Community itself; but before the Community could sign, the Council would have to come to a decision to that effect. Signature alone would not commit the Community since a further procedure of formal confirmation, again calling for a decision by the Council, would be required for this purpose.