§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current status of the Luxembourg compromise.
§ Mr. RifkindThe status of the Luxembourg compromise remains what it has been since it was first adopted in January 1966. Five member states, including the United Kingdom, support the view that where a member state considers its very important interests to be involved, the discussion should be continued until unanimous agreement is reached. This position was formally recorded in the declarations for the minutes which those member states made on the occasion of the signing of the Genscher-Colombo solemn declaration on 19 June 1983. We therefore expect that the practice which the Community has followed, with the exception of the 18 May 1982 decisions on agricultural prices, will continue to operate in the future.