HL Deb 11 February 1988 vol 493 c395WA
Lord Rippon of Hexham

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many member states of the European Community have ratified the treaty to establish a European foundation which was signed by Foreign Ministers in Brussels in 1982 to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome; what states have still to ratify; and whether they have any plans to expedite the coming into existence of the foundation.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Glenarthur)

Of the ten then members of the European Community who signed the 1982 Agreement establishing a European Foundation, only the Netherlands has been unable to ratify the agreement. As my noble friend knows, we have tried hard to find ways of overcoming this problem. But the Dutch Government have now concluded that domestic opposition to the foundation makes it impossible for them to ratify. Without ratification by all the signatories, the foundation cannot come into existence.