Council of Ministers (Hansard, 23 March 1989)

§ Mr. McKelvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what issues he intends to raise at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers.

§ Mr. Paice
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the forthcoming business in the European Community Council of Ministers.

§ Mrs. Chalker
The usual forecast was deposited in the House earlier today. At present six meetings of the Council of Ministers are planned for April.
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The Social Affairs Council, meeting on 5 April, is expected to hear a Commission report on a draft charter of social rights; consider with a view to agreeing common positions health and safety directives on the workplace, work equipment and personal protective equipment; and consider a draft resolution on continuing vocational training, a regulation on measures to help redundant shipbuilding workers and an amendment to the regulation on family allowances for migrant workers.
The internal market council on 13–14 April will discuss a number of measures relevant to the completion of the single market.
The Agriculture Council will meet on 17, 18 and possibly 19 April to discuss 1989 price-fixing proposals, the forestry action programme and possibly conversion schemes.
The Economic and Finance Council will meet on 17 April to consider the Commission's proposals for harmonising the taxation of savings and discuss direct taxation of companies. It will consider a progress report by the Presidency on tax approximation and discuss the 18th VAT Directive concerning the ending of various derogations available to the member states under the terms of the 6th VAT Directive. The Council is also due to complete the process of conciliation with the European Parliament on two regulations associated with the establishment and making available of own resources by member states to the Commission.
The Foreign Affairs Council on 24–25 April may discuss a Commission proposal for a financing facility to enable developing countries to import food products from the European Community on concessionary terms, and a linked proposal to harmonise export credits available for exports of agricultural products from member states. Other possible subjects for discussion are food aid, and the Uruguay Round, on which the Commission may report on the outcome of the meeting of the GATT trade negotiations committee in Geneva. An EC-Morocco Co-operation Council will be held in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council.
The Telecommunications Council on 27 April will consist of a general discussion on Open Network Provision with the likelihood that ISDN and standardisation in telecoms will be adopted. There will also be detailed consideration on the draft proposed Council decision on HDTV. There may also be a discussion on the second phase directive on mutual recognition of type approval.