§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the basis of the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the principle of majority voting in the European Community Council of Ministers on environmental and energy legislation.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesThe voting procedure for EC environmental legislation depends on the legal base. Where the main purpose of a measure is environmental protection, it should be based on articles 130R-T of the treaty of Rome (unanimity). Where the predominant objective of a proposal containing a provision relating to the environment is to ensure the free circulation in the internal market of the goods to which it relates, it should be based on article 100A (qualified majority voting). There are no specific treaty articles on energy but, as with the environment, EC energy legislation is also adopted by unanimity or qualified majority voting according to the articles on which individual proposals are based.