§ Ms. QuinTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the position taken by his Department on the future of the European Coal and Steel Community treaty which was discussed at the meeting of the EC Industry Council on 29 April.
§ Mr. SainsburyMy noble Friend the Minister for Industry welcomed the initiative the European Commission had taken in looking at the future of the European Coal and Steel Community treaty. He indicated that the Government's preferred solution was an immediate termination of the treaty so that coal and steel would be governed by the EEC treaty in the same way as other industries. While the Government were disappointed that the Commission had not taken the same view, they welcomed the Commission's view that a much less interventionist interpretation and application of the treaty 337W was necessary pending a transition to the EC regime in 2002. To this end, my noble Friend asked the Commission to set out a timetable for the necessary work and to report regularly to the Council on the results.