§ Mr. CashTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in theOfficial Report a statement on the outcome of the ministerial meeting of the intergovernmental conference on political union on 29 July and 30 September.
§ Mr. HurdI attended ministerial meetings of the intergovernmental conference on political union on 29 July and 30 September.
The meeting on 29 July was procedural. The Netherlands presidency outlined its plans for the negotiations, to include ministerial meetings in September, November and December, and a two to three-day "conclave" of Foreign Ministers in the week of 11 November. The presidency said that it intended after this conclave to prepare a draft Treaty for discussion by the President of the Council, Mr. Lubbers, during his tour of member states' capitals before the European Council at Maastricht on 9 and 10 December.
On 24 September the presidency tabled a new draft treaty text, incorporating substantive changes from the text prepared by the Luxembourg presidency in advance of 157W the European Council in Luxembourg on 28 and 29 June. The ministerial meeting on 30 September concluded that negotiations should continue on the basis of the Luxembourg presidency text. The Netherlands text was subsequently withdrawn. An inter-institutional conference between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament was held on 1 October. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office represented the United Kingdom.