§ Ms. QuinTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what definition of subsidiarity was used in the discussions between EC regional policy Ministers in Lisbon on 15–16 May.
§ Mr. SainsburyI represented the United Kingdom at this meeting. No precise definition of subsidiarity was used. However, subsidiarity is generally defined in the Community context as the principle that the Community should take action only when objectives cannot be achieved at the level of individual member states acting alone, and that such action should not exceed the minimum necessary to achieve those objectives.