§ Sir John HannamTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in theOfficial Report a statement of forthcoming business in the European Community's Council of Ministers.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesThe Development Council met on 4 May.
A joint Environment/Development Council met on 5 May.
The Foreign Affairs Council will meet on 11 and 12 May and will discuss the Commission's proposals for the future financing of the Community—the "Delors II package"—follow-up to the Union treaty and immigration policy. The Council will also consider recent developments in the negotiations of the general agreement on tariffs and trade Uruguay round, the Lisbon conference on aid to the former Soviet Union, relations with the Maghreb and the negotiating mandates for the association agreements with Romania and Bulgaria. Community trade and co-operation agreements with the Baltic states and Albania may be signed in the margins of the Council. A co-operation council with Israel is scheduled for 12 May.
The Internal Market Council will meet on 14 May and will discuss exchange of officials and customs code. The Council may also consider frontier controls; renting and lending rights; networks; the Berne and Rome conventions; the second company law directive; the third life insurance directive; the multi-annual programme on 5W services statistics; drugs precursors; procurement of services by the utilities; European company statute; contaminants in food; the CE mark and data protection.
The Health Council will meet on 15 May and will discuss the adoption of a directive amending directive 89/622 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the member states concerning the labelling of tobacco products and the marketing of certain types of tobacco for oral use. The Council is also likely to be invited to express views on a Commission draft directive for a ban on tobacco advertising. The Community action programme on nutrition and health, draft resolutions on future work on hereditary illness and acute human poisoning will also be considered. It will discuss progress in negotiating a regulation setting up a European drug monitoring centre and make a declaration announcing the holding of a European drugs prevention week during the United Kingdom presidency. Ministers may also consider a Commission report on AIDS; the anti-dumping code; health related activities in other councils; and pharmaceutical pricing and minimum standards for rehabilitation centres.
The Culture Council will meet on 18 May and will discuss the Commission's proposals for a Council directive on the return of cultural objects and a proposal for a regulation on the export of cultural goods. The Council will also consider a Commission communication on new perspectives for Community cultural action and the European city of culture programme after 1996. The Council will discuss the Commission's proposed action plan for the introduction of high definition television, HDTV; a public awareness campaign for books and reading; the use of permanent paper and the conservation of acid paper; the Lisbon conference on cultural sponsorship and copyright and neighbouring rights.
The Agriculture Council will meet on 18 and 19 May. It will discuss reform of the common agricultural policy, the 1992–93 price-fixing proposals and the agricultural aspects of the GATT Uruguay round. Milk products and wild game meat may also be discussed.
6WThe ECOFIN Council will meet on 19 May. It will examine the German and possibly the Italian economic convergence programmes as part of its continuing exercise of multilateral surveillance. The abolition of fiscal frontiers will also be discussed. Alcohol rates and structures directives are also scheduled for discussion by the Council, as are the draft VAT rates directive and the draft 7th VAT directive which relates to trade in secondhand goods, antiques and works of art. The Council will consider relations with the former Soviet Union and the Commission's proposals for the future financing of the Community. They may also discuss the proposed capital adequacy directive.
The Energy Council will meet on 21 May and is likely to discuss the directives on the liberalisation of electricity and gas.
The Environment Council will meet on 26 May. It will discuss proposals for a regulation on the supervision and control of waste shipments and a directive on air pollution caused by ground level ozone. The fifth environmental action programme prior to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development summit, carbon dioxide emissions and energy efficiency will also be discussed.