§ Lord Swinfenasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 11th May.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyMy right honourable friends the Secretary of State and the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs represented the United Kingdom at the Foreign Affairs Council on 11th May.
The Council continued its discussion of the Commission's future financing package for 1993–97, focusing in particular on the Commission's expenditure proposals. It also discussed immigration policy and the related issue of internal frontier controls. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs reiterated Her Majesty's Government's position that the United Kingdom does not agree that Article 8a requires the abolition of all frontier controls on people at the Community's internal frontiers.
The Council discussed a report from Personal Representatives on implementation of the Maastricht Treaty, including the need for the right infrastructure for the work of the new Inter-Governmental Committee on the provisions of a Common Foreign and Security Policy and Justice/Home Affairs.
The Council approved the Commission negotiating mandates for EC Association Agreements with Romania and Bulgaria. Separate Trade and Co-operation Agreements were signed between the Community and Albania, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Ministers issued a statement on Bosnia-Hercegovina recording their decision to recall EC ambassadors in Belgrade for consultations and demanding suspension of Yugoslavia from all proceedings of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. They decided to keep under review further measures to increase the isolation of Yugoslavia in other international fora. They also invited the Commission to study the possibility of economic sanctions against Yugoslavia. Ministers endorsed the Commission's proposed contribution of 30 mecu to the Yugoslavia appeal co-ordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs also announced a bilateral British contribution to the appeal of £1 million sterling.
Ministers also issued a statement on the Code of Conduct for Community Companies with Subsidiaries in South Africa.
An EC/Israel Co-operation Council was held in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council.