HL Deb 11 October 1993 vol 549 c2WA
Lord Jenkins of Putney

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will specify those attributes mentioned by the Lord Chancellor (H.L. Deb, col. 711, 8th June 1993) as being fundamental to statehood, and which the prospective European Union will not have, and is precluded from acquiring.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

As my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor made clear in the speech referred to by the noble Lord, the prospective European Union is not a state, but an association of member states which act together for certain purposes and in certain ways described in the Treaty on European Union. It is particularly relevant that the Union will lack legal personality and treaty-making power. Any change in its status would require the agreement of all member states.