§ Mr. Mike HallTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what decisions were taken at the EU Ministerial Council on the Internal Market on 21 May; and what matters were voted upon. [7983]
§ Mrs. BeckettMy right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe represented the UK at the Internal Market Council in Brussels on 21 May.
The Council reached political agreement by qualified majority voting on proposals on the free movement of lawyers and in vitro diagnostic medical devices. A Common Position was agreed by qualified majority on a proposal on foodstuffs treated with ionising radiation.
The Council discussed the Single Market Action Plan, Legislative Simplification, Reform of Customs Transit Regime, European Company Statute, Electronic Commerce, the Green Paper on Public Procurement and, in Any Other Business, attacks on Spanish produce in France, anti-dumping duties on cotton fabric and medical device safety.