§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was informed that procedures for joining the Schengen Agreement under the Treaty of Amsterdam would be subject to unanimity. [24054]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonWe learnt of the change to the text when we received the revised Treaty text (CONF 4001/ 97) on 19 June.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the investigations by the presidency of the European Council on the circumstances surrounding the negotiations at Amsterdam, pertaining to voting procedures used in the admission of states to the Schengen area. [24052]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonThe Presidency's view was that the treaty text (CONF 4001/ 97) was an accurate reflection of discussions at the Amsterdam Summit. This text was deposited in the Libraries of the House at the time of receipt.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the negotiations at Amsterdam, pertaining to the voting procedures used in the admission of states to the Schengen area, have been raised(a) at the Council of Ministers and (b) bilaterally; and by whom. [24055]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonThis issue was raised at all levels on a number of occasions following the Amsterdam Summit, including in several bilateral exchanges with other Member States, in particular the Presidency.