§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports were submitted by European Communities working groups during the United Kingdom presidency; and if he will list them. [66374]
§ Ms QuinDuring the UK Presidency approximately 6,700 documents with official document numbers were submitted by working groups. As agreed during our Presidency, from 1 January 1999, details of all documents will be listed on the Council's website, at http://ue.eu.int.
§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many working groups have been established at European Community level; what is the average number of meetings held each year; if he will list the 20 groups which met most frequently over 1998; and if he will indicate the level of United Kingdom participation at each of them. [66364]
§ Ms QuinIn 1998, 262 working groups met in Brussels, and a total of 2,138 meetings were held. The level of UK participation at each working group varied according to the subject discussed. According to the Council Secretariat, the twenty working groups which met most frequently were
Enlargement, Orient and Central Asia, Central Europe, Mashrak/Maghreb, Development, Oceania, Latin America, Balkans, CFSP Counsellors, Friends of the Presidency, Budgetary, Structural Actions, Financial Questions, Jurist Linguists, Environment, Social Questions, Telecoms, Research, Agriculture, Vetinary.