§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken by the President of the Commission of the European Union to appoint an advisory body on steps to be taken to prepare for a further union treaty; what consultations he has had with the President; and what United Kingdom appointment has been made to it. [94362]
§ Mr. VazThe Commission is not preparing next year's Inter-Governmental Conference, but it will present a formal IGC Opinion for member states to consider. Romano Prodi asked a Group under Jean-Luc Dehaene to feed ideas in to that Opinion. The Group published its Report on 18 October. Lord Simon sat on the Group, but he did so in a personal capacity, not as a representative of the United Kingdom. It is up to the Commission how it reacts to the recommendations in the Group's Report. I have had no contact with Mr. Prodi about this.