§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Given that the "Everything But Arms" prosposal is under discussion in the Council of European Union Foreign Ministers, while the Sugar Regime proposal is under discussion in the Council of European Union Agriculture Ministers, what linkage or formal channels for discussion operate between the two Councils with regard to these related issues. [HL36]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThe formal position is that the Council is one body, which comes together in different configurations to discuss specific proposals. In the case of the UK, it is standard practice that negotiators consult all interested departments before taking a position in Brussels. Ministers have already made the point that the proposals on reform of the sugar regime and the "Everything But Arms" (EBA) proposal need to be considered in relation to each other and have pressed for the impact of the EBA proposal to be discussed in the context of the reform proposals in the Agriculture Council.