§ 33. Mr. LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on preparations for the revision of voting structures within the EU in the forthcoming treaty of Nice. [135194]
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§ Mr. VazNegotiations on the re-weighting of votes in the Council continue in the Intergovernmental Conference.
The Government's approach remains as set out in the White Paper laid before the House on 15 February.
§ 35. Mr. ForthTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on preparations for the EU Council at Nice as regards changes to the relationships among the EU institutions. [135196]
§ Mr. VazThe Intergovernmental Conference is about making the institutional reforms necessary to allow enlargement to proceed. The issues remain those set out at the beginning of the Conference; that is chiefly the size and composition of the Commission, the re-weighting of votes in the Council of Ministers, the extension of Qualified Majority Voting and closer co-operation between individual member states.