§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect of the new draft Protocol on arrangements for participation by the EU in WTO proceedings on Government practice; and to what Article 7.3 refers. [139902]
§ Mr. VazThe purpose of the draft Protocol is to establish a single procedure for the EU' s (the Community and the member states) participation in the WTO. The Protocol is one of several suggestions put forward by the Presidency on the reform of the Common Commercial Policy. We are considering it along with others.
Article 7.3 is intended to ensure that, in a dispute settlement case against one or more member states, the Commission and the member states involved will take steps to avoid calling into question or jeopardising the benefits accruing to the Community and/or the other member states from their membership of the WTO.