§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the proposal to change the current arrangements for meetings of European Councils in the member states holding the presidency; and if it is current practice for such member states to choose the location of each meeting and be responsible for its organisation. [144854]
§ Mr. VazIt is current practice for member states to choose the location of European Council meetings during their Presidency, and to be responsible for their organisation.
The Government support the move from 2002 to holding one European Council meeting per Presidency in Brussels, and from an EU of 18 to holding all formal meetings of the European Council in Brussels. This will help contribute to more efficient and cost-effective meetings.