HC Deb 04 December 2003 vol 415 c171W
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the additional policy areas to be subject to majority voting in the latest draft of the European Constitution. [140897]

Mr. MacShane

The latest redraft of the Constitution, in CIG 50/03, does not include any fundamental changes to the Convention text, but does incorporate some legal clarifications on the basis of the work of Council lawyers.

The Presidency have issued some proposals for amendment in CIG 52/1/03. These are still under discussion. They include a new proposal for the use of qualified majority voting when adopting a European decision on a proposal put forward by the European Foreign Minister. The British Government have made it clear that they cannot accept this proposal.