§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of the Italian presidency's proposal that any proposal made by the European Minister for Foreign Affairs should be subject to qualified majority vote; and if he will make a statement. [142015]
§ Mr. MacShaneThis proposal is still under consideration in the Intergovernmental Conference. We expect a revised version of the draft Constitutional Treaty to issue in the week of 8 December. As stated in the Government's White Paper, British policy is that unanimity must remain the general rule for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.