§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to ensure that the Convention on the Future of Europe, chaired by Valéry Giscard D'Estaing, makes development spending in the eradication of world poverty central to its recommendations.[HL2791]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:The UK has consistently pressed in the convention for poverty eradication to be set out as an objective for the European Union's external actions, and clearly stated as the principle objective of the European Union's development policy. This is reflected in the UK's comments on the draft treaty articles on external action, submitted on 2 May, and most recently in a paper submitted to the convention by the UK, and signed by development Ministers from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.