HL Deb 06 October 2003 vol 653 cc29-30WA
Lord Pearson of Rannoch

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether:

  • (a) during the Estonian referendum on whether to join the European Union, the British Ambassador to Estonia and other embassy staff have toured Estonia on the "Yes" campaign's Eurobus distributing material in favour of a "Yes" vote; and
  • (b) The Government donated money to the Polish Government to buy the Polish Eurobus for similar purposes in Poland; and, if so, whether these activities meet the United Kingdom's obligations under Article 41.1 of the Vienna Convention, 1964. [HL4418]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The Eurobus tour was not part of the "Yes" campaign, but an information awareness exercise. The aim was to inform people about the EU and its activities.

In Estonia, no British Embassy staff toured on the Eurobus, nor handed out any material connected with it. In Poland, the British Embassy donated a bus to the Polish Government in May 2002-no financial assistance was provided. The bus had previously been used for an information campaign in the UK.

These activities are entirely consistent with the UK's obligations under Article 41.1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Regulations 1961, which requires the non-interference of diplomatic staff in the internal affairs of the receiving state. The British Government have maintained throughout the accession campaigns in 2003 that it is for the citizens of the countries concerned to decide whether to join the EU.