§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the conditions of employment for union staff will be decided by qualified majority voting under the European constitution. [187033]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe staff regulations and conditions of employment for officials of the European institutions are currently decided by qualified majority voting under articles 210, 247(8) and 283 of the treaty establishing the European Community. They will continue to be decided by qualified majority voting under articles III.306 and III.333 of the EU constitutional treaty.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the penalties available to the European Court of Justice will be decided by qualified majority voting under the European Constitution; and whether this represents a change from article 229 TEC. [187034]
§ Mr. MacShaneArticle 229 of the treaty establishing the European Community has been reproduced in essentials in the new constitutional treaty as article III-268. The procedures for determining penalties will therefore remain as now: that is, they will depend on the legal base for the specific legal instrument under consideration.