“Brussels Bulletin”
I invite Ian Duncan to say a few words about the latest “Brussels Bulletin” before I invite comments from members.
Ian Duncan (Scottish Parliament European Officer)
There are a couple of things in the bulletin that you will want to be aware of. The first concerns what is called the wise men reflection group, which was set up by President Barroso to scan the horizon to see how the European Union can evolve and develop. The group has been talking about some interesting things to do with how the EU could develop in the longer term. There is a lot of discussion in Brussels about whether there should be another treaty to stabilise the euro zone, but some of the more interesting discussions involve issues that are important to Scotland. Energy is a big issue at the moment and, to counterbalance the discussion around economic development, social welfare is being given a certain amount of focus. Further, as you would imagine, the financial area is also one in which the wise men would like to take some action.
I will touch briefly on three other areas. A report has come out that examines where the single market is not working and how it can be improved. You will be aware that many of the issues to do with the single market are quite controversial—certainly, issues such as the services directive have taxed this committee in the past. The European Commission would like to explore other areas as well, but some of them are more controversial than others, and you might want to have a think about those.
There is a big clash between what could be called the Anglo-Saxon model of a free market and the more protectionist continental or French model. How those models are reconciled will be one of the big battles around not only the single market but the budget, which we will discuss later.
The common agricultural policy is quite an interesting area. The big debate is between those who receive money and would like to keep or increase it and those who think that their money could be more sensibly spent elsewhere. Everyone had been anticipating that the Spanish presidency would take a lead in examining how to reduce the size of the CAP but—quite amusingly, in some respects—a leaked report showed that quite the reverse is the case, as the presidency’s view was that the CAP should be maintained at its current level and that consideration should be given to growing it. How that can be reconciled with the fact that there is less money in the budget should be amusing to witness.
The common fisheries policy is all the rage at the moment. There is a lot of discussion in the European Parliament and elsewhere about how the CFP can be reformed. It is likely that we will see much more activity in that regard between now and Christmas.
I am happy to answer any questions that you have.
Do colleagues have any questions?
Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP)
How did they come up with the name “the wise men”, given Europe’s concern with equalities?
Page 4 of the bulletin talks about
“Improvements in the partnership between different levels of power - national, regional and local”.
How focused is the attention on that going to be?
Before Ian Duncan deals with those points, we will hear questions from other members.
Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD)
I declare that I have agricultural interests. You mentioned a leaked paper on the CAP. What sort of paper was it? Was it a memorandum between members or was it an official draft consultation document or something of that sort?
Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Among the proposals for reforming the CFP, it is proposed that a distinction be made between small-scale and industrial fishing. What can you tell us about what the likely effect of those proposals would be on the Scottish and United Kingdom fisheries? Would they be beneficial for us? Would the large-scale pelagic fishing that takes place in certain parts of the North Sea be regarded as industrial fishing?
Page 6 of the bulletin talks about organ transplants, under the heading “Heart of the matter”, and boiler efficiency. Is the UK going to be easily able to comply with directives in both those areas? I believe that the directives have been slightly delayed.
I will let Ian Duncan respond to those points and then we will start our videoconference with Struan Stevenson, who I see has joined us.
I will be quick.
On the wise men, I could be simplistic and say that they are men. Of course, whether they are wise is a different question.
That is a very diplomatic answer. We quite like it.
On the issue of the different levels of power, there will have to be more engagement between the local, the regional, the national and the EU levels, as it is such communication that will drive forward the agenda. As subsidiarity takes hold, more work will have to come from the lower levels to push material up the way. Work needs to be done to flesh out how that could take place. At the moment, the system is a bit dysfunctional.
The CAP paper that was leaked was prepared by the Spanish presidency in preparation for a meeting about how the CAP material will be discussed and taken forward. It was not a formal document; it was more a collection of the presidency’s thoughts at the moment.
Ted Brocklebank always asks the complicated questions. I am tempted to defer to Struan Stevenson on fisheries, because he might know more about it than I do. It is true that, to some degree, pelagic fisheries could qualify as being more industrial, but I think that that is a debate that is yet to be had.
The convener asked about organ transplants and boiler efficiency. On organ transplants, I think that the UK would be quite supportive of a directive to clarify and codify because we are Europe now—we are not just one country—and organs should be able to move freely within a single market. Nonetheless, we are talking about a different sort of commodity that needs to be treated carefully.
The issue of boiler efficiency has bedevilled the Commission because it is complicated, particularly as it will affect everybody. The labelling and classification of boilers will have huge implications for how they are sold, whether they need to be renewed and so on.
I think that the UK supports both measures and would be able to take them forward.
I did not quite catch what you said about the nature of the document that was leaked.
I am sorry. The paper that was leaked is an informal document that was drafted by the Spanish presidency. It has no weight whatever; it is simply a summary of the thinking of the Spanish Government at the moment, although, as Spain holds the EU presidency, it has more power than that.
That is helpful.
Just to update that, when the Belgian ambassador visits the committee, perhaps we can explore with him how matters may be taken forward during the Belgian presidency.