European Committee, 07 Mar 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 7, 2000

Official Report 251KB pdf

---

Scrutiny

We come now to the final item on our agenda—the scrutiny of European documentation.

May I suggest that you ask us to raise only issues on which we do not agree with the recommendation?

Absolutely.

Thank you. I was not at the previous meeting—perhaps that had already been agreed.

For the following document, the recommendation is for priority scrutiny:

SP 777 (EC Ref No 5047/00 COM(99) 747)

Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

For the following documents, the recommendation is for no further action, but to copy them to another committee for interest:

SP 781(EC Ref No 5255/00 COM(99) 750)

SP 784 (EC Ref No 5600/00)

SP 785 (EC Ref No 5627/00 COM(99) 709 2000/022 (COD))

SP 786 (EC Ref No 5742/00 COM(2000) 20)

SP 811 (EC Ref No COM(99) 643)

SP 818 (EC Ref No 6193/00 COM(2000) 48)

Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Pages 3 to 5 are on documents for which no further action is recommended.

The title for SP 498 is:

"Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a Community framework for the collection and management of the fisheries data needed to conduct the common fisheries policy"

As it is a proposal for regulation and is about the collection of fisheries data, this may be the time to input the proposal to the committees concerned with Europe, such as the Rural Affairs Committee. The proposal will obviously affect that committee's decisions on changes to policy.

All right. For the following document, the recommendation is for no further action, but to copy it to the Rural Affairs Committee for interest:

SP 498 (EC Ref No 12347/99 COM(99) 541 final)

Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

I also wanted to ask about SP 814 on the general budget of the European Union. I have raised points about the budget before. I have not yet seen the information, although I am sure that it is on its way.

We will have to come back to this, because the budget will need to be on the agenda as a specific item. Stephen Imrie will see to that.

I would like SP 779 to be referred to the Rural Affairs Committee, because what happens after 2002 is of fundamental importance for the whole sea-fishing industry. We should be given any documents that discuss that. There is alarming information about access to the North sea by Spain and Portugal, which is what they have been after ever since they got into the EU. SP 778, SP 779 and any documents that relate to that would be of interest to me; and I think that the Rural Affairs Committee should, as of right, get them too.

For the following documents, the recommendation is for no further action, but to copy them to the Rural Affairs Committee for interest:

SP 778 (EC Ref No 5050/00 COM(2000) 15)

SP 779 (EC Ref No 5051/00 COM(2000) 14)

Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

I have another completely different point. SP 782 refers to the social background of Erasmus students. Our universities and colleges have made great use of the Erasmus programme. The social background of our students would be of interest to anyone in the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and could lead to suggestions being made to our universities and colleges. I am happy with the way in which we have taken up Erasmus; it was I who introduced it, so I have a certain interest.

I suggest that we should circulate that document and that it might be worth having a brief discussion on it to see whether it is worth passing on either to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee or to the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee.

For the following document, the decision is to defer the decision until a future meeting:

SP 782 (EC Ref No 5493/00 COM(2000) 4)

Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

SP 778 is on aquaculture, which may be of relevance to work that I am doing. I would like to see a copy.

Anyone who wishes to see any of the documents should see Stephen Imrie.

The committee recommended that no further action be taken on the following documents:

SP 503 (EC Ref No 12350/99 COM(99) 551 final)

SP 772 (EC Ref No 14182/99 COM(99) 645)

SP 773 (EC Ref No 5104/00 COM(99) 494)

SP 774 (EC Ref No 5595/00 COM(99) 699)

SP 775 (EC Ref No 5909/00 COM(2000) 29)

SP 776 (EC Ref No 13123/1/99 REV 1)

SP 780 (EC Ref No 5215/00 COM(99) 732)

SP 783 (EC Ref No 5556/00)

SP 787 (EC Ref No 5702/00 COM(2000) 18)

SP 788 (EC Ref No 5743/00 COM(2000) 24)

SP 789 (EC Ref No 5769/00 COM(2000) 25 AVC 2000/0029)

SP 790 (EC Ref No 5638/00 COM(2000) 10
(Vol I))

SP 791 (EC Ref No 5638/00 ADD1 COM(2000) 10 (Vol II))

SP 792 (EC Ref No 5776/00 COM(2000) 28)

SP 793(EC Ref No 5800/00 COM(2000) 23)

SP 794 (EC Ref No 5817/00 COM(2000) 30)

SP 795 (EC Ref No 5824/00 COM(2000) 11)

SP 796 (EC Ref No 5826/00 COM(2000) 8)

SP 797 (EC Ref No 5911/00 COM(2000) 35)

SP 799 (EC Ref No 5900/00 COM(2000) 36)

SP 801 (EC Ref No 5951/00 COM(2000) 44 final COD 98/0202)

SP 805 (EC Ref No 5995/00 COM(2000) 17)

SP 807 (EC Ref No 6053/00 COM(2000) 61 CNS)

SP 812 (EC Ref No 5970/00 COM(2000) 9 2000/0024 CNS)

SP 813 (EC Ref No 14261/99 COM(99) 657)

SP 814 (EC Ref No SEC(2000) 150 – EN)

SP 815 (EC Ref No 6047/00 COM(99) 726 2000/0034 (COD))

SP 816 (EC Ref No 5540/00 COM(99) 725)

SP 817 (EC Ref No 6248/00 COM(2000) 54 1999/0015(COD))

SP 819 (EC Ref No 6191/00 COM(2000) 58)

SP 823 (EC Ref No 6052/00 COM(2000) 55 99/0020 (COD))

SP 798(EC Ref No 6004/00)

SP 808 (EC Ref No 1607/00)

SP 809 (EC Ref No 5975/1/00 REV 1)

SP 810 (EC Ref No 5976/1/00)

Thank you, members. This has been a long but productive meeting. The Minister for Finance is coming to our next meeting in two weeks' time.

Meeting closed at 16:24.