European and External Relations Committee

Meeting date: Thursday, May 2, 2013

Official Report 524KB pdf

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Economic Ideas Forum 2013

Item 6 is a paper that suggests that the committee should give the convener permission to go to the economic ideas forum, which is on 6 and 7 June in Helsinki.

A number of high-level people are being brought together there, including the Prime Minister of Latvia, the Taoiseach, the Vice-President of the European Commission, and a few others, to talk about some ideas about economic growth across Europe. Some of the ideas that are up for discussion are European structural funding, horizon 2020, and the impact of the eurozone crisis. Those topics are on the agenda. I hope that committee members will allow their convener to attend that conference.

Can I suggest an amendment? We should agree that the convener attends the event and that your substitute can attend if you cannot go at the last minute. In that way, you would be allowed to send a substitute.

I second that.

I am sure that we can find out whether that is practical. I just need the committee’s approval that funding should be granted.

I support the proposal. I just want to ask whether the EU has a China plan for Europe. Do we know that? Might that be something that will come under discussion at the forum?

The clerk is telling me that we will get something together for the papers for the next meeting.

We heard earlier that China sometimes sees Europe as the entity with which it wants to trade.

We will get something together for our next meeting.

Are we agreed to allow the convener to attend the conference?

Members indicated agreement.

That takes us to agenda item 7, which we agreed to take in private.

11:20 Meeting continued in private until 11:32.