Equal Opportunities Committee, 02 Oct 2007

Meeting date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Official Report 107KB pdf

---

European Union (Committee Engagement)

Agenda item 5 is consideration of the committee's approach to European Union-related work. I will ask for general comments from members on the paper on European Union engagement. However, my real reason for flagging up the matter is that a proposal may jump out at us very early in the EU's policy-making process and, if we get in early enough and indulge in conversation with EU officials before it becomes a green paper, a white paper and then established policy, we can alter the policy direction. That happened in the Justice 1 Committee in session 2, as Marlyn Glen will remember.

Do members have any comments on the paper?

I rather like the offer of a scene-setting briefing from the Scottish Parliament's European officer. I suggest that the committee should up take that offer.

It is important that we keep a good, close weather eye on EU directives because the Parliament is responsible for implementing them. The more advance knowledge we have of what is coming down the track at us, the more chance we have of making considered, informed decisions.

I support the idea of an initial scene-setting briefing. That is an excellent idea. Perhaps, within that briefing, we could have some information on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and how it affects everybody. It is too easy to consider things in isolation and get confused about which European group is doing what.

This morning, I had an e-mail from the European women's lobby that tried to draw attention to what was happening in the Parliamentary Assembly. A report entitled "Prostitution—which stance to take?" seems to recommend exactly the opposite of what we discussed in the previous parliamentary session. I understand now that the Parliamentary Assembly is not the European Parliament, but it still affects people's lives hugely. The Parliamentary Assembly is trying to differentiate between prostitution through trafficking, which it calls enforced prostitution, and prostitution that it calls a lifestyle choice. It does not look like we would agree with the findings, basically.

It is amazing how many things like that go on and we need to be in at the beginning to ensure that we put across our point of view.

It is vital for the Parliament to have close liaison with Europe. Given that equal opportunities issues are at the forefront of the Parliament's work, I imagine that we will have something to offer some of the European institutions' committees; I leave it up to the convener and the clerks to decide which ones we should contact. It is important that we make such links.

I echo what Marlyn Glen said. There are many initiatives at European level to which the British Government has not signed up, but to which I would like it to sign up, for example on immigration and asylum issues. It is a good idea to have close liaison with Europe and I look forward to our first such meeting.

Do members agree to invite the Scottish Parliament's European officer to give us a scene-setting briefing on the current equal opportunities issues at EU level, which will include an overview of the part that the relevant institutions play?

Members indicated agreement.

That is great.

I remind broadcasting and any members of the public who are present that we will now move into private session for agenda items 6 and 7.

Meeting continued in private until 12:05.