Scrutiny
The next item is scrutiny of European documents.
It is recommended that the following documents be given priority scrutiny:
SP 1811 (EC Ref No 14373/00 DROIPEN 60)
SP 2003 (EC Ref No 5851/01 COM(2001) 37 final)
SP 2088 (EC Ref No Brussels 13/3/01 COM(2001) 139 final)
SP 2141 (EC Ref No 7260/01 COM(2001) 143 final)
SP 2150 (EC Ref No 7379/01 COM(2001) 165 final)
SP 2171 (EC Ref No 7419/01 COM(2001) 109 final)
SP 2175 (EC Ref No 7262/01 COM(2001) 135 final)
SP 2156 (EC Ref No 7407/01 COM(2001) 139 final 2001/0076 (COD))
SP 1866 (EC Ref No 14880/00 DROIPEN 63)
Is that agreed?
Members indicated agreement.
There are no documents to be formally referred to other committees.
We are awaiting further information on some matters and therefore the recommendation is that we defer consideration of the following documents:
SP 1711 (EC Ref No 13464/00 CRIMORG 154)
SP 2129 (EC Ref No 7408/01 EUROJUST 7)
SP 2160 (EC Ref No 7059/01 COPEN 10)
SP 2161 (EC Ref No 7277/01 ENFOPOL 23)
SP 2098 (EC Ref No 6921/01 COM(2001) 94 final)
SP 2132 (EC Ref No 7387/01 COM(2001) 144 final)
SP 2140 (EC Ref No 7272/01 COM(2001) 137 final)
SP 2154 (EC Ref No 7669/01 COM(2001) 171 final)
SP 2173 (EC Ref No 7358/01 COM(2001) 141 final)
SP 1767 (EC Ref No 14245/00 COM(2000) 786 final 2000/0304 (CNS))
SP 1829 (EC Ref No 5134/01 EUROPOL 1)
Is that recommendation agreed to?
Members indicated agreement.
The recommendation is that we take no further action on the documents listed on page 4, but copy them to other committees for their interest only. Those documents are:
SP 2099 (EC Ref No 6781/01 COM(2001) 98 final)
SP 2121 (EC Ref No 6906/01 SEC(2000) 382)
SP 2122 (EC Ref No 6905/01 COM(2001) 119 final)
SP 2123 (EC Ref No 6921/01 COR1)
SP 2134 (EC Ref No 6716/01 COM(2001) 124 final)
SP 2174 (EC Ref No 7340/01 COM(2001) 159 final)
SP 1886 (EC Ref No 5217/01 COM(2000) 860 final)
Is that recommendation agreed to?
Members indicated agreement.
We should dig out SP 1793, "Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Recommendation concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe" and consider it properly. We still have no description of zonal management from either the Executive or the UK Government. That paper might provide a clue.
One of the reasons why officials suggest that documents such as SP 1793 (EC Ref No 11322/00 COM(2000) 545 final COD 2000/0227) be deferred is that we do not yet have the UK explanatory memorandum—we do not have the statement of the UK's positional policy on the document. It is useful to have both the EC text and the UK Government's position on the document.
My key point is that both in the chamber and in committee we have attempted to get a description of zonal management from the civil servants and the minister and, as yet, we have had nothing. When we spoke to our Galician friend and Mr Fischler, they both said that they have no idea what zonal management is all about. I am assuming that if this is a proposal for a European Parliament and Council recommendation, it might tell us what zonal management, which is going to be an essential part of the common fisheries policy report, means.
We can consider it as part of our inquiry and see if it sheds any light.
Do we not need it this afternoon?
Is that possible, Stephen?
Yes.
I know from my work with the North Sea Commission that zonal management was used in planning. It was favoured by local authorities throughout the North Sea Commission area in connection with their planning strategies for transport infrastructure, for example. It was very popular with local authorities in Scotland and England.
As Lloyd Quinan notes, in the context of the common fisheries policy the concept has a different background.
Okay.
Pages 5 to 8 list the documents on which the recommendation is for no further action. The documents are:
SP 2158 (EC Ref No 2641-25 EUROPOL)
SP 2159 (EC Ref No 3710-39 EUROPOL)
SP 2162 (EC Ref No 7616/01 ENFOPOL 29)
SP 2164 (EC Ref No 7499/01 COM(2001) 160 final)
SP 1727 (EC Ref No COM(2000) 786 final)
SP 1736 (EC Ref No 14174/00 COM(2000) 716 final COD 2000/0286)
SP 1759 (EC Ref No 14187/00 COM(2000) 785 final 1999/0269 (COD))
SP 1760 (EC Ref No 14440/00 COM(2000) 77 final 2000/0068 (COD))
SP 1773 (EC Ref No 14234/00 COM(2000) 791 final)
SP 2126 (EC Ref No 7183/01 COM(2001) 140 final)
SP 2127 (EC Ref No 6823/01 UEM 50)
SP 2128 (EC Ref No 6026/01 COM(2000) 197 final)
SP 2131 (EC Ref No 6453/01 COM(2001) 116 final)
SP 2133 (EC Ref No 6248/01 COM(2001) 79 final Vol II)
SP 2137 (EC Ref No Brussels 27/03/2001 COM(2001) 168 final)
SP 2138 (EC Ref No 7295/01 COM(2001) 156 final)
SP 2139 (EC Ref No 7282/01 REV 1 COM(2001) 148 final/2)
SP 2142 (EC Ref No 7257/01 SEC(2001) 378 final)
SP 2143 (EC Ref No 7255/01 COM(2001) 133 final - Volume I)
SP 2144 (EC Ref No 7187/01 COM(2001) 138 final)
SP 2145 (EC Ref No 7131/01 COM(2001) 126 final)
SP 2146 (EC Ref No 7549/01 FIN 99)
SP 2147 (EC Ref No 7633/01 COM(2001) 157 final)
SP 2149 (EC Ref No 7604/01 COM(2001) 168 final)
SP 2151 (EC Ref No 7382/01 COM(2001) 174 final)
SP 2152 (EC Ref No 7596/01 COM(2001) 164 final)
SP 2153 (EC Ref No 7621/01 COM(2001) 163 final)
SP 2155 (EC Ref No 7687/01 COM(2001) 175 final)
SP 2157 (EC Ref No 7560/01 COM(2001) 81 final)
SP 2163 (EC Ref No 7633/01 COM(2001) 157 final)
SP 2165 (EC Ref No 7496/01 COM(2001) 152 final)
SP 2166 (EC Ref No 7445/01 COM(2001) 142 final)
SP 2167 (EC Ref No 7432/01 COM(2001) 136 final)
SP 2168 (EC Ref No 7428/01 COM(2001) 158 final)
SP 2169 (EC Ref No 7425/01 COM(2001) 149 final)
SP 2170 (EC Ref No 7423/01 COM(2001) 155 final)
SP 2172 (EC Ref No 7402/01 COM(2001) 151 final)
SP 2176 (EC Ref No 6189/01 REV 1)
SP 2130 (EC Ref No 7198/01 COPEN 12)
SP 2135 (EC Ref No Draft Council Dec. Unnumbered Document)
SP 2136 (EC Ref No 14109/00 COM(2000) 760 final)
SP 2148 (EC Ref No 7974/01 COPEN 14)
SP 1702 (EC Ref No 13635/00 COM(2000) 694 final)
SP 1707 (EC Ref No Brussels 8/11/2000 COM(2000) 716 final)
SP 1806 (EC Ref No 14205/00 COM(2000) 765 final)
SP 1828 (EC Ref No 14908/00 COM(2000) 861 final COD 1999/0259)
SP 1847 (EC Ref No 14762/00 COM(2000) 838 final)
SP 1856 (EC Ref No 13289/00 ADD 1 JAI 135)
SP 1865 (EC Ref No 14722/00 REV 1 COM(2000) 850 final 2)
Is that recommendation agreed to?
Members indicated agreement.
At a previous meeting we agreed to draft a letter to a representative of the current presidency of the EU, setting out the committee's view on the importance of preserving rural postal services in Scotland in the context of any plans for liberalisation. In April, the Telecommunications Council announced that it had
"invited the Permanent Representatives Committee to pursue actively the work on this proposal, in accordance with the mandate given by the Stockholm European Council, and present a draft enabling the Council to adopt its common position on this Directive at its next session on 27/28 June."
The Commission's proposal provides for the first phase, which is due to be implemented by 1 January 2003 at the latest. It represents a further 20 per cent liberalisation compared with the current directive. Further measures that will be decided in 2005 will take effect from 1 January 2007.
The main points are the introduction of new definitions applicable in 2003, the 150g limit, the issue of 2.5 times the basic tariff in the case of weight, price limits for reserved services and the liberalisation of outgoing cross-border mail and the new phase that is proposed for 2004.
Do members have any comments to make about the letter before it is sent? No. There is a typing error, so there is a change in the second to last paragraph. It should state:
"This should seek to support the existing 150g limit".