European and External Relations Committee,

Meeting date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Official Report 220KB pdf

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Pre and Post-council Scrutiny

Do members want to raise points on the contents of the pre and post-council scrutiny paper?

I will kick off with a question about the details of the general affairs and external relations council, on page 5. The paper mentions the European constitution proposal for a European minister for foreign affairs. However, that seems a bit premature, given that we have not yet approved the European constitution.

That apart, I note with interest that there will be diplomatic delegations in almost 125 countries. What will be the status of those delegations? Are they to be European embassies and, if so, what kind of staffing will they have and where will they fit into the hierarchy of the diplomatic service in those various countries? Overall, what will the cost be?

We can inquire into those points with ministers. Given that we are talking about a proposal, some of the information may not be available as yet. However, we will raise those points with the Executive and secure an answer.

As no further points arise, we move on to our next agenda item.