European and External Relations Committee,

Meeting date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Official Report 220KB pdf

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Convener's Report

Item 6 is my report, which this week addresses three matters. The first concerns the report that the clerk to the Parliament periodically makes to us as a matter of courtesy. The report sets out the external visitors whom the Parliament has received and the various external delegations in which members of the Parliament were involved during the period of the report.

I, too, have been invited to the conference that the Presiding Officer is to attend on 19 and 20 May in Wroclaw, Poland. I have yet to decide whether there is time in my diary to go. However, if I go to the conference, I will be happy to report back to the committee on it.

I am sure that the Government whips will be suitably lenient in allowing you time to attend. I am not sure whether any special plea that I might make in that regard would be heard—or even whether anyone who might be sympathetic to my plea is listening.

The second matter concerns a letter from Ross Finnie, the Minister for Environment and Rural Development, in which he responds to questions that we raised on the progress of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive. We asked whether infraction proceedings may arise because of the late implementation of the directive. The minister says that the Commission has advised the United Kingdom Government that infraction proceedings are to commence. He also says that the Government expects the full transposition of the directive to have taken place before the proceedings reach the European Court of Justice. I suspect that, once again, it will be the lawyers who benefit from the process.

The third matter concerns the Executive's response to various questions that members raised at previous meetings on the subject of pre-council agendas and post-council reports. We are still awaiting some information. I ask the clerk to give the committee an update.

Given that we received the response from the minister only today, we have not had time to circulate copies to members. We will do so as soon as we can.

Okay. As no members have comments, that concludes the business of the committee in public session.

Meeting continued in private until 15:56.