European and External Relations Committee, 16 Dec 2008

Meeting date: Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Official Report 187KB pdf

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“Brussels Bulletin”

Under agenda item 5, do members have any comments to make on the "Brussels Bulletin"? Jamie Hepburn always has comments.

I do. On the Lisbon treaty, the bulletin refers to a report, which, it says, states that

"ratification by parliamentary vote alone would be, ‘undesirable'."

Does that mean that it is impossible? I thought that there had to be a referendum under the terms of the Irish constitutional set-up. That is just a comment.

The clerks may know about the legal position, but my understanding is that the Czech Senate was involved. I think that there was going to be a legal decision.

Since the bulletin was put together, the winter council has taken place, of course, at the end of last week. Ian Duncan has produced a note on that, which members will receive later today. I think that it will answer that question.

Let us hope that the Irish stick to their guns.

We shall see.

It would have been useful to get a copy of the declaration that was made, because there are implications. I saw a copy of it last week. Perhaps we need to draw out the implications for Scotland. For example, if things go as people seem to be planning, Scotland would have seven MEPs rather than six. I know that getting copies was difficult, as the declaration was made late on, but it would be useful to have it for the next meeting as well as something that points out any implications for Scotland, if that is possible.

I think that that would be fine. We can arrange that through Ian Duncan.

Creating new impetus with respect to the proposed European small business act could be important to Scotland as a nation of small businesses. It would be good to keep a watchful eye on that brief.

The proposal in question was expected to be endorsed by the winter council, so there may be information about it in Ian Duncan's updates.

Perhaps we could notify him to keep a watching brief on the matter. Obviously, access to finance during the global turmoil is increasingly difficult, and the past few days have not helped.

Absolutely. We will circulate the winter council update to members by e-mail, and we will ask Ian Duncan to keep a watching brief on the small to medium-sized enterprises sector and on any assistance that may be made available through the financial recovery plan.