---

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will make a substantive reply to the question from the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead tabled on 18 April relating to Zimbabwe (ref 120086). [125671]

Mr. Hain: The question was answered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development on 19 June 2000, Official Report, columns 20-21W.

International Investment Disputes

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to assist British companies to enforce judgments made against other Governments by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. [125037]

Mr. Hain [holding answer 12 June 2000]: We cannot comment on cases which are the subject of legal proceedings at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Her Majesty's Government expects any State with whom we have a Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement to take seriously its treaty obligations and, where such a State is involved in a dispute covered by that treaty, to co-operate fully with any international arbitration procedures and rulings.

Mitrovica

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the progress made in re-establishing a joint city administration in Mitrovica; [126644]

(2) what representations he has made to UNMIK regarding (a) establishment of local power-sharing arrangements for the Serbs in Mitrovica; and (b) re- establishing blocked trade ties between the southern and the northern parts of Mitrovica; [126645]

(3) what recent representations he has received from Mitrovica's regional administrator regarding additional human, financial and security resources for this town; [126643]

21 Jun 2000 : Column: 228W

(4) what estimate he made of progress made by the Joint Interim Administrative Council for Mitrovica. [126646]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Measures to improve public order and to counter extremist activities in Mitrovica have continued to be a key focus of both UNMIK and KFOR. Working with the Joint Interim Administration Council (JIAC) they have implemented a strategy to stabilise the situation and to build confidence between the communities. UNMIK police and KFOR are taking steps to enhance joint security operations. The zone of confidence in central Mitrovica has been implemented.

Additional KFOR and UNMIK police and personnel have been deployed. Village employment and rehabilitation projects, funded by the EU, are being implemented around Mitrovica. New protected train and bus services have started allowing Serbs to commute to Mitrovica.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of the funds budgeted by the EU for 1999 has been spent on reconstruction in Bosnia-Herzegovina. [126642]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 19 June 2000]: In 1999, the EU allocated 93.17 million euros to Bosnia and Herzegovina through its Obnova Programme, which is the main mechanism for reconstruction assistance in the Western Balkans. In 1999 the total Obnova budget was 284.39 million euros and Bosnia and Herzegovina received 32.8 per cent. of the total. The Obnova Programme is funded through the Community Budget.

Kosovo

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress made in establishing the criminal justice system in Kosovo. [126603]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Establishment of an impartial and effective judicial and penal system is a priority for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). 400 judges, prosecutors and lay judges have been appointed and the capacity of the court system has been increased. However, as the UN Secretary-General's latest report noted, ethnic bias and the risk of intimidation continue to hamper the administration of justice. In order to strengthen the effectiveness and integrity of the justice system, the UN is recruiting international judges and prosecutors to work with their local counterparts, in particular to try war and ethnically related crimes. The UK has provided UNMIK with over 40 candidates for international prosecutors and UNMIK staff interviewed candidates in London last week. We also hope soon to be able to provide candidates for international judges and judicial support staff.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress made in establishing provisional institutions for democratic self-Government in Kosovo. [126604]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 19 June 2000]: UNSCR 1244, which established the international presences in Kosovo, gave the international civil presence responsibility for development of provisional institutions for democratic and

21 Jun 2000 : Column: 229W

autonomous self-government. The UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is preparing a draft Regulation on establishment of municipal authorities in Kosovo, for discussion in the Joint Interim Administrative Structures (JIAS). UNMIK intends to hold elections for these authorities later this year.

The Contact Group is currently developing guidance for UNMIK on the possible structure and content of Kosovo-wide institutions for provisional self-government, taking into account the Rambouillet Accords. UNMIK's proposals for such institutions would also be for discussion in the JIAS. This is unlikely to start in earnest until after the municipal elections.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the US Government regarding the form that the provisional self-Government in Kosovo will take and its relationship to UNMIK and KFOR. [126605]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 19 June 2000]: The US Government is working closely with the UK and our partners in the Contact Group in developing guidance for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on the possible form and content of provisional institutions for self- government in Kosovo. As required by UNSCR 1244, the development of these institutions will take account of the Rambouillet Accords, of which US officials were the principal architects. Under any proposals for provisional institutions UNMIK and KFOR would retain their overall responsibilities as set out in UNSCR 1244.

Generation Europe

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding the Generation Europe organisation has received from the (a) British Government and (b) European Union. [126596]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 19 June 2000]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office gave Generation Europe a one-time support of £10,000 to help fund the publication in 1999 of the Generation Europe student diary, 1999-2000. Generation Europe also received funding from the Community budget in 1999-2000 totalling 217,000 euro (£137,000).

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how long the Generation Europe organisation has received funding from his Department. [126595]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 19 June 2000]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made only one allocation of funds to Generation Europe. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office gave Generation Europe a one-time support of £10,000 to help fund the publication in 1999 of the Generation Europe student diary, 1999-2000.

Small Businesses (EU Legislation)

Mr. Rammell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the examples he provided, in response to the request from the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 15 June 2000, Official Report, column 1208, of improvements in legislation made to assist small businesses as a result of the Lisbon Special European Council. [127199]

21 Jun 2000 : Column: 230W

Mr. Vaz: The right hon. Member for Horsham challenged me at 6.50pm on 15 June, to identify three improvements that the Lisbon Special European Council had introduced for business. I responded immediately that I would supply a list of 25 examples before 10 o'clock. I provided a list of no fewer than 35 examples, as follows, and it was faxed to the right hon. Member's office by 9.45 pm.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House of Commons in his statement on 27 March 2000, Official Report, columns 21-23, Lisbon marked a sea change in European economic thinking. It pointed Europe in a new direction, towards a new approach based on enterprise, innovation and competition. A work programme is now in hand across the entire breadth of EU economic and social policy, to deliver the improvements that Lisbon called for. The list sets out examples of how much is being done, and the Feira European Council will mark a further step in the delivery of this agenda.

Economic Benefits for Enterprise from Lisbon

1. Charter for small firms already agreed, to be confirmed at Feira.

2. Clear set of principles to ensure small enterprise promoted as main driver for innovation, employment and social integration.

3. Concrete follow-up action e.g. national bankruptcy laws to be assessed, new regulations screened to assess impact on small business.

4. Progress to be monitored annually.

5. Work on structural indicators in hand to promote economic reform in order to benefit enterprise and SMEs, to be endorsed at Nice.

6. Agreement on improvements to the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines, in line with the Lisbon conclusions, to be endorsed at Feira.

7. Adoption of EU legal framework for electronic commerce reached in April 2000.

8. E-Europe action plan agreed, to be endorsed at Feira.

9. Focus on cheaper internet access, accelerating e-commerce and bolstering ICT skills.

10. Generalised electronic access to main basic public services by 2003.

11. All schools to have access to the Internet by 2001.

12. Teachers skilled in use of Internet and multimedia resources by 2002.

13. European diploma for basic IT skills.

14. Fully integrated and liberalised telecommunications markets by the end of 2001.

15. Competition in local loop to reduce substantial costs of using the Internet for business and consumers alike.

16. Single market strategy agreed (May).

17. Faster liberalisation of energy and transport. New targets will be established next year following a report from the Commission. Bodes well for forthcoming Gas Directive.

18. State aids to be reduced further.

19. EU strategy to remove barriers to services in hand, to be agreed at Nice.

20. New EU integrated regulation and simplification initiative in hand, to be agreed by June 2001.

21. Resolution on European Research Area agreed in June 2000. Boost to links between firms and research centres.

22. Increased mobility of researchers.

21 Jun 2000 : Column: 231W

23. Proposal for regulation on community wide patent (June), to be agreed by 2001. To make patent protection in the EU as simple, inexpensive and comprehensive in scope as the protection granted by key competitors.

24. Interim review of Employment Guidelines--to include recognition that policies like welfare to work and lifelong learning have a key part to play to fight social exclusion and to ensure that the benefits of the knowledge-based economy will be for all.

25. Europe-wide database on jobs and learning opportunities, based on a UK idea.

26. Schools and training centres to be turned into multipurpose local learning centres accessible to all.

27. European award for firms committed to developing staff potential--a European "Investors in People".

28. Lisbon agreed to raise employment rate from average of 61 per cent. today to as close as possible to 70 per cent. by 2010.

29. Target to halve by 2010 the numbers of 18 to 24 year olds with only lower-secondary level education without further education and training.

30. High Level Group on social protection which was called for by Lisbon is now established. Working to modernise and re-orient EU social policy, away from a narrow focus on employee rights towards: active welfare state, not passive dependency; new focus on employability and life long learning; ensuring that work pays and that welfare systems are sustainable. Agreement to increase investment in human resources.

31. Political agreement on directive to counter racial discrimination.

To promote integrated European capital market.

32. EU action now in hand to lead to common international accounting standards.

33. Financial Services Action Plan in hand to be implemented in full by 2005.

34. EIB to make another billion euro available for venture capital for SMEs over the next three years. Tax policies, venture capital and EIB support for private research investments, R&D partnerships and hi-tech start-ups.

35. Work in hand on rapid adoption of new streamlined rules in the public procurement legislative package for June 2001. Procurement on line by 2003; procurement rules modernised and simplified by 2002. The system will be more accessible to SMEs.

---