The Government's view
10. In the Explanatory Memorandum on the Commission's
Work Programme, the Minister for Europe (Mr Douglas Alexander)
states that the Government's initial view, based on the information
provided in the Work Programme, is that none of the legislative
provisions are likely to raise "substantive subsidiarity
issues" (we refer to subsidiarity issues below). It believes
that the content of the programme "fits in very well"
with the United Kingdom's goals "for the Presidency and beyond".
11. In the Explanatory Memorandum on the Council's
programme, the Minister describes it as "a flexible menu
of issues likely to be pursued in 2006", and says that there
is "clear continuity with the Luxembourg/UK programme for
2005".
| 
