1 Introduction
1. The Foreign Affairs Committee has maintained a
continuing Inquiry into Developments in the European Union since
July 2001, when it had become clear that the next wave of enlargement
was going to put strain on the EU's procedures and institutions.[1]
At the same time, a Convention on the Future of Europe was being
formed "to consider the key issues arising for the Union's
future development and try to identify the various possible responses."[2]
Two of the present membership of the Committee, Gisela Stuart
and David Heathcoat-Amory, were the United Kingdom Parliament's
representatives on the Convention; Ms Stuart also served on its
Praesidium.
2. The Convention completed its work in July 2003,
with the publication of a draft Treaty establishing a Constitution
for Europe.[3] Three years
later, the Treaty having been rejected in referendums by the electorates
of France and the Netherlands in mid-2005, the European Union
is in a 'period of reflection'. This was initiated by the June
2005 Council[4] and was
extended for a further nine months in June 2006.[5]
3. This is the Foreign Affairs Committee's first
substantive Report on the European Union since 2001, when our
predecessors produced a Report on Enlargement and the Nice Council.[6]
The Committee has, however, heard a great deal of evidence in
the intervening period, all of which has been published.[7]
In the Autumn of 2005, with the future of the European Union clearly
at a sensitive and important juncture just as the United Kingdom
was assuming its presidency, we decided to hear further evidence
and to produce a short Report.
4. Over the past seven months, we have heard oral
evidence from the Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett; from her
predecessor, Jack Straw; from the former Minister for Europe,
Douglas Alexander; from Charles Grant, Director of the Centre
for European Reform; and from Ruth Lea, Director of the Centre
for Policy Studies.[8]
We have also visited European institutions in Brussels, as well
as several European capitals.[9]
During the 2005 United Kingdom Presidency of the European Union,
we hosted in Parliament a conference of the Chairmen of our counterpart
committees from member states and from candidate and applicant
countries. We are grateful to all those with whom we have had
the opportunity to exchange views for their time and for their
opinions, which we have found of great value in shaping our own
conclusions. Our intention is to contribute to the ongoing debate
on the European Union and particularly—given our remit under
the Standing Orders of the House—its external dimension.[10]
1 Foreign Affairs Committee News Release No. 3, July
2001 Back
2
"The Laeken Declaration", 15 December 2001, available
at http://europa.eu/constitution Back
3
The full text of the draft Treaty may be read at http://european-convention.eu.int;
the full Treaty was published by the Government as Cm 6429, available
at www.fco.gov.uk/Files/ Back
4
Declaration by the Heads of State or Government of the Member
States of the European Union on the Ratification of the Treaty
establishing a Constitution for Europe Back
5
Presidency Conclusions 15-16 June 2006, para 47, available at
www.consilium.europa.eu Back
6
Foreign Affairs Committee, Fifth Report of Session 2000-01, European
Union Enlargement and Nice Follow-up, HC 318 Back
7
The evidence is available on our website, www.parliament.uk Back
8
For a full list of the written and oral evidence, see pp 41-42 Back
9
Prague, Vienna and Warsaw Back
10
The remit of the Foreign Affairs Committee is to inquire into
the expenditure, policy and administration of the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office Back
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