Letter to the Chairman of the Committee
from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
INFORMAL SUMMIT OF EUROPEAN HEADS OF STATE
AND GOVERNMENT IN LAHTI, 20 OCTOBER 2006
The informal meeting of European Heads of State
or Government in Lahti, Finland will take place on 20 October.
The Prime Minister is attending on behalf of the United Kingdom.
The format of this informal will follow that of the Hampton Court
summit during the UK Presidency.
The Finns intend the discussions to focus on
innovation and external energy; President Putin of Russia will
join the summit for dinner. The situation in Darfur and migration
issues, bearing in mind recent experience in Spain, will also
be discussed.
There will be no formal conclusions of the summit.
Prime Minister Vanhanen will make a public statement after the
meeting setting out what Heads have agreed to take forward within
the EU's wider delivery agenda. I hope you find the attached statement
setting out the main agenda items and what the UK expects of the
discussion useful. [2]The
Government will provide a written statement to the House next
week on the outcome of the Lahti summit. [3]
I am writing in similar terms to the Chairman
of the House of Lords European Union Select Committee and the
Chairman of the House of Commons European Union Select Committee.
Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
17 October 2006
2 Not printed. See HL Deb, 18 October 2006, col 81WA. Back
3
HC Deb, 23 October 2006, col 71WS. Back
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