Examination of Witnesses (Questions 200-206)
RT HON
MARGARET BECKETT,
PATRICK REILLY
AND ANTHONY
SMITH
19 JUNE 2007
Q200 Mr Horam: So you would see the
European Union playing a strategic role in this area?
Margaret Beckett: I do not know
whether I would say we play a strategic role, but certainly we
encourage reform and development and we recognise, as you said
in your question at the outset, that there is an interest for
the European Union in this in a variety of ways.
Q201 Mr Horam: As you know, the European
Union has played a role in Uzbekistan on human rights issues.
Margaret Beckett: Indeed.
Q202 Mr Horam: Would that be typical
of the sort of role that we are talking about—that balance
between human rights on one hand and foreign policy, energy-type
issues on the other?
Margaret Beckett: That is very
much part of the approach to the neighbourhood policy—to
try to balance these different issues and to make it clear that
this is all a matter of concern to the European Union.
Q203 Chairman: Is there any immediate
prospect of enhancing the European Union's representation in Azerbaijan?
Margaret Beckett: The European
Union's representation?
Q204 Chairman: Yes. That issue was
raised with us. Apparently, there is a problem about lack of consistent
engagement.
Margaret Beckett: It is new to
me, I must admit.
Q205 Chairman: Perhaps we can have
a note.
Margaret Beckett: I am not aware
of that concern.
Ms Stuart: May I leave you with a positive
comment? This is something that we picked up in both Russia and
Azerbaijan. I am referring to the work that the UK Government
are doing in governance building. We heard very positive comments
about the work of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and
the exchanges there. I just wanted to put that on the record.
Andrew Mackinlay: Who is in charge of
that?
Chairman: I used to chair the board and
Gisela Stuart—
Ms Stuart: I am still a governor.
Chairman: She is declaring an interest.
Can we have one final quick question?
Q206 Mr Keetch: I endorse entirely
what Ms Stuart and the Chairman said about Azerbaijan, where there
is extensive British involvement, both commercial and diplomatic
and very successful, but on climate change, in March 2007, the
European Council set a number of targets: a 20% reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions by 2020 and a 20% target for renewables, to include
10% biofuels. I accept it is very early days, but how is progress
towards those targets going and, interestingly, how will we ensure—the
UK has been at the forefront of this—that our colleagues
attempt to meet those targets along with us?
Margaret Beckett: It is indeed
extremely early days. The answer is a bit like what we hear at
Leader of the House questions—not next week. Obviously,
we have asked the Commission to look at this and draw up proposals.
I think some parts of the conclusions will be easier to achieve
than others, but certainly one of the things that we took considerable
encouragement from was the fact that, as we had hoped, the basis
of the agreement at the spring Council was a springboard for getting
agreement at the G8 on a process that envisages something to follow
the Kyoto protocol when it expires in 2012.
I was talking the other day to our colleague,
Elliot Morley, who was my junior Minister on this issue for some
time, and he and I agreed that if you had asked us two years ago,
at the time of the Gleneagles summit, when we were trying to get
agreement to move forward, whether we could possibly envisage
an agreement of that kind by 2007, we would definitely have said
no, and particularly in relation to the agreement that the proper
negotiations will be in the framework of the UN framework convention.
So although it is a bit early to say exactly how the European
Union will deliver on the concrete goals about carbon capture
and storage for power stations and so on—a lot of work needs
to be done there—certainly we have already had quite an
achievement building on that, in terms of getting some momentum
behind the Bali negotiations.
Mr Keetch: I dare say our constituents
wish you good luck on that. If it is not the case for constitutions
or treaties, certainly all our constituents want to see some effect
on climate change.
Chairman: Foreign Secretary, we are very
grateful. You have given us a very wide-ranging series of answers
and we know that this week in particular you are very busy. We
will no doubt be able to ask more questions in the debate tomorrow
and make more points, but we hope that you come out of the weekend
with something that we as a Committee can be happy with and we
certainly look forward to asking further questions on the outcome.
We thank your colleagues as well.
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