Meeting Summary
This week the Committee considered the following
documents:
European aid to the most deprived
In December 2012, the Committee reported on a draft
Regulation to establish a Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived,
which sought to introduce, at an EU level, a mandatory scheme
for the distribution of food and basic consumer goods. The Committee
shared the Government's concerns that this breached the principle
of subsidiarity (as the objective could be better achieved at
a national level) and so recommended that the House debate and
adopt a Reasoned Opinion. Across the EU, the number of Reasoned
Opinions did not reach the threshold that would require the Commission
to reconsider the proposal. We have now been told by the Minister
that a Presidency compromise text has been agreed and informal
discussions are underway with the European Parliament. We ask
to be kept informed of the details of any prospective First Reading
agreement.
EU Passenger Name Records (PNR) Agreement with
Canada
These draft Council Decisions authorise the EU to
sign and conclude a PNR Agreement with Canada which would set
out a more comprehensive framework for PNR transfers. As a justice
and home affairs measure, they are subject to the UK's JHA opt-in.
In our initial Report on the proposals, we asked the Minister
what factors would determine whether the UK opted in or out of
the Agreement. The Committee drew attention to the striking differences
between this Agreement and those between the EU and Australia
and the US, respectively, with regard to the provisions on data
retention and on the processing of sensitive data; we asked the
Minister to explain them. We now Report the Minister's response
but continue to hold the documents under scrutiny pending further
information on the opt-in before its deadline of 26 November.
Adjustment of Direct Farm Payments for 2013
The EU's annual budget must comply with the MFF and
Council Regulation (EC) No. 73/2009 enables adjustments to be
made to expenditure on the Common Agricultural Policy if it appears
the ceiling will be exceeded. Earlier in the year, the Commission
put forward a draft Regulation, which was debated in European
Committee in June, and would have reduced direct farm payments.
However, as the European Parliament and Council were unable to
adopt it by the deadline of 30 June, the Commission adopted an
Implementing Regulation proposing a slightly smaller reduction
and dropping the exemption threshold from €5,000 to €2,000.
The Commission has subsequently put forward this draft Council
Regulation, based on new information. The reduction in the payment
rate would now be 2.45% but the threshold of €2,000 would
be retained. The Government is satisfied with the reduction and
is prepared to compromise on the threshold of €2,000, although
it would prefer there be no exemption. Although the original proposal
was debated, we report this update to the House because of the
impact on the UK and the administrative implications for paying
agencies.
The EU and Korea
In our Report of 11 September, we scrutinised a Draft
Council Decision on an EU-Korea Framework Agreement on Comprehensive
Partnership and Cooperation. At that time we acknowledged the
political and economic significance of the Agreement but considered
that there were outstanding legal questions to be resolved around
the absence of a JHA legal base to cover the obligation to conclude
a readmission agreement. We reiterated our often-stated opinion
that the Government cannot assert an opt-in in the absence of
a Title V legal base in the proposal. The revised proposal which
we are now reporting splits the Decision on conclusion of the
Agreement into two — one that covers the JHA content and
has the relevant legal base, the other, the remaining content.
We welcome the decision and clear the documents from scrutiny.
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