Meeting Summary
The Committee took oral evidence from Mr David Gauke
MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, on EU financial matters,
including the EU Budget and the Investment Plan for Europe.
The Committee also considered the following documents:
EU Strategy in Afghanistan 2014-16
This week we revisit a Joint Communication outlining
the key elements for EU strategy in Afghanistan for 2014-16. It
focuses on four key areas: promoting peace and security; reinforcing
democracy; encouraging economic and human development; and fostering
the rule of law and respect for human rights. The Minister now
provides further information, particularly on the outcome of the
24-25 November 2014 London Conference on Afghanistan, which the
UK co-chaired alongside the Afghan Government. When we first considered
this Joint Communication, we noted that there was nothing controversial
in it per se, but did indicate that we were minded to recommend
it for debate in due course because of the role that, in one way
or another, the EU would be undertaking (with EU taxpayers' money)
in post-2014 Afghanistan and the uncertainties surrounding the
essentials for the strategy's successful implementation. We now
recommend this document for debate in European Committee B.
The EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina: Stabilisation
and Association Agreement
It has been a long standing goal for Bosnia and Herzegovina
(BiH) to enter the EU. Before being able to do so, BiH must deliver
five objectives revolving around creating a sustainable, multi-ethnic,
democratic, law-based state; and fulfil two conditions, including
the signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA).
Delivery or fulfilment of these "Five Objectives and Two
Conditions" has proved elusive. The SAA has been ratified
by all Member States, but ratification by the EU has been held
up by the failure of local political leaders to deliver their
side of the bargain. Last November, the British and German foreign
ministers met their eight western Balkan counterparts, and proposed
a new joint initiative, saying that if BiH implements the necessary
reforms, they would "work to achieve progress on the country's
path towards Europe". This week we consider a proposal for
the EU to put itself in a position to swiftly conclude the SAA
before the end of March. We conclude that the "conditionality"
question, which is supposedly at the heart of the accession process,
is epitomised in the BiH story so far. It is not clear to us whether
the accession process is being "massaged" once again,
for wider political reasons. The Minister does not provide evidence
to support this "re-sequencing" which would effectively
award the crucial step forward of an SAA without addressing the
underlying problems. We ask the Minister for further information,
including on what position the Government will be taking in Council
on this proposal, and more generally, on the extent to which the
"Five Objectives and Two Conditions" have been fulfilled.
We also consider issues relating to competence, and the applicability
of the UK opt-in to this proposal. The Minister asserts that the
opt-in is engaged; we do not agree.
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