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European Council, Laeken
3.52 p.m.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: My Lords, with the leave of the House I shall repeat a Statement made in the other place by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister. The Statement is as follows:
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"With permission, Mr Speaker, I shall make a Statement on the European Council which took place in Belgium on 14th and 15th December.
"The fight against terrorism remains uppermost in the minds of all members of the European Union. There remains unanimous support for the military action that has been taken in Afghanistan and a determination to continue our efforts to root out the Al'Qaeda terrorist network. The recent video of bin Laden demonstrates his guilt beyond any reasonable doubt. It brought home the sheer evil of bin Laden and his followers and their sick pleasure in the murders that they committed. No one can now dispute that ridding the world of the Al' Qaeda terrorist network is a job in the interests of us all.
"The European Council welcomed the Bonn agreement between the Afghan groups. It gave strong support for the deployment of an international security force authorised by the UN Security Council, as called for by the Afghan parties in the Bonn agreement. The details of such a force must await the outcome of the meetings in Kabul between an international military team led by Major-General McColl and the interim authorities in Afghanistan. I can tell the House that Britain is willing in principle to lead such a force. It is likely to comprise troops from various countries—European and others. Friday's meeting of potential contributing nations was attended by a number of EU countries, as well as Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Jordan, Malaysia, Turkey and the United States. The British contingent is likely to be from 1,000 to 1,500, though
- I stress that that is not yet decided. We expect the resolution to be passed by the UN Security Council later this week.
"The US has given its full help and support for the security force and we hope to have lead elements in place shortly.
"This force was a critical part of the agreement reached in Bonn on 5th December for the establishment of a provisional government in Afghanistan. There has been a brilliant victory over the Taliban who have ceased to be the Afghan government. That is a welcome liberation. But we know that it is only the start of enabling Afghanistan to cease being a failed state and to become a responsible partner in the region. The situation in Afghanistan remains fragile; the new political process remains in its infancy. There is therefore an urgent need to ensure that as the war is being won, we play our part in securing the peace.
"The European Council took stock of European security and defence policy. We are determined to finalise soon the EU's arrangements with NATO. That will enhance the EU's capability to carry out crisis management operations over the full range of the so-called Petersberg tasks.
"The European Council met amid continuing and appalling violence in the Middle East. In our view, and that of all our partners, the only basis for peace in the Middle East is full recognition of Israel's right to live in peace and security and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. The members of the European Council will continue to do all that they can individually, and through the good offices of the Secretary-General, Javier Solana, to whom I pay tribute, to help to create the circumstances in which the violence can be halted and the dialogue resumed.
"The European Council's other main purpose was to prepare for discussion on the future of Europe. It now looks increasingly likely that 10 new countries will join the European Union in 2004. We welcome that. Their accession will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in Europe—ours as well as theirs. But it is obvious that the European Union, with 25 and more members, cannot work in the same way, with precisely the same constitution, as it has with 15. Decision-making will need to be streamlined. EU laws increasingly will need to take the form of framework legislation, with the details of implementation being left to the member states. It is already the task of the European Council to give strategic direction to the European Union as a whole. But carrying that strategic direction into practice will mean looking again at the size and role of the Commission, reviewing the workings of the existing presidency of the Union, which presently changes hands every six months, and managing the business of the various specialist Councils in a more coherent way. That was why at Nice, a year ago, when we opened the way for enlargement, we also agreed that there should be another intergovernmental conference in 2004 and why we
- are now setting up a convention to prepare for that conference by detailed examination of all these issues.
"The basic agenda for that conference was agreed at Nice. The kinds of questions which will need to be asked are set out in the declaration of heads of government issued at Laeken at the weekend.
"That declaration, which I welcome, acknowledges the contribution that the European Union has made to peace, stability and prosperity in all our countries, but also the extent to which it has had to deliver results to its citizens on jobs, the single market, the fight against crime and a safe environment. The British view, which is widely shared, is that while it is right to co-operate ever more closely with our partners, democratic accountability is fundamentally and ultimately rooted in the member state. As the declaration says, Europe's citizens expect more results and better responses to practical issues, not a European superstate or European institutions inveigling their way into every nook and cranny of life.
"The Laeken declaration and the convention give us the opportunity to take a serious look at the division of competences between the Union and the member states. For the first time in the Union's history, we shall be looking at the prospect of restoring some tasks to the member states. We now also have the chance to open up the European institutions to greater public scrutiny. The role that I want to see our Parliament playing in policing that process is now explicitly recognised.
"The convention which we have now established will be chaired by former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing who, when President of France, played an instrumental role in bringing the European Council into being. It will work for a year. Each national parliament will have two representatives as members of the convention. The regions will be represented as observers and there will be ample opportunity for views from all sectors of public opinion to be fed into the proceedings. Consultations will, of course, be held in the usual way on who our parliamentary representatives will be. The convention will present options to heads of government, who will determine whether those options should lead to changes in the treaty. Those changes would be made by unanimous agreement of governments.
"In the aftermath of 11th September, the European Council welcomed the agreement that has been reached on a European arrest warrant. We also agreed to give fresh impetus to delivering our objectives on asylum and illegal immigration. That will mean return agreements with third countries and a new agreement on handling asylum seekers, including common standards on asylum procedures and reception. We have agreed to improve co-operation on our external border controls. These are all areas on which we need common action within Europe and the strength of a united European
- approach in dealing with the rest of the world. I hope that we shall see some agreements concluded in the coming year on all those points.
"Once again at this Council, Britain played its full part constructively and achieved the outcome it desired. Europe faces huge challenges ahead, as it enlarges to 25 and, over time, to more than 30 countries covering territory from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, with 500 million citizens in the EU: challenges over the completion of the single market with a single currency; over economic reform; over making European security and foreign policy work; and over giving Europe the institutional framework to allow it to function effectively. Those debates matter to Europe. They matter fundamentally to Britain. The days of isolationism are gone. Our role now is to be a leading partner in shaping the Europe of the future, not following reluctantly the shape moulded by others. We are playing that role now. We will continue to do so."
4.2 p.m.
Lord Strathclyde: My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord for repeating the Statement. Laeken was an important summit, which reinforced the impression that the integrationist movement in Europe has stepped up a gear, although the Prime Minister keeps saying that things are coming Britain's way.
What is Britain's way, as far as the Government are concerned? Does it, for instance, include seeking to take powers to introduce EU third pillar measures by secondary legislation? Does it include trying to take powers to adopt a European arrest warrant without this Parliament having the right to amend it—something that the Government would have done if your Lordships' House had not denied them the power to do so only last week? Has the noble and learned Lord noted that the Belgian Prime Minister has declared that the European arrest warrant will be a "unique instrument" and as important in the police and judicial sphere as the euro is in the economic sphere?
When do the Government propose to introduce legislation to bring in the arrest warrant? Can the noble and learned Lord give us an undertaking that he will publish a full list of those orders that the Government intend to bring in under Part 5 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act? The Prime Minister talks about involving national parliaments, but his actions increasingly show that he wishes to take things the other way.
Furthermore, before the Laeken process begins, we need to consider the Nice process. When will the Nice treaty be ratified by all member states and when will it come into force?
The Laeken presidency conclusions, under EU defence and security policy, say that their aim is,
- "progressively to take on more demanding operations"
Specifically, on the announcement in the Statement that Britain would play a role in the peacekeeping force, when will the number of British troops to go overseas be decided? Does the noble and learned Lord have any idea how long they will be garrisoned? Is there a prospect of a permanent garrison in Afghanistan? The noble and learned Lord has kindly explained the rules of engagement privately to some of us, for which I am grateful. In the event of British troops being involved in peacekeeping, will those rules of engagement change?
The EU has pledged £60 million of aid to Afghanistan from the total community budget. How does that compare with provisions from our Government and other national governments? Is the noble and learned Lord satisfied with that level of commitment?
The Laeken Summit was historic in many ways, one of which was that it will be the last one before the euro comes into physical reality on 1st January. We wish the participants well, although we also remain convinced that it is not in our national interest to join. Was there discussion at Laeken of the five economic tests? What did the Prime Minister tell his partners when they asked about a date for a referendum on the euro—or did he say that his lips were sealed?
A number of stores and other organisations have said that they will now accept payment in euros. Will that also be the case for government offices and agencies? Will it be possible for an EU resident to pay in euros for a driving test or a prescription dispensed in hospital? After all, was that not part of the National Changeover Plan, on which so much as been spent?
Turning to agriculture, I wonder whether the Prime Minister took the opportunity of raising the French ban on British beef, following the judgment by the European Court of Justice. Does the noble and learned Lord have any news on when the ban will be lifted? The Prime Minister has said that former President Giscard d'Estang was his candidate to lead the convention. Did he seek to raise the lifting of the beef ban before his expression of enthusiastic support for a French candidate?
Can the noble and learned Lord say a bit more about the membership of the convention? Will members of the official Opposition in this country be included? Bearing in mind that we have a bicameral legislature, can he give us an assurance that a member of your Lordships' House will be sent? The noble Lord, Lord Stoddart of Swindon, would no doubt make an important contribution.
What are our objectives in the convention? The Prime Minister has agreed with the Belgian Prime Minister that nothing is taboo on the agenda. Does
that include a written European constitution, binding on Britain, and a directly elected president of Europe? Do the Government support those objectives?We differ from our friends on the Liberal Democrat Benches, who openly support some of those integrationist objectives, whereas we do not. Where do the Government stand? Where in the drive to European integration do they plant their standard and say, "This far and no further"? Will they simply go on as far as they think that they can get away with? Will the noble and learned Lord agree to an early debate on Europe so that the Government can set out their position to Parliament well before the convention is set up?
Finally and briefly, I am sorry to raise a more disagreeable matter, unrelated to Laeken, but since the Leader of the House is here I could not resist asking whether he could say anything about the extraordinary reports in the weekend press about the surveillance of the noble Lord, Lord Ahmed. The noble Lord is a much respected Member of the House. He is not here, but I apologise to him for not having warned him that I would raise the matter. I appreciate that the noble and learned Lord may not be in a position to say whether the noble Lord has been the subject of surveillance, but, as Leader of the House, will he ask the Foreign Secretary to explain the remarks, as reported in the press, of Mr MacShane? Has the Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms been contacted by Foreign Office Ministers over the noble Lord, Lord Ahmed? I know that the Leader of the House is as keen as I am to defend the privileges of this House. That includes ensuring that no Member of this House is subjected to bullying by Members of another place. I hope that this episode is not a sign of things to come.
4.9 p.m.
Baroness Williams of Crosby: My Lords, I thank the Leader of the House for repeating the Statement made by the Prime Minister in the other place. I assure him that my remarks and questions will be limited to the Laeken summit.
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