EU-IRAQ RELATIONS
Letter from Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP,
Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Chairman
Following my letter of 4 October 2005[55]
informing you of progress in the EU's relationship with Iraq,
I would like to take this opportunity to update you on further
developments on EU-Iraq trade co-operation.
At the 7 November 2005 General Affairs and External
Relations Council (GAERC), the EU reiterated its commitment to
establish contractual trade and co-operation relations with Iraq.
This was in line with the June 2004 Commission Communication "The
European Union and Iraq: a Strategy for Engagement". EU Partners
are currently discussing the negotiating mandate for a Trade and
Co-operation Agreement with Iraq. We expect EU Foreign Ministers
to approve this mandate at the 20 March GAERC with a view to negotiations
commencing once the constitutionally elected Iraqi Government
is in place.
Under the Agreement, Iraq would benefit from
improved access to EU markets as well as co-operation in a wide
range of areas including science and technology, environment,
energy, industry, investment, financial services, transport and
telecommunications. The Agreement will help Iraq prepare for WTO
membership and provide a framework for EU technical assistance
and capacity building efforts in Iraq. The negotiations will also
cover co-operation on Human Rights, Counter-terrorism, the International
Criminal Court, and Non-proliferation. We fully support the approval
of the negotiating mandate as another important step in increasing
EU engagement with Iraq.
Member States will be consulted regularly during
the negotiations. Once the negotiations have been completed, the
Council will need to take a formal Decision to endorse it on the
part of the European Community. A draft of this Decision will
submitted for Parliamentary Scrutiny in the normal way for consideration
by your Committee. To the extent that the Agreement extends beyond
the scope of the Community's competences, the nature and the structure—either
a mixed agreement or two parallel agreements concluded by the
EU and the EC respectively—will be determined during the
negotiations.
15 March 2006
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Minister
for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Chairman
My predecessor wrote to you on 15 March regarding
progress on the mandate for negotiating an EU-Iraq Trade and Co-operation
agreement and agreed to keep you informed of further developments
in taking forward the EU's relationship with Iraq. I am writing
to inform you that the Commission intends to issue a Communication
on EU-Iraq engagement on 7 June for consideration at the 12 June
General Affairs and External Relations Council. This timetabling
was only announced at the end of last week.
On 9 June 2004, the Commission issued a Communication
entitled "The European Union and Iraq: A Framework for engagement".
This set out a medium-term strategy for EU engagement with Iraq
as a response to the new Iraqi Interim Government and the adoption
of UN Security Council Resolution 1546.
With a constitutionally elected government now
in place, this is a timely opportunity to take stock of progress
against the 2004 Communication and to take a fresh look at how
the EU can engage with Iraq, starting with political dialogue
with the new government. Given that the EU has implemented the
actions identified in the 2004 Communication, the Commission now
intends to issue a revised Communication setting out its recommendations
for a renewed engagement on 7 June 2006. The Communication should
send a strong signal of the EU's commitment to engage with the
new government. It should also set out the EU's commitment to
support the political process, including the Constitutional Review;
promote security and stability in Iraq and the region, and engage
with the new government to lay the foundations for longer-term
relations. An Explanatory Memorandum on the Communication will
follow once it has issued
We expect the Communication to be endorsed at
the 12 June 2006 General Affairs and External Relations Council.
Unfortunately, given that there are only three working days between
issue of the Communication and the GAERC, Member States will have
to consider the Communication before your Committee has had the
chance to complete scrutiny.
6 June 2006
55 Correspondence with Ministers, 45th Report of Session
2005-06, HL Paper 243, pp 254-255. Back
|
