Priorities of the European
Union: evidence from the Ambassador of France and the Minister
for Europe
1._It has been our practice in recent years to take
evidence from the Ambassador of each incoming Presidency country
on the priorities of that Presidency. It has also been our recent
practice to take evidence from the Minister for Europe after each
European Council to hold the Government to account for its actions
at the meeting.
2._In this report we publish for the information
of the House the oral evidence given to us by His Excellency Mr
Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, Ambassador of France, on 10 June 2008.
The French Presidency runs from 1 July to 31 December 2008. We
also here publish the evidence of Mr Jim Murphy MP, Minister for
Europe, about the European Council of 13-14 March 2008, given
on 25 March 2008. The Minister has since given oral evidence to
the Committee on the June European Council; this evidence will
be published shortly and is available on our website.[1]
3._The key topics in the evidence from the Ambassador,
discussing the French Presidency priorities on 10 June, are:
- Biofuels (QQ 1, 11-12)
- The budget (QQ 9, 13-14)
- Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
reform and food security (QQ 1, 9-11, 13-14)
- The context of the Presidency,
including the Lisbon Treaty (the Ambassador gave us this evidence
before the Irish referendum on the Treaty) (Q 1)
- Energy and climate change (QQ
1, 7-8)
- The European Security and Defence
Policy (Q 1)
- The European Security Strategy
(QQ 1, 15-16)
- Financial stability (QQ 1, 22-23)
- French political and economic
reform (QQ 1, 11)
- Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs) (Q 11)
- Immigration and asylum (QQ 1,
17)
- Investment into Africa (Q 24)
- The Quartet and a Palestinian
state (Q 20)
- The selection of a President of
the European Council, a High Representative and a President of
the Commission under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty (QQ 2-6)
- The Slovenian Presidency (Q 1)
- Small businesses (QQ 1, 21)
- Trade (QQ 1, 9, 11)
- Turkish accession to the EU (Q
18)
- The Union for the Mediterranean
(Q 19).
4._The key topics in the evidence from the Minister
for Europe, discussing the March European Council on 25 March,
are:
- Better regulation (QQ 38-39)
- The budget review (Q 46)
- Carbon leakage (QQ 55-56)
- Climate change and energy, including
biofuels (QQ 51-56)
- Climate change and international
security (QQ 49-50)
- Data protection (Q 37)
- The Doha Development Round (QQ
44-46)
- Financial stability (QQ 61-65)
- The free movement of knowledge
(QQ 33-37)
- The Lisbon Strategy, skills and
competition policy (QQ 26-32, 37, 46)
- The Services Directive and small
businesses (QQ 40-43)
- The Social Agenda (QQ 46-48)
- The Union for the Mediterranean,
including its effects on Turkey (QQ 57-60)
- VAT concessions for eco-friendly
goods (Q 54).
1 http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/lords_eu_select_committee.cfm
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