EURATOM: AGREEMENT ON INTER-INSTITUTIONAL
CO-OPERATION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS (9018/06)
Letter from the Chairman to Malcolm Wicks
MP, Minister for Energy, Department of Trade and Industry
Thank you for your letter of 14 August 2006,[25]
replying to my letter of 25 July. Sub-Committee B considered your
letter at its meeting on 9 October.
We were grateful to you for setting out the
Government's concerns over the above proposal, in addition to
the potential conflicts with the principle of subsidiarity. You
mention that you raised these concerns with other Member States;
can you inform us of their reaction to your concerns?
We will continue to maintain scrutiny on the
proposal and would be grateful for a report of any progress made
so far under the Finnish Presidency.
10 October 2006
Letter from Malcolm Wicks MP to the Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 10 October, in
which you ask for an update on the position of the above proposal.
At the Council Working Group on Nuclear Questions
meeting on 11 October the Presidency introduced a proposal for
non-binding guidelines that received a positive reception from
many, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain reflecting
Member States' positions. The Commission representative acknowledged
that the proposal was consistent with the general climate and
suggested that a written understanding would be beneficial. The
Presidency confirmed its intention to progress this proposal.
On this basis, we expect the Commission will
drop its proposal and accept the non-binding guidelines.
I am sure you will agree that this is a positive
outcome that will allow for a more "joined up" approach
on the part of Member States without our hands being tied.
26 October 2006
Letter from the Chairman to Lord Truscott,
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy, Department
of Trade and Industry
Thank you for your letter of 26 October 2006,
replying to my letter of 10 October. Sub-Committee B considered
your letter at its meeting on 27 November.
We are relieved that the inter-institutional
agreement looks set to be based on non-binding guidelines, rather
than the Commission's original proposal. We congratulate the Government
for the part you have played in achieving what we hope will be
"a positive outcome".
Nevertheless, we will maintain scrutiny on the
proposal until the Commission formally abandons it and would be
grateful to you for informing us of this should it occur.
30 November 2006
Letter from Lord Truscott to the Chairman
I am writing to update you on the proposal for
a draft inter-institutional agreement EM 9018/06 on which there
has already bee some correspondence with Sub-Committee B.
As indicated in earlier written updates, I can
confirm that the inter-institutional agreement is now a set of
non-binding guidelines on international conventions. These
were issued by The Council of the European Union on 4 January
2007 following agreement between EU Member States at the Working
Party on Atomic Questions on 13 December 2006. Determination of
competence on future inter-institutional agreements will be dealt
with on a case-by-case basis. I apologise for the delay in updating
the Committee, which is due to an oversight.
29 March 2007
Letter from the Chairman to Lord Truscott
Thank you for your letter of 29 March 2007.
Sub-Committee B considered your letter at its meeting on 23 April.
We were grateful to you for updating us on this
agreement; and welcome the final decision to adopt non-binding
guidelines. We are content to clear this document from scrutiny.
24 April 2007
25 Correspondence with Ministers, 40th Report of Session
2006-07, HL Paper 187, pp 86-87. Back
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