asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will raise the issue of disarmament at the next EC Heads of Government meeting; if the issue has already been raised in the context of European Political Co-operation since the ratification of the Single European Act; the number of meetings of EPC which have taken place since 1 July; and if he will give details of the agenda at such meetings.
Written Answers. - European Political Co-Operation.
37.
The next European Council is due to take place on 4 and 5 December. Although the agenda for the meeting has not yet been established, it is highly likely that, in the general context of discussion of East-West relations, developments in the field of disarmament may receive the attention of the Council.
Matters relating to disarmament are raised and discussed by all partners, including Ireland, in the context of the meetings which take place in this area within the framework of European Political Co-operation (EPC). This continues to be the case since the ratification of the Single European Act.
It would be impossible to put a figure on the number of meetings which have taken place within the framework of EPC since 1 July as this would have to include the many hundreds of meetings which take place between EC missions in third countries, within the United Nations and other fora. At the centre of EPC, however, is a network of working groups involving experts from capitals. There have been about twenty-five such meetings since the beginning of the Danish Presidency. Their agenda has included disarmament issues before the UN, including the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe as well as a wide variety of regional and other issues.