Gay Mitchell
Question:85 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress, if any, being made on EU-IGC 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20954/99]
Written Answers. - EU Intergovernmental Conference.
The European Council at Cologne in June confirmed its intention to convene an Intergovernmental Conference early in the year 2000. Portugal, which will hold the EU Presidency in the first half of next year, has indicated that it intends to launch the conference at the European Council in Lisbon on 23-24 March.
The Cologne European Council confirmed that the purpose of the Intergovernmental Conference would be to resolve the institutional issues left open in Amsterdam that need to be settled before enlargement. It stipulated accordingly that the conference would cover the following topics: the size and composition of the Commission; the weighting of votes in the Council – that is re-weighting, introduction of a dual majority and the threshold for qualified majority decision-making – and the possible extension of qualified majority voting in the Council.
The Cologne conclusions added, however, that other necessary amendments to the Treaties arising as regards the European institutions in connection with the above issues and in implementing the Treaty of Amsterdam could also be discussed. The precise scope of the Conference remains to be determined, with some, including the European Commission and the European Parliament, pressing for a more extensive agenda. The Finnish Presidency was invited to draw up, on its own responsibility, for the European Council meeting in Helsinki in December this year, "a comprehensive report explaining and taking stock of options for resolving the issues to be settled".
A preparatory process, involving a technical examination of the specific issues identified in the Cologne conclusions, is taking place at the level of Permanent Representatives in Brussels. As the Deputy will appreciate, the discussions thus far have been of a very preliminary nature. The Finnish Presidency has indicated that it also intends to consult bilaterally with member states.
It has been agreed that the Conference should be completed at the end of the year 2000, in other words at the end of the French Presidency.