We come again to what is going to happen in the period before the recommendations we have had in private session come into effect. I am interested in one specific issue and I will take it as an example. There is to be a conference on the Law of the Sea at the end of June. At present a number of discussion documents are circulating at European level. I think the Community will be represented with observer status at that conference. These documents should be more easily available to members of the Committee in sufficient time to have them discussed.
Conference on Law of the Sea.
Under what auspices are these documents issued? What is the body?
The conference is taking place under the auspices of the United Nations. There are now discussion documents in relation to different issues involved—for example, coastline subsoil, sea fisheries, and so on.
Does this involve oil?
Oil, exactly. These can be discussed at length at the first conference at the end of June and then at the more important later conference in Vienna in 1975. Here we are getting the oil position and the Community position. Such documents or position papers are being discussed and it would be very valuable to the Committee to be in possession of them so that the Committee could evaluate them.
I think that is a very good suggestion and perhaps the way for us to proceed is to ask the Department of Transport and Power to let us know——
Obviously this difficulty could not arise if we could have what is being proposed in advance.
There may be nothing for us to take note of but we should look into it and see whether there are any points.
And see whether it would come within our terms of reference. We did this before.
Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
The Committee adjourned at 6.20 p.m.