Vol. 434 No. 2
119 Mr. Hogan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will give details of the issues that are treated under the Joint Action Procedure at EC General Affairs Council meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The provisions on joint action are set out in Article J3 of the Maastricht Treaty and are described in the White Paper on the Treaty published in April last year.
Since the Maastricht Treaty has not yet come into effect the joint action provisions have not been implemented by the Council of Ministers. However, preparatory work on areas for possible joint action by the European Union is underway.
A report by Foreign Ministers on future joint actions was included in the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council in June 1992, copies of which are available in the Dáil Library. Further reports were considered at the Edinburgh and Copenhagen European Councils in December 1992 and June 1993 respectively.
Possible areas mentioned for joint actions include Central and Eastern Europe, former Yugoslavia, the Middle East Peace process and the Balladur proposal for a Pact on Stability in Europe.
