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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each of the areas of decision-making in which the United Kingdom lost its power of veto when the previous Government signed up to (a) the Single European Act 1986 and (b) the Maastricht Treaty. [180795] Mr. MacShane: Under the Single European Act, five Articles were moved from a unanimous voting base to Qualified Majority Voting (QMV): altering or suspending autonomous duties in the common commercial Tariff, free movement of workers, freedom of third country nationals established in the Community to provide services, co-ordination of exchange policies to liberalise movement of capital and extension of the Treaty Title on Transport to sea and air transport. Seven new Articles were introduced at QMV: three relating to the internal market and four on: health and safety of workers, the implementing decision relating to the European Regional Development Fund, the adoption of specific Research and Development programmes within the unanimously agreed multi- annual framework programme and the power to adopt certain measures if these had been unanimously agreed in the Council. Under the Maastricht Treaty, two areas were moved from a unanimous voting base to QMV (Transport Safety and Environmental Measures). 28 new Treaty provisions were introduced at QMV: movement of capital to and from third countries, safeguard measures, movement of capital and payments to implement sanctions, visas, broad economic guidelines, bail-out fund in the event of a natural disaster; definition for applying prohibition on assuming financial liability, excessive deficit procedure, harmonising coins, ECSB Statutes, Exchange Rate Agreements, Economic and Financial Committee, Consultation of Economic and Monetary Institute, mutual assistance in the event of balance of payment difficulties, protective measures, moving to State II of EMU, EMU Stage III derogations, education, public health, consumer protection, TENs guidelines, development co-operation, regulation and conditions for the performance of the Ombudsman's tasks, Allowances of ESC members. Measures to implement sanctions, decisions implementing CFSP joint actions if use of QMV had been unanimously agreed at the Council, decisions implementing JHA joint actions if use of QMV had been agreed unanimously in the Council and Application of specified EC Treaty provisions on some aspects of JHA.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

180795; 423 c651-2W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Constitutions Convention on the Future of Europe European Union EU action Voting methods Treaties Treaty on European Union UK membership of EU Single European Act

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk