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European Council: June 2006

My Lords, my noble friend is quite right to draw our attention to the importance of having a framework for enlargement. There is still a debate to be had in the European Union about whether we need a statement of values and principles to set out what we stand for. I agree with my noble friend Lord Lea on the importance of transparency, although while I think transparency is important, it is even more important to find new and different ways of communicating what the European Union is about. Using such methods as the internet and podcasts is much more important than having television coverage of what goes on in European Council meetings, for example. Again, my noble friend is right about the importance of the EU-Africa partnership, particularly at the moment with respect to managing the issue of migration.