Friday, 11 May 2012

Politics List
 
Here's your chance, folks.......to save us from the EU, once and for all - but you have only until 22nd May - Tuesday week!
 
Do bear in mind that the Mandarins and Common Purpose-trained employees in Whitehall will totally ignore everything suggested and go their own sweet way - singing from the Gospel According to Jean Monnet.
 
However.......you may like to check this website - it shows Churchill as a "Founder Member"....now that surprised me!
 

Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 5:24 PM
Subject: A gentle reminder in case?

8 March 2012

The Foreign Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into The future of the European Union: UK Government policy. It would welcome submissions of evidence, by 22 May 2012, which address the following questions in particular:

  • To what extent should the December 2011 European Council and its outcome be seen as a watershed in the UK’s EU policy and place in the Union? 
  • Between now and 2020, what institutional architecture and membership should the UK seek for the EU? Should the UK embrace a formalised two (or more)-tier EU and start to develop ideas for multiple forms of EU membership?
  • What is the relationship between the new ‘fiscal compact’ Treaty and the EU’s acquis? What impact might the conclusion of the ‘fiscal compact’ Treaty have on other aspects of the EU and its policies, such as the EU budget, enlargement, or the Common Foreign and Security Policy?
  • Should the UK Government support the incorporation of the ‘fiscal compact’ Treaty into the EU Treaties? If it should, what demands and safeguards, if any, should it make its condition for doing so?

Committee Chairman Richard Ottaway MP said:

There is a widespread sense that the Eurozone crisis and the December 2011 European Council have raised fundamental questions about the future of the EU and the UK’s place in it. There are people in the Foreign Office thinking hard about these questions, and the Foreign Affairs Committee has already taken some evidence from the Foreign Secretary on them. By conducting an inquiry at this stage, we hope to contribute to public debate by airing some of the options that might be available to UK policy-makers.

Mr Ottaway added that he was starting from the assumption that the UK should and will remain an EU Member.

Call for evidence:

Interested groups or individuals are encouraged to submit written evidence to the inquiry. Written evidence should be received by the Committee no later than Tuesday 22 May 2012.

Form of written evidence:

Submissions must be no longer than 3,000 words. The main body of any submission should use numbered paragraphs. Each submission should contain:

  • a short summary, perhaps in bullet point form;
  • a brief introduction about the person or organisation submitting evidence, perhaps explaining their area of expertise or experience;
  • any factual information from which the Committee might be able to draw conclusions, or which could be put to other witnesses, and
  • any recommendations for action by the Government or others which the submitter would like the Committee to consider for inclusion in its report to the House.

Submissions should be in MS Word format with as little use of colour and logos as possible.

Submitting evidence:

Submissions should be sent as an e-mail attachment to foraffcom@parliament.uk and the email entitled “Inquiry into the Future of the EU”. Paper copies may be sent to Foreign Affairs Committee, Committee Office, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

Further information on submitting evidence (PDF PDF 431 KB)Opens in a new window 

Inquiry-related questions: Please contact Brigid Fowler, Committee Specialist, on 020 7219 4082 or by email tofowlerb@parliament.uk.

Media enquiries: Members of the press with enquiries should contact Alex Paterson, Select Committee Media Officer, on 020 7219 1589 or 07917 488488, or by email to patersona@parliament.uk

Image: iStock 

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/foreign-affairs-committee/inquiries1/parliament-2010/future-of-european-union-uk-government-policy/

Posted by Britannia Radio at 20:08