The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con)
My Lords, the purpose of the Bill is to approve two draft decisions of the Council of the European Union. Both rely on Article 352 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows the Union to take action to attain one of the objectives set out in the treaties, but for which there is no specific power given, provided it has the unanimous support of all member states.
For the UK to agree these draft decisions at Council, Parliament must first give its approval. Section 8 of the European Union Act 2011 provides that a Minister may vote in favour of an Article 352 decision only where the draft decision is approved by an Act of Parliament. I am pleased that Members of both Houses will have the opportunity to decide whether to approve such measures.
The first decision will enable the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to be granted observer status in the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency. This proposal has been around since 2010, clearing the UK parliamentary scrutiny processes then in place. In April last year the decision re-emerged, with the Greek presidency having lifted its block on the decision. At that point, all other member states were ready to vote in favour of the decision. However, the requirements of the EU Act meant the UK had to enter a scrutiny reserve for the decision pending approval by an Act of Parliament. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been an EU candidate country since 2005, but in recent years we have seen serious backsliding on reforms. A political crisis has been unfolding in the country over the past year, which has raised serious concerns about the rule of law and adherence to democratic principles. The Foreign Secretary recently discussed the crisis with EU partners at the Foreign Affairs Council on 22 June.
The Government consider that a decision enabling the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to become an observer to the agency would assist the country in tackling the reform challenges it faces and provide advice and help on human rights issues. A recent European Commission report set out a series of recommendations needed to return the country to the path to EU accession. This included reforms related to freedom of expression and the rule of law. Observer status at the agency could allow the country access to advice and assistance on fundamental rights issues to help take forward these reforms.
The second measure is a decision of the Council enabling the EU tripartite social summit to continue to operate. The summit is a regular forum for meetings of representatives of the European social partner organisations, the European Commission and the Council to enable high-level discussion between the three parties on employment and social aspects of the European agenda for growth and jobs. It was established by a Council decision in 2003 and usually meets on the eve of the European Council in spring and autumn. A new decision to re-establish the legal basis for the TSS became necessary because the article of the EU treaty it had relied on, Article 202, was repealed when the EU treaties were reformed under the treaty of Lisbon, agreed in 2007.
At the same time as renewing the decision under a new legal base, the draft decision seeks to take account of changes within the EU in the intervening decade so that it is fully aligned to wider strategies and reflects any technical changes. These changes are that, first, the Lisbon treaty gave the European Council a formal institutional role and its own President. To reflect this, the draft decision gives the Council President a joint-chair role at the summit. Secondly, the draft decision also brings recognition, in Article 152 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, of the value and role of the TSS as part of EU social dialogue arrangements. Thirdly, in 2010 the Europe 2020 strategy replaced the Lisbon agenda for employment and growth which the TSS originally served. Europe 2020 is the European Union’s 10-year jobs and growth strategy. It was launched in 2010 to create the conditions for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Finally, the decision had to recognise that some of the employer organisation members have changed their names.
Dialogue at European level is the purpose of the summit. The Government are able to support the continuation of the summit, the proceedings of which can lend support to building consensus for labour market reforms needed in other member states. The Council published the final agreed text of the tripartite social summit measure and it has received consent from the European Parliament. It is therefore ready for adoption, subject to UK agreement, as all other member states have given their approval.
There are no financial implications for the UK for either decision. There would be negligible or no financial impact to businesses, charities or the voluntary sector in the UK. Over the intervening decade, no apparent risks for the UK have emerged during the existence of the TSS. I confirm that I do not consider that any of the Bill’s provisions engage the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights, so no issues arise as to the compatibility of the Bill with those rights. It is also the intention for the Bill to come into force on the day of Royal Assent. For the reasons I have outlined, I commend the Bill to your Lordships. I beg to move.
Lord Freud
My Lords, I am grateful for the contributions to the debate, albeit they are of a different nature to the contributions that I am used to on some of the more substantial things that we have discussed. I accept the distinction that the noble Baroness, Lady Sherlock, made in that regard.
Before I come on to the specific questions, I shall go through the two areas again. The point of the Bill is so that we can approve two draft Council decisions. On the question of how many such decisions there have been under Article 352, asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Ludford, we have had two this year and two last year—so it is not the beginning of the flood that Noah suffered. Under the Bill, we discussed the participation of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as an observer in the work of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. It is the objective of that country to become a member of the European Union, but it needs to set out key reform priorities, which have been set out by the European Commission. The Government want to encourage the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia—I have to choose my words carefully—on the reform path. Granting observer status is consistent with that approach.
At this point, it might be worth picking up another point from the noble Baroness, Lady Ludford, on the name issue—because I have already used quite a lot of my time repeating four or five words very carefully. The UK has supported efforts which have been made under UN auspices to find a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue. Regrettably, I have to report that no solution has been found so far. There have been some confidence-building measures agreed between Greece and Macedonia and we hope that that will start to lead to a solution to the problem.
On that specific issue, the competency of the agency will not be extended by doing this. It means that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should be supported to increase its human rights awareness and the promotion of fundamental rights within the country. The FRA could provide Macedonia with advice on the promotion of human rights and principles. It will collect and analyse data on the human rights situation in the country and assist with reforms. The noble Baroness, Lady Ludford, asked about the impact on accession. This process could possibly contribute in terms of its path towards the EU.
The UK does not take part in the tripartite social summit. However, the dialogue at this European-level forum is welcomed in support of building consensus for the labour market reforms needed in other member states. The summit has met for some years now and this draft decision effectively seeks to re-establish its legal basis. Both noble Baronesses asked whether we should be spending our primary time doing this. Essentially, Article 352 is a protection to make sure that things that do not fall within specific areas of EU competence cannot be agreed without this House and another place agreeing to it. That is the purpose of the article. These issues happen to fall within that position. The former Minister for Employment, Esther McVey, explained that the Government and the Commission’s understanding of the legal basis was the same and there was no alternative than to use Article 352. However, we can hope that we do not spend too much time in this House on matters such as this. As I said, there are not too many more due, certainly not this year.
I think that I have covered all the points raised by noble Lords. I commend the Bill to your Lordships and ask you to give it a Second Reading.