To
understand what an Assembly for Wales, or any other of the 12 silly little
Regional Assemblies, will really mean requires reading the relevant Articles [263 – 265] of:
The Consolidated Treaty Establishing
The European Community,
Title II, The Treaty Establishing The European
Community, Part Five, Title I, Provisions Governing The Institutions, Chapter
4, The Committee Of The Regions:
ARTICLE 263 (ex Article 198 a)
A Committee consisting
of representatives of regional and local bodies, hereinafter referred to as
‘the Committee of the Regions’, is hereby established with advisory status.
The number of members
of the Committee of the Regions shall be as follows:
Belgium 12; Denmark 9;
Germany 24; Greece 12; Spain 21; France 24; Ireland 9; Italy 24; Luxembourg 6;
Netherlands 12; Austria 12; Portugal 12; Finland 9; Sweden 12; United Kingdom
24.
The members of the
Committee and an equal number of alternate members shall be appointed for four
years by the Council acting unanimously on proposals from the respective Member
States. Their term of office shall be renewable. No member of the Committee shall at the same time be a Member of the
European Parliament.
The members of the
Committee may not be bound by any mandatory instructions. They shall be
completely independent in the performance of their duties, in the general
interest of the Community.
ARTICLE 264 (ex Article 198 b)
The Committee of the
Regions shall elect its chairman and officers from among its members for a term
of two years.
It
shall adopt its Rules of Procedure.
The Committee shall be
convened by its chairman at the request of the Council or of the Commission. It
may also meet on its own initiative,
ARTICLE 265 (ex Article 198 c)
The Committee of the
Regions shall be consulted by the Council or by the Commission where this
Treaty so provides and in all other cases, in
particular those which concern cross-border co-operation, in which one of
these two institutions considers it appropriate.
The Council or the
Commission shall, if it considers it necessary, set the Committee, for the
submission of its opinion, a time-limit which may not be less than one month
from the date on which the chairman receives notification to this effect. Upon
expiry of the time-limit, absence of an opinion shall not prevent further
action.
Where the Economic and
Social Committee is consulted pursuant to Article 262, the Committee of the Regions shall be informed by the Council
or the Commission of the request for an opinion. Where it considers that
specific regional interests are involved, the Committee of the Regions may
issue an opinion on the matter.
The
Committee of the Regions may be consulted by the European Parliament.
It may issue an
opinion on its own initiative in cases in which it considers such action
appropriate.
The opinion of the
Committee, together with a record of the proceedings, shall be forwarded to the
Council and to the Commission.
In
short that pretentious load of Eurospeak boils down to Wales will have no
authority, no say, no representation & there will be 444 extra
representatives to pay for in Europe. Plus, of course, all their staff and all
their expenses - but no more democracy and no more control over the un elected
dictator committee – the European Commissioners.
Let
us look at what it means point by point:
1.
The United
Kingdom will have 24 members with 24 alternates on a Committee with 222 members
and 444 members and alternates in total.
2.
The Member
State [in our case the United Kingdom] shall propose members, thus Wales has no
representation enshrined in European law. These proposals must be unanimously approved by the Council (of
Europe). Thus every United Kingdom member could be proposed from one region.
3.
If the Council
approves the proposal, the Council
can renew their term of office.
4.
Nowhere herein
does it say that members represent a region [viz. Wales], in fact it expressly
states that they shall not have a mandate
or be bound by instruction.
5.
Members are
not elected, they are proposed by
Westminster and appointed by the
Council & their loyalty must be to Europe ‘..performance of their duties, in the general interest of the
Community’.
6.
‘It shall adopt its own Rules of Procedure.’
= It shall become a law unto itself?
7.
The entirety
of Article 265 says nothing other than the Committee shall have freedom of
speech. The implication being that citizens of the new State of Europe do not
have freedom of speech.
8.
There is no
undertaking that the Committee has to be consulted, nor that anything it says
has to be listened to. Therefore since it has no authority, no area of
jurisdiction and no responsibility it has no reason to exist. Just another
costly waffle shop!
Let
us assume that what was the United Kingdom decides to give two memberships on this new Committee and
two alternates to each of the twelve economic regions, in the British economic
subsidiary region of Europe. Wales would then have two votes, in isolation, out
of 222 votes on the Committee of the Regions, less than 1% influence. To add
insult to injury MEPs representing Wales are outnumbered 100 to 1 in the
European Parliament, less than 1% influence again. This is what being master of
ones own destiny and having an Assembly for Wales means for the people of Wales
and every other, of the 12, economic regions in Britain.
There
are some, I am sure, who honestly believe that an Assembly for Wales is a good
idea for Wales. Some will
welcome the removal of benevolent control, albeit sometimes misguided, from
Westminster – surely they can not welcome direct rule by the un elected
dictator committee that rules Europe, the European Commissioners. Some may feel
that two more tiers of Government will help Wales, I can not for the life of me
see how – the more tiers of Government the further from the electorate decision
If you require
further assistance or information, for the defence of Britain, please do not
hesitate to contact us:
Greg Lance –
Watkins,
Cynulliad I Gymru
[Tr.: The Welsh Assembly,
c/o Glance
Back Books,
17 Upper Church Street,
CHEPSTOW,
NP16 5EX
Monmouthshire,
GREAT BRITAIN.
Tel: 01291
– 626562
Fax: 01291
– 628787
‘e’mail: <Greg@GlanceBack.Demon.co.UK>