EUROPEAN AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE CHAIR:
SUBMISSION TO THE RICHARD COMMISSION

The statutory basis for the European and External Affairs Committee is set out in the Assembly’s Standing Orders. Relevant extracts can be found in Annex A. Standing Order 14 provides details about the Committee’s terms of reference and membership.

Essentially the Committee’s remit is to ensure that the Assembly has a coherent strategic approach in relation to EU and external affairs. The Committee is required to keep under review:

• the Assembly’s relations with the institutions of the European Union, and its methods for informing and advising those institutions of the needs of Wales;
• the Assembly’s liaison arrangements with UKREP, and with United Kingdom government departments on European issues;
• the Assembly’s methods and procedures for the consideration of documents, issues and questions emanating from European institutions, having particular regard to the need for liaison with Members of Parliament responsible for scrutiny of European matters of particular relevance to Wales.
• the Assembly's relations with nations external to the European Union.

The activities of the Committee during the first session of the Assembly are summarised in Annex B.

The Committee has a number of standing invitees that provide expert advice and guidance to the Committee as it considers issues:

At its meeting on 4 April the European Committee (as it was then known) reviewed its role and remit. A series of actions were agreed as a result:

• Information on the activity of other UK EU Committees would be circulated
• The Committee would seek to ensure that every subject committee was represented on the membership of the European Committee
• Each meeting of the Committee would include a slot for reports from standing invitees
• The Minister would provide an analysis, by subject area, of each Commission annual work programme
• Subject committees would be invited to include European issues in their progress reports
• Subject committee chairs would be invited to the European Committee annually to discuss their Committee's work
• The remit of the Committee should be extended to include 'external affairs' and to allow the Committee to consider an issue falling within the remit of a single subject committee - where that committee had given its permission
• One meeting a year should be held in Brussels where possible
• The establishment of all-party sub groups were suggested for the consideration of issues in depth

The Committee Internet site is at:

http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubassemeuropeancomm/index.htm (English)

http://www.cymru.gov.uk/keypubassemeuropeancomm/index.htm (Cymraeg)