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VISIT TO STRASBOURG BY MRS CHALKER, 15 JUNE: MEETING WITH LORD PLUMB, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
1.
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Mrs Chalker described the achievements of the previous two days' Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, in particular the decision over budgetary discipline. It was important that Parliament produced the necessary opinions during the June Plenary. Mrs Chalker acknowledged the constructive efforts of Lord Plumb to focus the Parliament on these important issues hitherto. Lord Plumb noted that the IIA was an unexpected success considering the state of affairs only six months previously.
2.
On the issue of the Vietnamese Boat People, Mrs Chalker rehearsed the UK's position: genuine political refugees would be acceptable, but economic refugees would not. HMG was concerned about Chinese help in getting economic refugees to Hong Kong. HMG hoped the Chinese would refrain from this; and in the longer term, hoped a disincentive to stop the refugees leaving Vietnam could be found. Lord Plumb observed that a large number of genuine political refugees were visiting the EP during the Plenary. Lord Plumb added that recent comments by the Secretary of State on the issue had been particularly well received in Hong Kong.
3.
Following the FAC agreement on the dates for the 1989 European Parliament elections (15-18 June 1989), Mr Jones Parry noted that this would mean there would be no legislative session of the Plenary from May until September next year, because of the concentration on re-election during June and the establishment of committees and the new President in July. There was therefore a danger of a lengthy gap in the consideration of important matters such as common positions.
4.
Looking ahead to future EC priorities, Mrs Chalker said that good progress was being made on capital liberalisation. Early progress was also hoped for on road haulage and recognition of higher education diplomas. On the issue of mutual recognition of test certificates, Mrs Chalker proposed to discuss prospects with the DTI.
5. On the single market awareness, the DTI claimed a figure of 60%: a dramatic improvement, but much remained to be done. Mrs Chalker would work to ensure that the campaign was people as well as business orientated. She hoped Lord Plumb might mention this aspect to Mr Maude during his visit to the July Plenary. Lord Plumb agreed with Mrs Chalker's view. For his part, he had been establishing a "1992 Group" in the Cotswolds, with the aid of major companies eg Dowty.
6.
Mrs Chalker expressed her gratitude for Lord Plumb's handling of the Llewelyn Smith Report on Sellafield. But the matter was far from resolved: HMG wanted to see the withdrawal of the report rather than a watered-down resolution. Lord Plumb noted that at the outset MEPS had voted not on the issue itself but on an anti-British basis. It would be difficult to achieve the desired results, but Lord Plumb would certainly work on this. In the short term at least, it should be possible to get the subject off the agenda for the July Plenary.