TNAG-2711-FCO40-3917-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 154

My

Government worked for a peaceful solution to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, and gave full support to the efforts of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, under Lord Owen and Mr Stoltenberg. They made a substantial

contribution to international efforts to provide humanitarian relief to all those in need, particularly through the deployment of troops with the UN protection force.

My Government ratified the Treaty of Maastricht in August.

My Government ran a successful Presidency of the

the European Community in the second half of 1992. An agreement on agricul- ture was reached between the European Community and the United States which helped to pave the way for the resumption of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations under the

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. My Government brought the mid-term review of the Common Fisheries Policy to a satisfac- tory conclusion.

At the European Council at our Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, my Government successfully concluded the Single Market in all essential respects and reached agreements on future

|| NEW

financing arrangements for the Community [until 1999 which || NEW

maintains the United Kingdom's budget rebate], on practical procedures for implementing the principle of subsidiarity, on a

decision on Denmark which cleared the way for their second referendum and for Danish ratification of the Maastricht Treaty;

and on the opening of accession negotiations with Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

My Government have continued to work within the Community to complete the Single European Market and to promote budgetary NEW discipline. My Government have helped to secure important changes in the Common Agricultural Policy.

In June, the European Council at Copenhagen agreed that Central European Associate countries would, if they wished, become members of the Community as soon as they were ready.