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Treaty articles 263-265
National Suicide

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

Greg-Lance Watkins

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