Falklands : Falklands - General Purposes Committee Report
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 20.12.2007 (Article Archived on 03.01.2008)
A meeting of the General Purposes Committee took place on Wednesday, 12 December 2007.
GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE REPORT
By J. Brock (FINN)
A meeting of the General purposes Committee took place on Wednesday, 12 December 2007. On Monday, 17 December 2007 Cllr Mike Summers briefed the media about what took place during the meeting.
Exco papers to be made public were discussed as well as what happened at the European Union Overseas Territories Meeting and the Overseas Territories Consultative Council Meeting. Also discussed were the rules by which Councillors travel Business class on aircraft and the programme for the visit of Gus Meikle from Mercopress.
Other meetings during the month included one with Mack McArthur and three days discussing the Constitution with Andrew Allen, Michael Bradley and Ian Hendry.
Whenever possible Councillors travel economy class on aircraft but it was thought if they had to begin work on the day they arrived it would be best if they travelled Business class. Recent same day start working visits to London and Brussels meant that Cllrs Robertson, Clausen and Summers travelled Business class. It was adopted as a general rule that Councillors would not travel Business class unless it was absolutely necessary.
Cllr Summers described the meetings in Brussels as most important as there were discussions about how EDF10 Allocations were awarded and how they are managed. Also, the relationship of the OCTs and the EU will be re-vamped in 2013. At present Cllr Summers sees the level of discussion between the European Union and the Overseas Territories as inadequate and super-ceded by events over the past years. Aside from some transhipment concessions, a lengthy process in funding and tax breaks the Overseas Territories weren’t getting much out of the relationship with the EU and it was hoped to have more trade and political assistance. Cllr Summers said that he didn’t think it was good to have too much EU intervention. Our case was different because British Overseas Territories had internal Self Government and the others were more prone to home rule.
Mr Gus Meikle from Mercopress would have his visit planned and funded by FIG.
It is expected that he will arrive in the Falklands at the end of January. It is not certain whether Mr. Andres Federman from Buenos Aires will come with him but a visit is also being worked out. He wants to present a document about how to get Falklands publicity into South America to Councillors.
At any rate, Cllr Summers said that Mr. Meikle is seen as an important mechanism for putting information about the Falklands into Latin America. It was to the Falklands’ benefit to increase their visibility and Mercopress was instrumental in the effort to put the Falklands case to readers in Latin American Media.
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