Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: European Community Agricultural Council,...

MAF 473

1986-1987

This series contains records on implementation of EU obligations; Cabinet Office papers; IGC (Inter-Governmental Conferences) and Single Market issues; Organisation of briefing for the agricultural council; Special Committee for Agriculture; Secretariat of the Departmental Committee in Europe.

It appears that the predecessor to this series was the OA file series - selected files from this series are in MAF 349

ECC file series

Public Record(s)

English

• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, European Community Division II, 1980-1994
• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, European Union Division II, 1994-2000

3 file(s)

Open

in 2014 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

MAFF until 2001 when the department was renamed DEFRA.

1985 to 1999

No further accruals are expected.

When the United Kingdom eventually joined the community in 1972, the European Economic Community Divisions I and II were formed. Division I dealt with general co-ordination of the Ministry?s relations, liaison with the United Kingdom permanent representative, and monetary questions, while Division II handled legal and parliamentary aspects and bilateral relations with other Community states. As the Community developed, each division gained responsibilities, Division I becoming responsible for liaison with the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce, and input to the Common Agricultural Policy, while Division II handled the European Regional Development Fund and questions relating to enlargement of the Community.

In 1983 a Division III was created, to handle the annual review of agriculture (previously dealt with in Division I), liaison with the Home Office on questions relating to the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, state aids to agriculture, and relations with OECD. The Division was abolished in 1984, and its functions distributed amongst Division I and II. Matters relating to the creation of a single internal market for the Community, Community Surplus food schemes and the Channel Tunnel were dealt with by Division II. The nomenclature of these Divisions changed with that of the community, European Economic Community Divisions becoming European Community Divisions in 1980, becoming in turn European Union Divisions in 1994. In April 1996, following a brief reversion to the title ?European Community?, the Division II was re-named European Union Division II.