Mr. Paul Cullen:

We have had an instance of this already in the past year where, springing from work initially undertaken during the Irish Presidency, a decision was made on establishing a network of public employment services. In these instances there is a degree of ambiguity. Everybody was in favour of being party to it but they did not like the idea that the claims being made for the legal base were such that a decision is binding on all member states. The decision to establish the platform, therefore, is binding but what is done within it is not. In this instance we distinguished between the nature of the platform which will embrace all 28 member states and the activities they then decide to do, whether it is to produce guidelines or undertake particular studies. Only the willing will engage in those actions and in that sense the decision to establish the platform is mandatory. The Commission is asking the Council to take the decision to establish the platform. The Commission cannot wriggle out of it; it is mandatory. All member states will be engaged. What they do is then-----