European Union (Information, etc.) Bill [HL]

Official Summary

A Bill to make provision for information to be available in various public places relating to the activities and organisation of the European Union; to make provision for the flying of the flag of the European Union on various government and public buildings; to provide information to further the establishment of twinning arrangements between towns in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the European Union in accordance with the European Union’s town twinning support scheme; and for connected purposes.

Summary powered by AnyModel

Overview

This bill mandates the provision of information about the European Union (EU) in public buildings and online, allows the EU flag to be flown on UK government and public buildings, and promotes town twinning schemes between UK and EU towns.

Description

This bill aims to increase public awareness of the EU. Key aspects include:

Information Provision: Free access to information and statistics about the EU's activities, organisation, decision-making processes, and the Treaty of Lisbon will be made available in both physical (written and electronic) and online formats in public buildings (public libraries, and borough, town, city and county council administrative buildings).
EU Flag Display: The EU flag may be displayed alongside the Union Jack on government and public buildings.
Town Twinning: Information about the EU's town twinning support scheme (including financial support, scheme benefits, and application procedures) will be made available online and in public buildings.
Definitions: The bill clarifies the terms "government buildings" (buildings mainly occupied by UK Civil Servants) and "public buildings" (public libraries, and borough, town, city, and county council administrative buildings).
Commencement: The bill will come into effect six months after it is passed.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify direct government spending figures. Costs will likely involve the creation and dissemination of information materials, and possibly some administrative overhead for implementing the flag display provision. The cost of the town twinning scheme is not specified in this bill.

Groups Affected

Groups potentially affected include:

Local Governments: Responsible for providing information in public buildings and potentially displaying the EU flag.
UK Civil Service: Responsible for implementing the information provision in government buildings and potentially for displaying the EU flag.
Public: Will have increased access to information about the EU.
Towns and Cities: May participate more in EU town twinning schemes.

Full Text

DISCLAIMER: AI technology is not 100% accurate and summaries may contain errors, use at your own risk. Munro Research holds the copyright for all summaries found this website. Reproduction for non-commercial purposes is permitted but must be displayed alongside a link to this website. Contact info@munro-research to license commercially.