BRITISH Cabinet ministers were accused of being “part time” yesterday after research by The Times showed that they have the worst attendance records of the biggest member states at important EU meetings.

Although Tony Blair pledged to put Britain at the heart of Europe, Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, and Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for agriculture, have all attended fewer EU ministers’ meetings than their French and German counterparts over the past three years.

More than half of British laws now originate in Brussels, and are automatically adopted by Westminster.

Mr Brown’s attendance at EU finance ministers’ meetings has been declining steadily since 2002 despite the regular lectures he delivers to Brussels on how to improve the EU’s economic performance. He has attended only 19 of the 29 finance ministers’ meetings since 2002. Often he sends a junior minister.

“Brown doesn’t really get on with any of the other ministers, and often doesn’t bother showing up. We’ve always no idea whether he is coming,” one EU official said.

Mr Brown angered the European Commission and his European counterparts on Monday by announcing that he was going to a finance ministers’ meeting in Brussels to demand that British businesses get a fair share of the £1,000 billion annual European government contract market.

However, the issue was not on the agenda, and Mr Brown did not give a copy of the report supporting his claim of bias to either the Commission or any other EU country.

Mr Blunkett has the worst attendance record. He has attended only four of 19 formal interior ministers’ meetings since 2002, and attended none last year. His French counterpart has attended twice as often, while Otto Schily, the German Interior Minister, attended all 19 meetings.

Justice, immigration and civil liberties are among the fastest growing areas of EU law, with a new European arrest warrant, harmonisation of legal standards, anti-terrorism measures and the development of a common asylum system.

The Home Office is normally represented in Europe by the junior minister Caroline Flint. “Blunkett just doesn’t do Europe,” one EU official said.

Ministers from each member state meet, usually monthly, in the so-called Council of Ministers, the senior law-making body of the EU, to negotiate EU laws and to vote on which polices to adopt.

Governments normally send their most senior minister for the policy area under discussion, but they can be represented by junior ministers or even civil servants. Mr Straw and Mrs Beckett have better attendance records than Mr Brown and Mr Blunkett, but still lag behind their French and German counterparts.

Although Britain prides itself as being the main driving force for EU foreign policy, Mr Straw has attended only 33 of the last 50 foreign ministers’ meetings, compared with 39 for France and 35 for Germany.

Jonathan Evans, the Conservatives’ leader in the European Parliament, said: “Against a background of raising influence of EU legislation, it appears our ministers are attending part-time in defending British interests.”

Chris Davies, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament, said: “The democratic deficit in Europe starts in Whitehall. More than 50 per cent of British laws are now made in Brussels, but ministers seem more interested in interfering in a school in Scunthorpe than getting engaged in policies that affect us all. You can’t achieve influence from an office 200 miles from Brussels.”

A government spokesman said: “We attend every EU meeting at the appropriate level depending on the issues under discussion and whether decisions need to be taken. We have a strong voice in Europe.”

• Ankara: Turkey does not intend to recognise EU member Cyprus, despite veiled threats by Nicosia to veto Ankara’s bid to join the bloc, Abdullah Gul, the Foreign Minister, said.

  He also warned EU leaders, who will decide on December 17 whether to start accession talks with Turkey, that Ankara will reject any proposals other than full membership of the EU.

  Turkey’s opponents, who maintain that the vast Muslim-majority nation is not fit for EU membership, say that Ankara should be given a special partnership status rather than full membership. (AFP)

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