1.   After lengthy debates in each national parliament, ratification took a further year to complete.

2.   Although Mrs Thatcher insists that accountability should exclusively be through national governments to national parliaments, this is not favoured by others.

3.   First of all, the principle of the supremacy of national parliaments needs to be firmly established.

4.   Not only would national parliaments not have any control over the Decisions reached in the Council, no one else would either.

5.   By contrast both France and the UK were reported to favour the exercise of greater democratic control over the EC through national parliaments.

6.   Among the stations where people were gassed were those serving the national parliament and the Foreign Ministry.

7.   Any decision would have to be unanimous and ratified by all national parliaments.

8.   Another six weeks will go by before the European and national parliaments issue their own opinions.

9.   Blair also plans to experiment with proportional representation voting for elections to the national parliament.

10.   France wants the power of national parliaments beefed up, while Germany would like to see the European Parliament given more power to scrutinize legislation.