Brussels, 16/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and High Representative Catherine Ashton will all attend the 66th General Assembly of the United Nations on 20-23 September. Commissioners Andris Piebalgs (development), John Dalli (consumer protection), Kristalina Georgieva (international cooperation) and Connie Hedegaard (climate action) are also expected in New York.
Van Rompuy will take part in the first general debate since the adoption of the resolution in May that allows him to present the EU statement. Of interest to Ashton will be the discussions on the Middle East peace process, the Arab spring, Libya and Syria. Barroso will speak on the situation in Libya at a high-level meeting, where he will outline the Commission contribution to the reconstruction and strengthening of the post-Gaddafi Libyan state. He will also take part in climate change discussions in preparation for the Cancún conference and in a high-level meeting on nuclear safety, which will take place in parallel with the 55th general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. At the New York meeting, Barroso will call for tougher worldwide safety rules. Barroso will also attend a round table discussion on sustainable consumption, where he will set out the work the EU has done on resource efficiency and the green economy as part of the EUROPE 2020 strategy.
Barroso will take advantage of his time at the UN to meet Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Bilateral meetings with heads of state or government are also scheduled. (CG/transl.rt)