Brussels, 01/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - European ministers will be paving the way for the work of the European Summit of 7 and 8 February during their meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC) on Monday 4 February. The agreement awaited on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) will no doubt be the key point of their debates, in conjunction with discussions on the EU's trade relations (USA, Canada) and foreign relations (Syria, Mali).
The General Affairs Council will provide an opportunity to step up inter-institutional contacts on the MFF, just days from a decisive summit on the subject (7 and 8 February). Prior to the General Affairs Council, the presidents of the Council, Commission and European Parliament - Van Rompuy, Barroso and Schulz - and the Irish prime minister, Enda Kenny, for the rotating presidency of the EU Council, will also meet to discuss the MFF. In parallel, the deputy prime minister of Ireland, Eamon Gilmore, is to meet the chairman of the Parliament's budget committee, Alain Lamassoure (EPP, France), and other MEPs ahead of the vote by the European Parliament on the European budget, once the latter is adopted by the Council. Herman Van Rompuy will also take part at the lunch for ministers in order to hold a final exchange of views before the summit. Nonetheless, the new Council president proposals will not be presented until the day of the summit. During the GAC, ministers will be able to tell Herman Van Rompuy what they have on their minds, but this will not be a formal negotiation. It will, however, allow certain issues to be gone into more deeply, an Irish diplomatic source revealed on Friday 1 February.
Ministers will tackle the other points on the European Council agenda more formally next week. They will cover the trade chapter of the summit, including progress made in talks with North American countries. Advanced talks for a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada (see EUROPE 10775) could be completed during the summit. Commissioner De Gucht will be in Ottawa on 6 and 7 February for the last political arbitration with the Canadian authorities. There is more uncertainty, however, about preparatory work for talks with the United States (see EUROPE 10774) being finalised by the summit, as the report from the group of experts is lagging behind on Washington's internal matters, the same Irish source said. On the external relations chapter of the summit agenda, the Malian and Syrian conflicts will also be briefly discussed by European ministers on Monday.
Furthermore, they are also preparing for the spring summit on 14 and 15 March, dedicated to European economic policy. Preparations will be on the annual assessment of the European Semester, and follow up for the Growth and Employment Pact, as well as on alignment with the objectives of EU 2020 strategy. The Irish Presidency of the Council will also inform them of its programme, which will give rise to an exchange of views between the European ministers. (MD/transl.jl)