At a Council meeting on Monday 17 October, EU member states’ foreign ministers endorsed the global strategy unveiled by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, pledging to implement the strategy effectively and rapidly, and saying that it would guide the EU’s action in the field of foreign affairs over the next few years.
In a conclusions document, the ministers say that the vision outlined in the strategy will be turned into initiatives and tangible political action in all five key action domains. "The HR and the Commission, in cooperation with the member states, will now take work forward on: building state, economic and societal resilience in particular in the EU's neighbours and in wider surrounding regions, including through the European Neighbourhood Policy and other EU instruments; an integrated approach to conflicts and crises, thus contributing to enhancing the EU's own resilience and that of its citizens; optimising synergies and ensuring coherence between policy responses to challenges straddling the internal and external policies of the Union", the Council states. It highlights "the urgent need to focus on migration as well as counter-terrorism and hybrid threats, and the need to support member states in this regard". The Council notes that sustainable development objectives will be a cross-cutting dimension in all this work.
An implementation plan for security and defence will be submitted to the Council in November. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)