In Brussels on Tuesday 15 November, the General Affairs Counil will carry out preparations for the European Council in December, examining an annotated draft agenda.
The subjects on the agenda of the European Council of 15 and 16 December are migration (migration, agreement with Turkey on refugees and the common European asylum system), internal and external security, economic and social developments and external relations (Russia, association agreement between the EU and Ukraine).
The Slovak Presidency of the Council will report back to the ministers on progress in the negotations on the mid-term revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) of the EU for 2014-2020 (see EUROPE 11664).
Additionally, the ministers will evaluate the rule of law protection mechanism, which was set in place in 2014 to uphold the rule of law in the framework of the treaties (see EUROPE 11654).
The ministers will hear a presentation by the Slovak Presidency of the Council and the upcoming Maltese Presidency on the roadmap for the European semester 2017. Finally, the Commission will present its programme of work for 2017.
Cohesion policy (Wednesday). Over a working lunch on Wednesday, the ministers will discuss the post-2020 cohesion policy, with an assessment of potential simplification measures in particular.
The ministers will take note of the state of progress in the talks on changes to the common provisions regulation. This regulation lays down the common rules, standards and principles for the implementation of the five European structural and investment funds. The discussions will focus on: - the proposals on the so-called omnibus regulation; - the proposals revising various provisions to do with financial management for certain member states experiencing serious financial difficulties.
Lastly, the Council will adopt conclusions on the results and new elements of the cohesion policy and the European structural and investment funds. These conclusions recall that the €270 billion invested under the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund over the period 2007-2013, with national co-financing, will have generated an additional €1 trillion of GDP (gross domestic product) across all countries of the EU by 2023. The ERDF has also helped 400,000 SMEs to ride out the effects of the economic and financial crisis. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)