The European Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet on Monday 25 January in Brussels for their first meeting of the year, whose agenda was described as “dense” by a European diplomat on Friday 22 January.
Indeed, current affairs will be an opportunity to take stock and consider future European action on a large number of topical issues.
“Ministers will travel the world in an hour”, summarised a European source.
Sharing of Covid-19 vaccines with non-Member States. Ministers will have an exchange of views on the EU strategy for sharing Covid-19 vaccines with low-income non-Member State partners.
On Thursday 21 January, the EU27 Member States confirmed their willingness to show solidarity. And the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called on them to share their vaccine surpluses until the COVAX facility can deliver large quantities of doses to poorer countries. This is out of solidarity and self-interest (see EUROPE 12641/1). These shared vaccine doses could be transported by COVAX.
“We need global access (to vaccines), because no one will be safe if everyone is not safe”, a senior European official reiterated on Friday. “The aim of the discussion is to have a common approach and to be aware of the Ministers’ priorities”, he added.
Sharing vaccines with neighbouring countries should be at the heart of the discussion. “We have an interest in our neighbours being as safe as possible. This is why the High Representative of the EU has put this issue on the agenda”, the source said.
Russia. Ministers will discuss the situation of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny (see EUROPE 12638/14).
On Thursday 21 January, at the end of the videoconference of European leaders, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, condemned the detention of Mr Navalny upon his return to Russia, calling for his rights to be fully respected. “We call on Russia to release him immediately and ensure his safety”, he said.
Once again, Mr Michel called on Moscow to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the poisoning of the political opponent and to fully cooperate with the International Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to ensure an impartial international enquiry.
On Friday 22 January, Mr Michel spoke by telephone with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to convey European grievances to him.
Member States are divided on the response to be given to Mr Navalny’s detention. “We need to look at the situation and see how to develop a strategy to make it as effective as possible. Some say that the answer is sanctions; others want to take the time to analyse it”, said a diplomat.
Relations with Russia will be discussed at the European Council in March and several Member States would not wish to prejudge the outcome of this discussion.
Turkey. The EU Council will return to the ongoing contacts with the Turkish leaders, while the head of Turkish diplomacy, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, was in Brussels on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 January for talks notably with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, and the Presidents of the Commission and the European Council (see EUROPE 12641/17).
“With a view of the European Council in March (see EUROPE 12620/2) and the mandate given to the High Representative Josep Borrell, an update will be given on all the provisions laid down by the European Council”, explained a European diplomat.
Work on the adoption of additional sanctions against those responsible for illegal drilling activities in the Mediterranean, as requested by leaders in December, is still ongoing in the relevant EU Council working group.
Iran. Iran’s announcement of the resumption of 20% uranium enrichment will also be discussed on Monday.
In a EU27 statement issued on 11 January, the EU had expressed its concerns and called on Tehran to fully respect the nuclear agreement (see EUROPE 12634/18), especially as the new US administration has already expressed its interest in the agreement.
The Gulf. Ministers could also return to the situation in the Gulf, in particular the improvement of relations within the Gulf Cooperation Council (see EUROPE 12630/17). The Political Director of the European External Action Service will visit the region in the coming days.
Hong Kong. The Foreign Affairs Council will discuss the situation in Hong Kong as the arrests of pro-democracy activists continue (see EUROPE 12631/8). “It will be a question of continuing to assess the situation and the implementation (by the Member States and the EU) of the measures decided on and continuing to work on these measures”, a European diplomat explained.
Venezuela. Taking stock once again of the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, the Ministers will adopt conclusions in which they will not recognise the legitimacy of the new Venezuelan National Assembly controlled by the Maduro regime.
The EU should henceforth consider the opponent Juan Guaidó as “a privileged interlocutor”, in the same way as other opposition figures (see EUROPE 12642/4). Now is not the time for new targeted sanctions.
Ethiopia/Horn of Africa. Josep Borrell and the Ministers will take stock of the situation in the Horn of Africa, a region where the situation is very volatile and which is threatened with destabilisation due to the conflict in Tigray in Ethiopia (see EUROPE 12638/18) and tensions on the border between Sudan and Ethiopia.
Ministers are also expected to discuss the very difficult situation of migrants and refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina (see EUROPE 12639/8), the human rights situation in Egypt, on the five-year anniversary of the death of the Italian student Giulio Regeni, tortured and killed in Egypt (see EUROPE 11485/23), and the coming to power of the new US administration.
Japan. The Ministers will then exchange views with their Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, by videoconference. According to a European diplomat, this exchange is part of the next prospects with Japan, particularly in view of the annual bilateral summit.
However, beyond bilateral issues, these exchanges should focus on international cooperation or security issues in Asia. This discussion is part of the EU’s desire to take a greater interest in issues concerning the Indo-Pacific area and, like its relations with China, to have structured work on the region, according to one source.
Climate diplomacy. The Ministers will also address the issue of climate and energy diplomacy, discussing in particular the promotion of the external dimension of the European Green Deal. During this exchange, they should adopt EU Council conclusions (see EUROPE 12642/5).
United Kingdom. Finally, a completely informal lunch will provide an opportunity to discuss relations with the United Kingdom, now once again a non-Member State, from the point of view of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. London has refused to discuss a structured relationship with the EU in this area.
The aim of the lunch, in the presence of Michel Barnier, is to identify: - Member States’ priorities for building this relationship with the UK; - which areas could be the subject of ad hoc cooperation agreements and possible cooperation in international fora. Several diplomats stressed the need to preserve the unity of the EU27 on this issue. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant, Aminata Niang, Mathieu Bion and Damien Genicot)