The EU ministers responsible for European affairs will set the course for the European Council meeting to be held in Brussels on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 October. They will discuss relations between the European Union and Switzerland and between the EU and the United Kingdom. In the margins of the EU ‘General Affairs’ Council, an Intergovernmental Conference will also be held as part of the negotiations for Albania’s accession to the EU.
EUCO. The agenda for the European summit includes the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East (see other news) and discussions on migration policy (see EUROPE 13501/1) and competitiveness. A Euro Summit is also scheduled for Friday to take stock of work on the completion of the Capital Markets Union.
On Ukraine, the EU27 are expected to discuss the proposed extension of sanctions against the Bank of Russia from 6 to 36 months. This proposal, which requires the unanimous agreement of the Member States, has been blocked by Hungary, which wants to wait for the results of the US elections in early November. It makes the United States’ participation conditional on the granting of bilateral loans to Ukraine pledged against future profits generated by the Bank of Russia’s immobilised assets in the EU (see EUROPE 13500/27).
To see the draft conclusions of the European Council: https://aeur.eu/f/du4
Switzerland. The EU ‘General Affairs’ Council will take stock of negotiations between the EU and Switzerland, with the stated aim of reaching a new agreement by the end of the year to modernise bilateral relations.
Negotiations resumed in spring 2024 (see EUROPE 13373/7), following the failure in 2021 of talks on an institutional framework agreement (see EUROPE 12727/14) and an agreement at the end of 2023 on a new Memorandum of Understanding governing bilateral relations.
Over 100 negotiation sessions were held this year. The main elements of the package under discussion include: - institutional provisions to be included in existing and future agreements with Switzerland in the area of the internal market, providing for dynamic alignment with the EU acquis, uniform interpretation and application, and dispute settlement; - State aid provisions to be included in existing and future internal market agreements; - an agreement enabling Switzerland to participate in EU programmes, in particular Horizon Europe; - an agreement on Switzerland’s permanent financial contribution to the EU’s economic and social cohesion, in return for its participation in EU programmes and in the internal market, and the relaunch of negotiations on agreements on electricity, food safety and health.
Discussions are currently stalling over the issue of freedom of movement, with the European Commission rejecting Berne’s proposal for a unilateral safeguard clause.
The message from the EU ministers will be a positive one. “We want to finish this year and we are confident that this is possible”, said a European source on Friday 11 October. However, the ministers will remind Berne that this agreement can only be reached within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two parties (see EUROPE 13373/7).
Western Balkans. An Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) with Albania will be held in the margins of the EU ‘General Affairs’ Council.
This is the second IGC organised with Tirana, this time to mark the opening of the first chapter of negotiations for the country’s accession to the EU, the chapter on fundamental values. At the end of September, the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU took a unanimous decision to dissociate Albania’s accession process from that of North Macedonia, which had been coupled since 2022.
According to Prime Minister Edi Rama, this step marks an important milestone on Albania’s road to accession, with the aim of becoming a full member of the EU by 2030.
By the end of 2024, the Hungarian Presidency hopes to hold an IGC with North Macedonia as well.
Antisemitism. On Tuesday, the ministers will approve a declaration aimed at promoting Jewish life and combating antisemitism.
This adoption will be followed by an exchange with the Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, Sirpa Rautio, who will present data collected by the Agency (see EUROPE 13451/26). This information will shed light on the growing issues surrounding antisemitism, an issue that the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council has made a priority (see EUROPE 13441/25).
The European Union has always been committed to combating all forms of discrimination, hatred and racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, through legislative and non-legislative measures.
In its dedicated strategy of October 2021 (see EUROPE 12805/26), the European Commission sets out three pillars: the prevention of antisemitism, the protection and promotion of Jewish life, and support for Holocaust research, education and remembrance. In June, the European Council welcomed this initiative, which the Commission has just evaluated (see other news).
To see the conclusions of the June European Council: https://aeur.eu/f/cux
United Kingdom. Ministers will also be briefed on the discussions between the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, held in Brussels at the beginning of October (see EUROPE 13495/16). They could examine the two leaders’ proposal to organise regular EU/UK summits and identify new areas for future cooperation.
European Semester. Finally, the EU Council will endorse the specific socio-economic policy recommendations that the European level addresses to the Member States each year.
For further information: https://aeur.eu/f/dvy (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion, with editorial staff)