The EU foreign affairs ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday 21 April, once again with a packed agenda.
Ukraine. As usual, they will begin with an exchange of views, by videoconference, with their Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, on the situation in his country. After the intense Russian air attacks of recent days, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, will, according to a senior official, insist on increasing the pressure on Russia. The EU Council should look into the possibility of additional sanctions, awareness-raising activities in international bodies and measures targeting the ‘shadow fleet’. The ministers are expected to adopt sanctions against two or three actors in the Russian-led destabilisation.
The second focus of discussions will be support for Ukraine’s resilience and preparedness, in particular with regard to security guarantees and its fourth pillar, which relates to shared stability. In the EU Council’s view, the High Representative should steer the discussions towards concrete actions that can improve long-term stability, in particular through defence reform, enhanced cyber and hybrid support and demining efforts. Particular attention will be paid to supporting Ukrainian veterans.
Although Viktor Orbán lost the elections, no decision is expected on the adoption of the 20th sanctions package or the €90 billion loan for Ukraine, as the new Hungarian government has not yet taken office.
Middle East. The ministers will then hold talks with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam. Just a few days after the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel (see EUROPE 13851/4), Europe is expected to discuss with Mr Salam how the EU could be involved in implementing the ceasefire and supporting the government, including with a training mission for the Lebanese armed forces, in connection with the end of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), even though one source said on Friday that the conditions were not ripe for such a mission, or for new aid from the European Peace Facility. On 19 April, the spokesman for the European External Action Service condemned the attack on UNIFIL which cost the life of a French soldier and which “in all likelihood” was perpetrated by Hezbollah.
According to the senior European official, the discussion with the Prime Minister is “a very important opportunity to hear directly from him about the situation and the state of the ceasefire at this time, and also to find out what the EU could do and how it could help in the current circumstances”.
The ministers will also discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday, a coalition of non-belligerent states said it was prepared to take on “a neutral mission, quite distinct from the belligerents, to accompany and secure merchant ships transiting the Gulf” after the cessation of hostilities. A military planning meeting is scheduled for this week in London.
The High Representative could also call on the Member States to increase the resources deployed as part of the Aspides mission in the Red Sea.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States could be raised, as could the need to step up pressure on the Iranian regime for its human rights violations and its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to a European source, the Member States have agreed to extend the sanctions regime against Iran to include activities that violate the freedom of navigation. The technical work to prepare the legal documents is said to be underway.
Similarly, the ministers will discuss the situation in the Middle East the day after the meeting of the Global Alliance and the ad hoc liaison committee (see other news). Given Israel’s latest decisions, including the introduction of its death penalty law, the question of measures against it is likely to be raised again by several states, but no decision is expected. In a joint letter, the Spanish, Irish and Slovenian foreign ministers called on the EU to respond firmly to the situation in the Middle East.
See the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/llr
Finally, the EU Council will examine the situation in Syria. The ministers could discuss the EU’s coordinated approach to the country's transition process and its recovery from security challenges, in particular the fight against terrorism, and the deepening of the EU’s relationship with the country, particularly from an economic point of view. The discussion will serve to prepare for the high-level political dialogue that the EU will be holding with Syria on 11 May.
South Caucasus. The ministers will then discuss the South Caucasus. In particular, they will discuss the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the implementation of the peace agreement and confidence-building measures. The EU Council will also discuss support for Armenia ahead of the 7 June elections, including a new mission to combat hybrid threats as the country faces interference from Russia. The discussion could also serve to prepare the first-ever EU-Armenia summit, to be held on 5 May in Yerevan. With regard to Azerbaijan, the ministers may note the importance of the country from an energy point of view, but also the challenges it faces in terms of human rights.
The continuing deterioration of democracy in Georgia will also be discussed. According to one source, the aim will be to see if there are any levers that could be used to re-establish very preliminary channels of engagement with the political authorities, while remaining particularly firm on the messages to the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Sudan. Ms Kallas will present ministers with a report on the International Sudan Conference, which she attended on Wednesday 15 April in Berlin (see EUROPE 13849/19).
The ministers are called upon to agree on a new official declaration reaffirming the European Union’s approach to a civil war in which hostilities have been going on for more than three years and which indirectly involves numerous external players. An estimated 34 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, and the conflict has created almost 14 million internally displaced persons.
According to concordant diplomatic sources, on Tuesday at least two EU countries will propose a new package of sectoral sanctions targeting the gold sector. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Bernard Denuit)