Brussels, 10/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - Next Monday, during the working lunch of EU foreign ministers (in the presence of the Commission) on the occasion of the General Affairs Council, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austrian Foreign Minister, will confirm the determination of the new Austrian government to continue to "work constructively" within the European Union, Austrian EU Permanent Representative Gregor Woschnagg told the press. Ms Ferrero-Waldner will say that Austria hopes to continue to work in the same way also in the informal meetings organised in the context of the European Union, specified Ambassador Woschnagg.
Before lunch, ministers will take leave of their Finnish colleague, Tarja Halonen, who has become President of the Republic (his successor has not yet been appointed), and, during lunch, the Swedish Foreign Minister, Anna Lindh, will inform his colleagues on the subject of the recent conference on the Holocaust, in Stockholm (see EUROPE of 7/8 February, p.6).
The work of the Council will begin with a discussion on the preparation by the European Council of 23 and 24 devoted to employment, economic reform and social cohesion (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.7, on the subject of the informal meeting of social affairs ministers that will be preparing the summit).
The Council should then give the go-ahead for the creation of the interim bodies responsible for security and defence policy to be created within it pending the setting in place, at the end of this year, of permanent bodies. The Council had hoped to endorse the creation of these bodies without discussion, but the ministers still have some details to settle, mainly because of certain questions raised by the Netherlands. On Monday, therefore, there should be a decision on the creation within the EU Council of: a) a high level Political and Security Committee ("ambassadorial" level); b) a Military Committee chaired by a high ranking officer - probably a colonel - and initially composed of 10-15 people, until it is increased to around 70 people (the "toolbox" which defines the permanent bodies provides for the Military Committee to be chaired by a four-star officer); - a team of national military experts, pending the establishment of a European military staff.
The Council will then discuss the work of the Convention which elaborates the European Charter of Fundamental Rights (see EUROPE of 4 February, pages 7 and 8, on the subject of the first working meeting of the Convention, which is chaired by former President of the German Republic Roman Herzog). The former Chancellor Franz Vranitzky, who had been appointed by the Klima government to represent Austria, resigned as a sign of protest against the forming of a government with Jörg Haider's FPÖ, and the new government should designate his replacement.
The Council, before discussing the Middle East peace process, relations with Russia (on which it will adopt a declaration) and with Mexico, and unresolved problems with South Africa, will have a discussion on the latest developments in the Balkans and should, on this occasion, adopt a "two steps approach" for sanctions against Serbia, consisting on one hand of strengthening sanctions that directly hit President Milosevic's regime (some 200 new names should be added to the "black list" of personalities and companies hit by the visa refusal and by the freeze on their financial assets) and, on the other, lifting or relaxing the ban on flights with Serbia. During the last Council, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands voiced opposition to the lifting of this sanction. The hardening of measures against Serb officials should allow them to change position, all the more as the ban on flights is, it seems, quite ineffective.