Brussels, 06/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council session on Monday in Luxembourg will be very largely dominated by the recent events in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and by the reaction of the EU to these events. The determination of the French Presidency is, in conformity with the commitments to support the democratic opposition which had been taken by the foreign ministers during their informal meeting in Evian, to be able to lift economic sanctions imposed by the EU against the FRY and to concretely draw up links for cooperation that could be tied with a democratic Serbia/FRY. The French Council Presidency has been working since Friday, in close consultation with High Representative Javier Solana and the European Commission to ensure that this decision on the lifting of sanctions will be possible. All will depend, however, on how things develop on the ground during the weekend and on the situation on Monday. It should also be noted that the Political Committee will meet in parallel to the Council and that it is likely it will submit a proposal of Conclusions that the ministers could adopt during their working lunch. (The Political Committee will carry out the same exercise concerning the situation in the Middle East). More generally, it is the whole of the problem in the Western Balkans that will be reviewed during the Council, with the Fifteen being called upon to take an interest in the following points:
Commission prepares humanitarian (and immediate) aid and aid to
reconstruction after assessing needs
"The EU wants to do what it has always promised - help Serbia return to the European family", said Commissioner Chris Patten speaking at a press conference.
In this objective, the Commission "has been working for some weeks now on the question of the lifting of the sanctions, financial assistance and its belonging to the Stability Pact", the Commissioner emphasised. Asked about the possibility for the EU to help Serbia and forge more specific ties, notably through a stabilisation and association agreement, before Slobodan Milosovic appears before an international court, Chris Patten replied that it was possible: "everyone wants Slobodan Milosevic to appear before the Court of The Hague (…) and we shall not shirk on our values (…) but appearance in The Hague is no precondition for launching a stabilisation and association process".
Also asked about the nature and speed of aid to Serbia, Patten stipulated that it would take two forms. Foremost, emergency humanitarian aid, "which should be delivered very swiftly", as soon as the EU has been able to discuss with Kostunica of precise needs in Serbia. Then, longer-term aid to reconstruction. For this second chapter, the Commission intends complementing the assessments it already has by sending a joint fact finding mission with the World Bank. As for the rest of the region, the EU will be expected to provide around half the aid", the Commissioner stipulated.
Mr. Patten warned that "the Commission will not be able to help Serbia with money currently available for the Balkans", and he appealed to Member States to alter their attitude, which has so far consisted in rejecting the multi-annual draft review (2000-2006) of the EU's financial framework. The Commission made this proposal a few months ago, to back an aid plan for the Balkans with 5.5 billion euro for the period as a whole, 2.3 billion of which for Serbia, on condition that there was a return to democracy. The Council rejected the proposal, for questions of principle (not to touch the financial perspectives that were so difficult to decide on last year), as well as because the review would rest of aid to Serbia, thus, at that time, the Fifteen found it difficult to predict the amount of aid.
For the 2001 budget, under discussion, the Commission has proposed 40 million earmarked to support the democratic forces in Serbia, and announced that it would propose using an additional 200 million, through the "flexibility instrument", were democracy to win. A Commission spokesperson stressed a few days ago that the Commission was proposing using this instrument "as soon as the situation is clarified" (see EUROPE of 29 September). The Commission should await the first valuation of needs and not propose the use of this instrument "before the first reading on the budget in the European Parliament", end October, the Commission stipulated today.
The Commission has announced that Patten and Solana will go to Serbia as soon as possible.