Luxembourg, 10/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - Other than the Balkans, the Middle East (see yesterday's EUROPE) and bananas (see below), Monday's General Affairs Council broached the following topics:
- Effectiveness of EU external action. As expected, the Council adopted conclusions in which it sets out the measures to take to make better use of the EU collective assets and to improve synergy between Community action and those of Member states. "We have decided on initial concrete and operational measures", said the Council's President Hubert Vedrine, stipulating that the GAC would regularly turn to the issue.
- Barcelona process. The Council took note of information communicated by he Presidency on the state of preparation for the 4th Euro-Mediterranean ministerial meeting in Marseilles next month. Mr. Vedrine confirmed having sent a letter to all the ministers of the Mediterranean countries concerned, so as to "gather all the grievances, suggestions and proposals" so as to enable the relaunch of the Process and the end of work on the Charter for Peace and Stability. The Council hardly had the possibility of moving forward on the last issue left open, i.e., the amount of the financial reference for the period 2000-2006. Coreper has been instructed to ensure that a decision may be taken at the GAC session of November. In answer to a question, Mr. Vedrine stressed that the budget for aid to the Mediterranean was not linked to the aid the EU may provide the FRY/Serbia.
- Access to Community market for products from less developed countries. The Council worked to favourably take note of an oral expose by Pascal Lamy on the main ideas contained in the Commission proposal. Certain delegations underlined the need to pay attention to the more sensitive products, rice, bananas and others, as well as the risks of fraud.
- EU oil supply. The GAC heard the President Romano Prodi present to it the broad guidelines from the Commission Community that will feed the discussions of the European Council in Biarritz in the matter (see text of this Communication in the Annex of this Bulletin).
- Preliminary draft of the 2001 Budget. Following an speech by President Prodi concerning the needs of the Commission in terms of personnel, the Council reached a favourable consensus to grant it the 400 additional positions that it had requested in its first draft letter of amendment. It entrusted the Coreper to rapidly finalise the technical aspects of this guideline in order to rapidly refer it to the EP.
- Various. The Council took note: - of a declaration by Austria on nuclear safety in the context of enlargement; - a declaration by the Netherlands relating to the worrying situation in the Moluccas Islands.
