Brussels, 05/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council, which is to meet on Monday and Tuesday in Luxembourg, will still be coloured by the fight against terrorism and the latest developments in the Middle East and the Balkans. The session will also allow the European Union foreign ministers to discuss preparation of the Laeken Summit and the state of progress of accession talks with enlargement candidate countries. Tuesday will be devoted to the second meeting of the EU-Morocco Association Council and to the 16th session of the European Economic Area Council. Points on the agenda are:
Fight against terrorism: In the context of the role given to the General Affairs Council by the extraordinary European Council of 21 September on giving impetus and providing coordination, the Foreign Ministers are expected, after a report by President Louis Michel on the diplomatic effort deployed over recent days by the EU, to launch a political message confirming the Union's determination to play its full role in the global coalition against terrorism. The message could also include the first Council guidelines concerning review of relations with certain third countries. The Council will take stock of the work of coordination strictly speaking. It is to be noted that, given the many meetings that are still to be held in this connection by 19 October, the Belgian Presidency has announced its intention to organise an additional session of the General Affairs Council during the morning of 19 October in Gent. The aim of the session is to allow Mr Michel (the only Foreign Minister to take part at the following informal Summit) to brief the Heads of State and Government on the state of progress of work in all Council formations.
Freezing of assets: As EUROPE had predicted (see bulletin of 5 October, p.12), the Council is not expected to take any formal decision on the freezing of financial assets of organisations or persons involved or linked to terrorism. All Member States agree with the aim and the content of the draft regulation presented by the European Commission on this subject (a proposal that takes up the list of persons or organisations established by the United States) but they do not find the legal instrument appropriate. Under these conditions, the Member States hope that the United Nations Sanctions Committee will reach a conclusion by Monday. If such were the case, the Council could simply invite the Commission to immediately adopt the existing regulation in order to take on board the list approved by the Sanctions Committee that will have the same force as a Security Council Resolution. In the contrary case, a large majority of Member States prefer to give up the Commission's project that was, however, supported by the European Parliament, on Thursday in Strasbourg during a vote carried out in the context of emergency procedure. For the Member States attached to their prerogatives in the field of foreign affairs, the Commission proposal has the inconvenience of being a Community instrument which, by its general nature, goes beyond the sporadic response to the attacks of 11 September and could, in future, be used for combating other terrorist organisations. The European Commission's proposal of regulation is based on Article 308 of the Treaty that provides for EP consultation and an unanimous vote in Council. A majority of Member States would prefer to use Article 301 (interruption or reduction of all or part of economic relations with one or several third countries), which provides for the Council to unanimously adopt a common position or common action in the context of common foreign or security policy. On the basis of this, necessary urgent measures may be adopted by qualified majority. If the UN Committee's does not come to a result, the Council should opt for this last procedure but no formal decision may be taken on Monday in Luxembourg.
Future of the European Union: First of all, the Council is to consolidate the results of the informal Genval meeting which had resulted in broad agreement on: - convening a Convention before the opening of the Intergovernmental Conference; - the composition of the Convention; - the creation of a Presidium; - the constitution of a secretariat; - the fact that the Convention would not necessarily have to reach a single text but could present several options. It will seek to make headway on two issues left outstanding: the formula for participation by candidate countries and the association of the civil society through the intermediary of a "Forum" grouping representative organisations. The Belgian Presidency should also provide, on Monday, a first briefing on the structure of the Laeken Declaration in three parts: (1) a political analysis of the successes and failings of the Union; (2) the theme/mandate of the Convention (three possible options - developing or even reformulating the four themes of the Nice Declaration, a longer list to be transmitted to the Convention, or leaving a certain amount of freedom in defining themes); 3) the Convention's timetable.
Enlargement: The Commission will present its report on the follow up of the roadmap for the accession negotiations with candidate countries. A brief discussion should allow Ministers to indicate which subjects they feel are particularly important in view of the report that Louis Michel will be making to the Ghent European Council.
EU-Africa relations: The Belgian Presidency will inform Ministers of the state of progress in preparing for the Europe-Africa ministerial conference to be held in Brussels on 11 October 2001. This conference will be held midway between the first EU/Africa Summit in Cairo (April 2000) and the next to be held in Lisbon in 2003. It should be noted that the fight against terrorism (in the context of the EU's diplomatic efforts for making the largest number of countries take part) was added to the agenda of the conference. Other points on the agenda include: - conflict prevention and settlement; - regional cooperation/trade; - environment; - HIV/AIDs and other pandemics; - food security; - Human rights/democracy; - restitution of cultural goods; - and the external debt.
African Great Lake region: The Council is to adopt conclusions welcoming recent progress in the peace processes of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi and engaging the parties to continue along this road.
Middle East: During lunch, Ministers will discuss the current situation in the region, mainly in the light of recent meetings with Mr Solana and the leaders of the conflicting parties.
Turkey: In the context of constitutional reform that has just been adopted in Turkey, Ministers will, during lunch, hold a policy debate that should cover not only the situation in Turkey, but also relations with the EU, the Cyprus issue and ESDP/NATO aspects.
WTO, globalisation and basic labour standards: Commissioner Pascal Lamy will take stock of the state of preparations for the Doha ministerial conference and the texts currently on the table in Geneva. The Council is expected to return to this point on 29 October to take position on the draft ministerial declaration currently negotiated in Geneva. Ministers could agree from Monday on to hold a special Community coordination session in Doha. Mr Lamy will also present to Ministers the Commission's communication concerning basic labour standards and social governance in the context of globalisation that will be examined the same day over lunch by Social Affairs Ministers (see other article, p.8).
At the request of several delegations, the Council has still to tackle: - shipbuilding and South Korean dumping (Germany, with the support of the Commission); - the composition of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (Sweden); - ESDF (information from Denmark on work under its Presidency due to the opt-out solution); - and Eritrea (Italy).