Brussels, 10/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the General Affairs Council prepared for the Laeken Summit and adopted conclusions on the main topical subjects - the Middle East, enlargement, the aftermath of the 11 September attacks, the Balkans, the new general preference scheme and Afghanistan (see below). The last General Affairs Council under the Belgian Presidency looked at the progress made by the other Council formations as well as deciding on the following issues:
- Enlargement. The Council adopted conclusions on the entire process, updated following the most recent (positive) developments in Cyprus, signalled Louis Michel. The document welcomes the efforts made by candidate countries last year which led to "considerable" progress in the negotiations which kept up a fast pace vis-à-vis the roadmap and should therefore allow the target to be reached (of concluding the accession negotiations at the end of 2002 with the countries that are ready for accession). Unlike the Commission, the Council did not mention the fact that ten countries might be ready to conclude negotiations at the end of 2002. French foreign minister, Hubert Védrine, welcomed this, saying that it was necessary to distinguish between the forecasts that the Commission might make and the assessment proper, insisting that the principle of differentiation had to be respected; The Council expressed its appreciation with regard to the efforts made by Bulgaria and Romania and encouraged them to continue. It also confirmed the Gothenburg Conclusions concerning special efforts to help Bulgaria and Romania. Louis Michel noted that the negotiations on the most difficult subjects (agriculture, the budget and regional policy) would begin at the beginning of next year.
- Defence. No change. Greece confirmed that it still has to study the details of the Istanbul Agreement on co-operation between the EU and Nato and the issue will therefore be added to the agenda of the Laeken Summit. The text is not expected to be modified, but Greece wants reference to be made in the exchange of letters between the EU High Representative for CFSP and Nato's Secretary General to the fact that the participation of a candidate country in the EU's foreign and defence policy cannot be blocked by a Nato country. The Presidency report on CFSP for the Laeken Summit was not formally endorsed by the Council. The Netherlands calls for the Heads of State and Government to declare that the European force will be operational for "certain" operations, while the Presidency's text specifies that the force is operational for "operations". Discussions must continue between now and the Laeken Summit.
- Africa: The Council adopted conclusions on the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as on Burundi and Zimbabwe. EUROPE will come back to this tomorrow.
- Follow-up to the attacks on 11 September: In addition to the political agreement on the freezing of assets (see other article), the Council adopted conclusions in which it "considers as encouraging the considerable progress achieved" on the European arrest warrant (still blocked although the subject had been discussed on the sidelines at several face to face meetings between Italian Renato Ruggiero and his counterparts), the definition of terrorism, and the creation of Eurojust. The Presidency will report, in Laeken, on the actions undertaken by the EU. The Council recalls that the attitude of the third countries "towards the fight against terrorism will be clearly taken into account in all political aspects" of the EU.