Brussels, 19/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - A particularly full agenda awaits the EU Foreign Ministers who are to meet on Monday and Tuesday (22 and 23 November) at the General Affairs and External Relations Council, under the chairmanship of their Dutch colleague, Bernard Bot. The Twenty-Five will spend a large part of Monday with their defence colleagues discussing progress made with regard to European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), among other issues (see below).
Monday afternoon will essentially focus on international issues (Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Ukraine, Belarus, Sudan, Somalia, etc.) as well as preparation of the European Council of December and the 2007-2013 financial perspectives. This will be the first Council with the new Italian Minister, Gianfranco Fini, who replaces Franco Frattini, now European Commissioner.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministers will be joined by their colleagues responsible for cooperation and development policy, mainly for discussions on the EU's contribution with a view to UN review of the Millennium Development Goals.
Points on the agenda (except for "defence") are:
- Preparation of the European Council of 16/17 December. Ministers will hold a first exchange of views on the annotated European Council agenda which - depending on the current state of preparations by the Dutch Presidency - will focus on the following issues: a) enlargement. The Twenty-Five should decide to open accession talks with Turkey and Croatia, and conclude talks with Bulgaria and Romania; b) counter-terrorism. The European Council will take stock of progress in the implementation and revision of the counter-terrorist action plan; c) preparation of financial perspectives (2007-2013). The European Council should approve a report on progress made in talks on this subject since June this year, and also approve the principles and guidelines on the basis of which a final agreement on the multiannual budgetary framework should be found later in 2006; d) area of freedom, security and justice. The Twenty-Five must note Council adoption of the new EU anti-drug strategy for the period 2005-2012 (see p.9) and approve its main lines of action. The European Council should also invite the Commission to make proposals in 2005 for the practical implementation of the strategy; e) and international policy issues (Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, etc.).
- Preparation of the 2007-2013 financial perspectives. The Council will continue its debate on the basis of a new progress report prepared by the Dutch Presidency. Ministers will also hold an exchange of views on the recent Commission proposals on funding EU external policies.
- Improving the efficiency of the EU's external aid. Ministers will hold another orientation debate on this, following the one of last January, when the Council called upon the Commission to make proposals to extend the use of objective and transparent criteria to country allocations of aid. The Commission made proposals on the basis of which the Member States drew up draft conclusions to be discussed and adopted at Monday's Council.
- Middle East. In light of major developments in recent days- particularly the death of Yasser Arafat and the transition of power underway in the Palestinian Authority- Ministers will discuss the situation in the Middle East and prospects of relaunching the peace process. In this context, the Council will also return to the implementation of short-term actions proposed by High Representative Javier Solana and approved by the European Council of 5 November. Mr Solana will also report back to Ministers on his contacts with the new Palestinian leadership, after the funeral of President Arafat in Ramallah. Conclusions will be approved.
- Iran. In light of the agreement reached on 15 November between Teheran and the "EU-3" (France, Germany, UK), the Council will once again discuss Iran's nuclear programme and the prospects for EU/Iran negotiations to start again on the trade and cooperation agreement, once the suspension of enrichment activities, confirmed in the agreement, has been verified (EUROPE of 17 November, p.8).
- Belarus. The ministers will discuss the deplorable democratic situation and continued human rights violations in the country. The Council will also think about extra measures to be taken in order to support civil society and to promote democracy and the rule of law in Belarus. Conclusions will be adopted.
- Ukraine. Ministers will examine the results and unfolding of the second round of presidential elections in Ukraine, which will have taken place on the previous day (21 November). The first round of elections on 31 October attracted criticism from the EU, which took the view that the elections had not been held in line with international standards (EUROPE of 19 November, p.8).
- Western Balkans. On Monday evening, a meeting of the "EU/Western Balkans Forum", which was set up at the Thessaloniki Summit of June 2003, will be held. On this occasion, agreements will be signed allowing access of all Balkan countries to Community programmes.
- China. The Council will examine the preparations for the Summit of 8 December (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.9).
- Africa
South Africa: an EU/South Africa cooperation Council will be held on Monday on the sidelines of the session (from 4pm)
Security on the African continent: the Council will adopt conclusions on security and stability in Africa, reconfirming the EU's support for UN actions and the objectives of the AU and sub-regional integration organisations. It will also adopt conclusions on the establishment and training of an integrated police unit in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), and prepare to send a police training mission under the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), with a view to supervising and advising this unit once it is in place. EUROPE has reason to believe that this mission is likely to be made up of 20 to 25 people, and in place in 2005.
Somalia: The Council will examine the latest developments and in its conclusions, express the EU's willingness to cooperate with the UN and all parties concerned to support the peace and reconciliation process and the transition to the establishment of a federal State.
Sudan: the day after the extraordinary session of the Security Council (Nairobi, Kenya), the Council will adopt conclusions on the crisis in Darfur which will reiterate the EU's support to efforts made by the African Union, and the hope of a global agreement between the North and South (Naivasha process). The main new element will be the condemnation of the recent decision taken by Khartoum to transfer certain refugee camps, against the will of the refugees.
Côte d'Ivoire: The Council will adopt conclusions welcoming the resolution of the Security Council providing for a direct arms embargo to be set up on Monday, by request of the EU, and the application of targeted sanctions on Ivoirians from 15 December, which it will be up to the international community to decide upon.
Great Lakes: Coming just after the Conference of the Great Lakes (Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, 19-20 November), the Council President Bernard Bot, representing the EU, will inform his colleagues of the results of this Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the region, convened by the UN.
- Development. Questions on development will be treated by relevant ministers on Tuesday with, for the first time at his new post, Commissioner Louis Michel.
- Millenium Goals. The Council will tackle this subject from three angles: -1) It will note the state of progress made in preparations concerning the EU's contribution to the UN 2005 examination of progress accomplished toward achieving the Millennium Goals (to reduce poverty in the world by half by 2015). Its conclusions, fuelled by a policy debate and a summary report by the Commission on how the Member States have performed, should call on the EU to play a leading political role and welcome the Commission's intention to make ambitious proposals for increasing Official Development Aid (ODA), with consistent development policies and aid to Africa. - 2) It will adopt conclusions on mid-term review of the Cairo Agenda (the name of the conference on population and development organised by the UN in 1994), which will underline the importance of implementing the Cairo action plan for combating poverty, while paying appropriate attention to sexual and reproductive health rights. - 3) It will adopt conclusions on EU actions for combating three transmissible diseases known as poverty diseases - HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. These conclusions will invite the Commission and the Member States to actively prepare the conference on replenishing the World Fund for Health, foreseen in 2005, and will call on the Commission to present a global action plan to the Council by April 2005.
- Financing development cooperation. The Council will note a report by working groups that prepares the EU's contribution to following up commitments taken to increase the level of official development aid (Monterrey and Barcelona process) and will adopt conclusions with a view to the high level forum on aid efficiency (Paris, 2005).
- Effectiveness of EU external action (follow-up to reform undertaken by the Commission in 2000): the Council will adopt conclusions on the annual report 2004 by the Commission concerning development policy and the implementation of external aid. It will welcome progress made in terms of increased delivery speed and will suggest that the 2005 report focus more on: - more effective integration of development activities in the ten new Member States; progress made in coordination, complementarity and coherence of EU and Member State policies; - and the impact of questions concerning gender equality, children's rights, as well as sustainable development in Commission programmes.
