Brussels, 24/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - At the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on Monday chaired by Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik, ministers will start by looking preparations for the Spring European Council of 23/24 March 2006 and the inter-institutional negotiations over the Financial Perspectives 2007-2013. Over lunch, the EU's foreign ministers will discuss foreign affairs, like the situation in the Balkans, the Middle East and Iran.
Spring European Council. The EU's foreign ministers will study the agenda for the Spring European Council for the first time, focussing on progress in the partnership for growth and employment and the EU's new energy policy.
Financial Perspectives. The Austrian Presidency will brief the Council on negotiations with the European Parliament over renewal of the inter-institutional agreement, a vital document for the EP's final adoption of the 2007-2013 Financial Perspectives (the EU's budget). The Presidency will report back on the three-way meeting of 21 February where the three institutions were divided over improvements to be made to the December 2005 compromise budget deal struck by the European Council (see EUROPE 9137). The Council is standing by the European Council's decisions, but the European Parliament is criticising cuts in certain programme budgets (trans-European networks, Galileo, youth and culture and external relations) and is calling for greater budget flexibility and to be involved in the EU budget spending and income review process in 2008-2009. At their three-way meeting, the three institutions agreed to work at a more sustained pace with a view to reaching agreement on the multi-annual financial framework in April.
Visas. Following the 21 February Justice and Internal Affairs Council (see EUROPE 9138), EU foreign ministers will be examining the potential oreign relations impact of the draft decision to raise the administrative costs for the administrative procedures involved in issuing visas.
Balkans. The Council will discuss the situation in the Balkans, based on a report by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn following his official visit to the region last week. The Council will adopt conclusions on Serbia and Montenegro (preparing for the referendum in Montenegro) and the talks between Belgrade and Pristina over the final status of the Serbian region of Kosovo following the 20/21 February talks in Vienna, stressing the need for further progress in respecting standards with regard to ethnic minorities. The Council will also adopt conclusions on the need for Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina to hugely improve cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague to avert having to interrupt the current negotiations over a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), and for action to be taken to send war crimes suspects to court in The Hague, particularly Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic.
Iraq. Over lunch, the foreign ministers will discuss the latest developments in Iraq and look at the situation following the outbreak of violence condemned on 22 February by EU High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana. The Commission will brief ministers on the prospects for opening a European Commission office in Baghdad.
Islam (caricatures). The Council will adopt conclusions on the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed, in which it is expected to state that freedom of speech and expression is a constituent of democracy and has to be exercised within respect for religious beliefs. The Council will condemn recent attacks against embassies and EU representative offices and threats against EU citizens. It will express the EU's aim to promote dialogue with the Muslim world through mechanisms like the Barcelona Process, the initiative for an alliance of civilisations and cooperation with international partners like the Islamic Conference Organisation (ICO).
Middle East. Following a briefing on Javier Solana's recent visit to the Middle East, the Council will have an exchange of views on the latest developments in the peace process after the 25 January 2006 elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council in which Hamas was the winner. Ministers will consider the process of trying to establish a new Palestinian government and will discus the issue of EU financial support to the Palestinian Authority.
Iran - On the eve of the meeting of the Council of Governors of the IAEA, which is due to be held in Vienna on 6 March and will decide on the future of the Iranian nuclear dossier, the Council will adopt conclusions welcoming the IAEA's adoption, on 4 February, of the resolution transferring the Iranian nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council for its information, in an initial period. The conclusions are likely to repeat calls for Iran to return to complete suspension of its uranium enrichment activities.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - The Council is set to adopt conclusions stressing the need to complete the transition process in DRC, and the importance of the forthcoming electoral process to this end. Furthermore, by request of the United Nations, the Council will look into ways in which the Union can best support UNMIK in its efforts to guarantee a stable environment for the electoral process.
The Council will also adopt the following conclusions without discussion: -on the peace process and the surveillance mission being carried out by the Union in Aceh (AMM) and, by request of the Indonesian government, supported by the Liberation Movement of Aceh, decide to extend the AMM for an additional period of three months after 15 June 2006; -on the situation in Darfur (Sudan); -on the Commission's communication, which was adopted last December (EUROPE 9086), on the Union's new strategy for partnership with Latin America.
Lastly, Council will adopt conclusions without discussion on Switzerland's contribution of up to one billion Swiss francs to the new Member States of the Union as part of the cohesion policy (see EUROPE 8880). It will also approve several agreements on the participation of the Helvetic Confederation in several Community programmes, in the European Environment Agency and on extending the EU/Switzerland agreement on the free movement of persons to the new Member States.