Brussels, 15/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - It will be a baptism of fire for Jan Kohout and Martin Bartak, the Czech foreign and defence ministers respectively, who will chair their first EU Council of Ministers meetings on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 May. This will be no normal Council, but the traditional six-monthly “jumbo” meeting, which brings together foreign, defence and development ministers in various formats. The meeting will begin at 10.00am with a General Affairs session (preparation of the June European Council), followed by an External Relations session which will focus principally on preparation of the EU-Russia summit, then a joint meeting with defence ministers to discuss the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Somalia.
Defence ministers will then meet separately for discussions on ESDP operations and capability development (see detail in article following).
From 5.00pm on Monday and on Tuesday morning, development ministers will meet (see related article below). With Kohout in the chair, they will consider how to help developing countries face the economic crisis and will discuss the application of partnership agreements with the ACP countries, democratic governance climate change and the situation in Kenya. Also up for discussion will be the transatlantic cooperation in development.
Several other meetings will take place on the sidelines of the Council: - a meeting of defence ministers and European non-EU member allies and applicant countries (Monday afternoon); - EU ministerial troika-New Zealand (Monday afternoon); - EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association council (Monday evening); - EU-European Economic Area Council (Tuesday); - EU-Turkey Association Council (Tuesday).
Here is the detailed agenda of the General Affairs and External Relations Council:
European Council (18-19 June). Ministers will briefly examine the provisional agenda of the summit, which includes “legal guarantees” for the Irish on the Lisbon Treaty. Bilateral consultation between the Czech Presidency and the Irish government and the other member states are continuing and the Presidency hopes to reach an agreement “as quickly as possible”, preferably before the European Council (for example, by the General Affairs Council of 15 June). While it would appear that it is unlikely that Vaclav Klaus, a vigorous opponent of the new treaty, will chair the summit (see EUROPE 9902), the Presidency wants at all costs to avoid last minute negotiations on the text of the Irish guarantees at the summit. The issue will be discussed next week, too, at the COREPER meeting, where the Presidency intends to submit a more detailed timetable on the adoption of these guarantees. Also on the agenda are: the economic, financial and social situation (decisions expected on the European financial supervision system; - climate change and sustainable development (principally on the preparation of December's Copenhagen conference); - external relations.
EU-Russia summit (Khabarovsk, 21-22 May). Ministers will prepare for this meeting which will be chaired by Czech President Vaclav Klaus, flanked by Javier Solana, José Manuel Barroso, Jan Kohout and Commissioners Benita Ferrero-Waldner (External Relations) and Catherine Ashton (Trade). The issues on the agenda are: - the economic and financial crisis (the EU will call on Moscow not to succumb to protectionism); - the state of negotiations on a new partnership agreement and setting up four “common areas”; - European security (President Medvedev's proposal on a new security architecture in Europe will probably be raised by the Russians, but the EU is not very enthusiastic, believing that this is more a matter for the OSCE, a Czech Presidency source said on Friday); - international issues, principally Iran and the Middle East.
Iran. At the urgent request of the United Kingdom, over lunch, the Council will discuss the nuclear issue and the general situation on the country in the run-up to the presidential elections on 12 June.
Georgia. Member states will discuss recent events and the general political situation in the country.
Sri Lanka. The Council will hold an exchange of views on the worrying humanitarian situation. Following the visit of an EU troika to the country this week, ministers will adopt conclusions on Monday.
Burma/Myanmar. After the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Council is expected to discuss the situation in the country and call for the immediate release of Burma's leading opposition figure.
Bosnia and Herzegovina. Foreign ministers, with their defence colleagues, will assess the political situation in the country and will discuss the future of the ALTHEA operation.
Somalia. Foreign affairs and defence ministers will also discuss the situation in Somalia and the EUNAVFOR Atalanta operation against piracy. (H.B./transl.rt)