Brussels, 06/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Swedish Presidency of the EU will soon begin its activities involving the Euro-Mediterranean dossier on Tuesday 7 July in Brussels, and kicks off with a finance and economy ministers' meeting (EUROPE 9935). Its agenda for this second half of the year has already been set out and plans, according to our sources, four ministerial meetings between October and November.
Summer holidays had to be taken into account and also Ramadan (as from the end of the summer break in September). A first meeting of environment ministers from all Euro-Mediterranean area countries is planned in Croatia towards the middle of October. A second ministerial meeting in Morocco next November will tackle the issue of promoting women's rights. Trade ministers are expected to meet, at a date that has yet to be established, probably in Tunis. This country, has not, however, confirmed its agreement on holding the meeting. A transport ministers' meeting is planned in Greece but it is still uncertain whether this will be under the Swedish Presidency or postponed till the Spanish presidency in the first half of 2010. Finally, the annual foreign affairs ministers' meeting will take place in November and this is the first time it has been planned outside the EU, in Istanbul. Nonetheless, everything will depend on the process relaunch conditions, which still needed to be debated on Monday 6 July in Brussels by senior officials in charge of follow-up. It will, above all, depend on how peace process developments fare between Israel and the Palestinians. (F.B./transl.rh)