Council to prepare for upcoming EU summit
Preparations ahead of the upcoming meeting of heads of state and government at the European Council on 10–11 December are high on the agenda at the General Affairs Council on Monday, 7 December. The EU’s military operation in Bosnia, conclusions on the Middle East and a discussion about Iran are on the agenda for the foreign ministers when they meet in the Foreign Affairs Council on 8 December.
Photo: Henrik Montgomery/Scanpix
Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmström will chair the General Affairs Council
Preparations for EU summit on 10–11 December
At the General Affairs Council the ministers will prepare for the meeting of heads of state and government in the European Council on 10–11 December. The following are some of the issues that will be discussed at the European Council meeting:
- Welcoming of the EU’s new Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on 1 December. In connection with this, the Swedish Presidency is expected to present a report summarising the situation for the issues linked to the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, for example the new External Action Service.
- Economic, financial and employment issues: The European Council will review the work on exit strategies, i.e. the future phasing out of the measures that have been taken to meet the economic and financial crisis. A new structure for financial supervision and the EU’s new strategy for growth and jobs after 2010 are other important items on the agenda.
- Formal adoption of the Stockholm Programme, which will be the EU’s new work programme in the area of freedom, security and justice.
- The European Council is also expected to evaluate the state of play in the ongoing negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The Presidency’s objective is that the European Council should also be able to present an aggregate figure for the EU’s contribution to fast start climate financing.
The General Affairs Council will also agree on conclusions based on the Commission’s "enlargement package", which was presented on 14 October. The package includes an enlargement strategy and monitoring reports for all the countries involved in the enlargement process (Turkey, Croatia, Iceland, FYROM, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia). The Council conclusions contain separate texts on each country.
On 1 January 2010, Sweden will hand over the EU Presidency to Spain. Spain, together with the two subsequent Presidency holders Belgium and Hungary, has drawn up a work programme for the coming 18-month period. The trio will present their work programme at the meeting of the General Affairs Council.
At the Foreign Affairs Council, the foreign ministers are expected to adopt conclusions on the EU military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Operation Althea. The operation has been going on for almost five years and involves over 2000 people. The intention is for Althea to become a smaller, non-executive military operation.
Discussion and conclusions on Middle East
The ministers will discuss and adopt conclusions on the situation in the Middle East. The conclusions express concern over the situation in the region and developments on the ground. The importance of resumed negotiations is also stressed in the conclusions.
The ministers will discuss Iran, with a focus on the further handling of Iran’s nuclear programme, the continued poor human rights situation in the country and relations between the EU and Iran. The discussion can be seen as a follow-up to the talks in Geneva on 1 October between Iran and the Security Council’s five permanent members plus Germany. In this connection, the ministers are expected to agree on a declaration that will very probably be passed on to the heads of state and government at the meeting of the European Council on 10–11 December.
Discussion with Catherine Ashton on the EU as a global actor
The topic of the foreign ministers’ working dinner, which will be held on the evening of 7 December, will be ‘the EU as a global actor’. The discussion will be held in the presence of Catherine Ashton, the EU’s new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The EU’s role as a global actor is about the Union’s preparedness and ability to meet the challenges facing Europe and the world, for example the management of crises, by means of an effective foreign policy.
Published
04 December11:00
Location
Brussels, Belgium
Contacts
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Elin Boberg
Press Secretary to the Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmström
+46 8 405 10 00
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Irena Busic
Press Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt
+46 8 405 10 00
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Jörgen Gren
Press Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union
+46 8 405 10 00
