GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS
COUNCIL, 14-15 SEPTEMBER 2009
Letter to the Chairman from the Minister for
Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead)
I would like to inform you of the outcome of the
General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on
14-15 September. I represented the UK.
The agenda items were as follows:
General Affairs
The full text of Conclusions adopted, including 'A'
points, can be found at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/App/NewsRoom/loadDocument.aspx?id=1&lang=EN&directory=en/gena/&fileName=110113.pdf
Preparation of the European Council, 29-30 October
The discussion focussed on institutional issues and
climate change. Ministers received updates on ratification of
the Lisbon Treaty. On climate change, I urged Ministers to be
ambitious; EU leadership was needed in the run-up to the Copenhagen
Conference, including agreement on all aspects of climate financing
at the October European Council. A number of EU Partners spoke
in support.
The Commission also gave a progress report on their
work on measures to prevent supply interruptions and to enhance
EU energy security in general, as mandated by the June European
Council. They said that results of the evaluation of proposals
for energy projects under the Economic Recovery Plan would be
announced in October.
The Presidency concluded that energy security would
remain a priority, and that this update would inform preparation
of the October European Council conclusions.
AOB: Informal European Council
The Presidency outlined their plans for the Informal
European Council on 17 September, at which Heads would discuss
a range of issues related to the economic and financial crisis
in preparation for the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September.
AOB: Visa Reciprocity with Third Countries
The Czech Republic gave an update on efforts to resolve
the problem of the reimposition of visas for Czech citizens by
the Canadian Government, following a discussion at the July GAERC.
Estonia and Malta also raised the lack of visa-free access to
Brazil for their nationals.
External Relations
The full text of all Conclusions adopted can be found
at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/
uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/gena/110129.pdf
Iran
At the Presidency's request, I gave an update on
the detention and trial of a local member of British Embassy staff;
thanked EU colleagues for their support on this issue; and called
upon Ministers to ensure that the EU's voice was heard on the
human rights situation in Iran following the elections.
High Representative Solana summarised the latest
developments on the nuclear issue before Ministers exchanged views
on next steps. The Presidency agreed to prepare common EU lines
and some strong language for inclusion in the EU's statement at
the UN General Assembly.
Afghanistan
Discussion focussed on the outcome of the Presidential
elections. The Council agreed that the EU should continue to respect
the work of the Afghan Election Complaints Commission and not
prejudge the outcome. I underlined the importance of coordinating
our messaging in support of the democratic process and of continuing
to support Afghanistan's democratic development with the district
elections in 2010.
France gave a presentation on the UK/France/Germany
letter to Ban Ki Moon calling for an international conference,
which the Prime Minister announced jointly with Chancellor Merkel
on 6 September. I said that any conference should have clear Afghan
ownership. The Presidency agreed that a conference would be useful,
but would need to be properly prepared.
Southern Caucasus
The Presidency introduced the topic by saying that
Association Agreements should be taken forward with Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia, as part of the implementation of the Eastern Partnership,
and as a contribution to stability in the region. The Commission
would present draft negotiating mandates for the three countries
at the same time. The Council would then approve these, and decide
how and when to open negotiations. I welcomed the Presidency's
approach, which would counteract the sense of neglect some in
the region felt. Conditionality had a legitimate role to play
in the process. The Presidency also signalled its intention to
hold a wider strategic debate on Georgia, which is something we
have been pushing for.
AOB: Enlargement
Slovenia briefed EU colleagues on the conclusion
of an agreement with Croatia that would resolve their bilateral
dispute over border demarcation and enable Croatia's accession
negotiations to continue. The UK strongly welcomes this development.
AOB: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Slovenia gave an update on their bilateral work with
BiH on visa liberalisation. The Presidency used this opportunity
to initiate a discussion of a possible transition from the Office
of the High Representative to an EUSR-led international presence.
AOB: Freedom of Religion or Belief
Italy emphasised its concern about Freedom of religion
or belief, given the recent rise in incidents affecting religious
minorities (e.g. in Pakistan), and called on the EU to push this
at UNGA and through the Alliance of Civilisations.
22 September 2009
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