23.V.2005
COUNCIL OFTHE EUROPEAN UNION / EN
C/05/111
Brussels, 23 May 2005
8816/05 (Presse 111)
PRESS RELEASE
2659th Council Meeting
General Affairs and External Relations
General Affairs
Brussels, 23 May 2005
President Mr Jean ASSELBORN
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration of Luxembourg
* The 2660th meeting on External Relations is the subject of a separate press release (8817/05).
8816/05 (Presse 111) 2
EN
Main Results of the CouncilThe Council took note of an annotated draft agenda for the European Council meeting to be held in Brussels on 16 and 17 June 2005. In particular, at an informal meeting held on the eve of the Council meeting, Ministers examined a text submitted by the Presidency with a view to preparing for the European Council's agreement to the budgetary framework for the EU for theperiod20072013.
For the first time in the negotiations, the text includes indications on the amounts per category of expenditure and the outline of a solution to the question of the EU's own resources. It also includes adjustments in the section on cohesion policy in order to take account of the positions expressed by the Member States.
CONTENTS1
PARTICIPANTS 5
ITEMS DEBATED
PREPARATION FOR THE JUNE EUROPEAN COUNCIL 7
EVENTS IN THE MARGINS OF THE COUNCIL 7
– Informal Ministerial meeting on the budgetary framework for the EU for 2007-2013 7
OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
EU-United States summit meeting 8
Latin America - Ministerial meetings 8
Lebanon - Trade Agreement - EU enlargement 8
EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY
Military capabilities - Crisis management - Fight against terrorism 8
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
ACP States - European Development Fund 9
COMMERCIAL POLICY
Anti-dumping - Ukraine - Silicon carbide 10
Anti-dumping - China - Magnesium oxide 10
GENERAL AFFAIRS
Council activities 10
ATOMIC QUESTIONS
Nuclear accidents - International Atomic Energy Agency Conventions * 10
CUSTOMS UNION
Transit declarations using data-processing techniques 11
TRANSPARENCY
Public access to Council documents 11
DECISIONS TAKEN BY WRITTEN PROCEDURE
European Central Bank - Appointment of a member of the Executive Board 12
PARTICIPANTS
The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows:
Belgium:
M. Karel DE GUCHT Minister for Foreign Affairs
M. Didier DONFUT State Secretary for European Affairs, attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Czech Republic:
Mr Cyril SVOBODA Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr Vladimir MÜLLER Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs with responsibility for European Affairs
Denmark:
Mr Carsten SØNDERGAARD State Secretary
Germany:
Mr Klaus SCHARIOTH State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Estonia:
Mr Urmas PAET Minister for Foreign Affairs
Greece:
Mr Yoannis VALINAKIS State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
Mr Evripidis STYLIANIDIS State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
Spain:
Mr Alberto NAVARRO GONZÁLEZ State Secretary for the European Union
France:
Mr Michel BARNIER Minister for Foreign Affairs
Ms Claudie HAIGNERÉ Minister with responsibility for European Affairs, attached to the Minister for Foreign Affairs
Ireland:
Mr Dermot AHERN T.D. Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr Conor LENIHAN Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (with special responsibility for Overseas Development and Human Rights)
Italy:
Mr Gianfranco FINI Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs
Cyprus:
Mr George IACOVOU Minister for Foreign Affairs
Latvia:
Mr Normans PENKE State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Lithuania:
Mr Antanas VALIONIS Minister for Foreign Affairs
Luxembourg:
Mr Jean ASSELBORN Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration
Mr Nicolas SCHMIT Minister with responsibility for Foreign Affairs and Immigration
Hungary:
Mr Ferenc SOMOGYI Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr Etele BARÁTH Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for European Affairs
Malta:
Mr Michael FRENDO Minister for Foreign Affairs
Netherlands:
Mr Bernard R. BOT Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr Atzo NICOLAÏ Minister for European Affairs
Austria:
Ms Ursula PLASSNIK Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
Poland:
Mr Jan TRUSZCZYŃSKI State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr Jarosław PIETRAS State Secretary, Office of the Committee for European Integration
Portugal:
Mr Diogo FREITAS DO AMARAL Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Mr João GOMES CRAVINHO State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
Mr Fernando NEVES State Secretary for European Affairs
Slovenia:
Mr Dimitrij RUPEL Minister for Foreign Affairs
Slovakia:
Mr Eduard KUKAN Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr József BERÉNYI State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Finland:
Mr Erkki TUOMIOJA Minister for Foreign Affairs
Sweden:
Ms Laila FREIVALDS Minister for Foreign Affairs
Mr Lars DANIELSSON State Secretary to the Prime Minister
United Kingdom:
Mr Jack STRAW Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Bulgaria:
Mr Solomon PASSY Minister for Foreign Affairs
Ms Meglena KUNEVA Minister for European Affairs
Romania:
Mr Mihai-Razvan UNGUREANU Minister for Foreign Affairs
Commission:
Ms Margot WALLSTRÖM Vice-President
General Secretariat of the Council:
Mr Javier SOLANA Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union/High Representative for the CFSP
ITEMS DEBATED
PREPARATION FOR THE JUNE EUROPEAN COUNCIL
The Council examined an annotated draft agenda prepared by the Presidency with a view to the meeting of the European Council to be held in Brussels on 16 and 17 June 2005. (8768/05)
The document lists the main questions to be discussed, namely:
- Financial framework for the EU budget during the period 2007-2013;
- Stability and Growth Pact, economic reform strategy, sustainable development;
- Justice and Home Affairs, and particularly terrorism;
- Enlargement of the EU;
- External relations.
The Council will prepare the meeting in greater detail at its meeting on 13 and 14 June 2005. The various Council compositions will in the meanwhile examine the items that concern them and the Presidency will base itself on those proceedings when drawing up draft conclusions of the European Council.
EVENTS IN THE MARGINS OF THE COUNCIL
– Informal Ministerial meeting on the budgetary framework for the EU for 2007-2013
Ministers held an exchange of views, at an informal meeting ("conclave") held on 22 May, on a revised version of the "negotiating box" submitted by the Presidency in order to help prepare the financial framework laid down for the budget of the European Union during the period 2007-2013. (9065/05)
For the first time, the document includes indications of the amounts per category of expenditure, and the outline of a proposal concerning the EU's own resources. It also makes adjustments to the section concerning the cohesion policy in order to take into account the positions expressed by delegations.
The Presidency's intention is for the European Council to reach agreement on the new financial framework at its meeting on 16 and 17 June 2005. To do so, it intends to adjust the negotiating box one last time in the light of bilateral talks which it will hold between 30 May and 9 June.
OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
EU-United States summit meeting
The Council took note of the progress of preparations for the EU-United States summit meetingscheduled for 20 June 2005 in Washington.
The last annual summit was held in June 2004 in Dromoland (Ireland).
Latin America - Ministerial meetings
The Council took note of the preparations for the EU's ministerial meetings with its various LatinAmerican partners to be held in Luxembourg:
· EU-Rio Group: 27 May
· EU-Mercosur: 26 May
· EU-Andean Community: 26 May
· EU-Central America: 26 May
· EU-Chile Association Council: 26 May
· EU-Mexico Joint Council: 26 May.
The Council also approved the position to be presented by the EU at the second meeting of the EUChile Association Council. The items on the agenda for that meeting will include the entry into force of the EU-Chile Association Agreement and of the Protocol adapting that Agreement to the enlargement of the EU, cooperation, trade questions and air transport.
Lebanon - Trade Agreement - EU enlargement
The Council adopted a Decision authorising the signature and provisional application of a Protocol to the Interim Agreement on trade with Lebanon to take account of the accession of the ten new Member States to the EU (8328/05).
EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY
Military capabilities - Crisis management - Fight against terrorism
The Council
· approved a Requirements Catalogue regarding the EU's military capabilities;
· approved an evaluation report on the European Capability Action Plan;
· approved recommendations on the accelerated decision-making and planning process for EU rapid-response operations;
· endorsed a report on the implementation of the Conceptual Framework of the ESDP dimension in the fight against terrorism;
· took note of a generic document on Standards of Behaviour applicable to all categories of personnel involved in ESDP operations;
· adopted a model agreement as negotiating directives for the Presidency, assisted by the Secretary-General/High Representative, in order to conclude with the third States concerned agreements on the status of EU-led forces in connection with future EU military crisis management operations.
These items are included in the conclusions on the ESDP contained in the Press Release for the External Relations meeting (8817/05).
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
ACP States - European Development Fund
The Council adopted the following conclusions:
"It is recalled that when the amount of resources for the 9th EDF was set at EUR 13,8 billion in December 1999, the Council envisaged the release of EUR 1 billion ("conditional billion") in the light of an EDF performance review to be carried out by the Council in 2004. The Council specified that the review was to take particular account of the level of commitments and disbursements and the needs to be met before entry into force of the second financial protocol to the Cotonou Agreement (14084/99). It is furthermore recalled that the Council in March 2004 concluded that the performance review would provide information on impact and evaluation, as well as portfolio performance (7300/04).
In February 2005 the Commission forwarded a communication to the Council on the EDFperformance review and containing proposals for the release of the conditional billion (6589/05 + ADD 1).
Having studied the communication, the Council is pleased to note that over the past fiveyears the performance of the EDF has significantly improved in terms of commitment and expenditure. The Council notes with satisfaction that the reforms undertaken by the Commission since 2000 are starting to show results in terms of quality and effectiveness of Community external assistance.
The Council welcomes this progress, which should continue in the future. However, the Council notes that the performance review itself does not fully meet the criteria as laid down by the Council. In particular, the Council would welcome more analysis on the impact of the EDF in terms of key strategic indicators, bearing in mind that in many ACP countries the EDF is the largest external assistance programme.
The Council attaches great importance to continued improvement in development effectiveness. It recalls its conclusions on the effectiveness of Community external assistance, adopted at the GAERC on 23 November 2004, and the commitments made at the second High Level Forum on the effectiveness of development aid in Paris on 2March 2005, and notes the willingness of the Commission to further focus its work, in particular as regards the quality, impact and results of Community action.
These points have been taken into account in the guidelines for the 2005 operational review. They should be refined in view of the 2006 end-of-term review and of the programming period following the 9th EDF, in order that the quality and impact of Community assistance can be better evaluated. The EDF Committee will discuss the guidelines for the 2006 end-of-term review.
Building on development best practice, special attention should be paid to the establishment and monitoring of performance indicators focusing on results primarily as regards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Account should also be taken of an analysis of the implementation of the Development Policy Statement and on performance against the Paris indicators of effectiveness per country and region.
The Council takes note of the Commission's forecasts, that the 9thEDF, including the balances transferred from the previousEDFs, will be entirely committed by the end of 2007.
The Council agrees that continued improvement in effectiveness should be a key objective in the framework of the multiannual financial cooperation framework of the revised Cotonou Agreement.
In the light of the above the Council therefore considers that the release of the "conditional billion", as proposed by the Commission, is justified. The release of the "conditional billion" will take place in accordance with the agreement between the Council and the Commission on the use of these funds."
COMMERCIAL POLICY
Anti-dumping - Ukraine - Silicon carbide
The Council adopted a Regulation terminating the partial interim review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of silicon carbide originating in Ukraine (8473/05).
Anti-dumping - China - Magnesium oxide
The Council adopted a Regulation imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of magnesium oxide originating in China (8180/05).
GENERAL AFFAIRS
Council activities
The Council took note of a report on the progress of work in its other configurations (8960/05).
ATOMIC QUESTIONS
Nuclear accidents - International Atomic Energy Agency Conventions *
The Council adopted Decisions approving the conclusion by the Community of two International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conventions: the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (8283/05 and 8284/05).
The purpose of the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident is to step up international cooperation by providing that information on nuclear accidents will be communicated as soon as possible to the States that are or might be physically affected so that the cross-border radiological consequences can be minimised.
The Convention on Assistance in the case of a Nuclear Accident sets up a framework for cooperation between the States Parties and with the IAEA to facilitate rapid assistance in the event of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency in order to attenuate its consequences.
The two Conventions were adopted by the General Conference of the IAEA in 1986 and concluded by the Community in December 1987. Given developments since then, and particularly the launching by the EU of enhanced cooperation concerning civil protection operations, it has become necessary to adopt new decisions concluding the two Conventions.