The first General Affairs Council meeting of the Belgian EU Presidency opens with public debate
The first General Affairs Council of the Belgian Presidency will meet in Brussels on Monday, 16 July, 2001. The work programme of the new Presidency will be dealt with in most of the topics of the agenda.
In the beginning of the meeting there will be a public debate about the presidency programme and about the Union's relations with citizens. In accordance with the rules of procedure, the Council in its General Affairs and Economic and Financial Affairs configurations shall hold a public policy debate every six months on the work programme of the current Presidency. Public debate will be broadcasted audiovisually. In practice this means that it is possible to follow the debate from a room reserved for this purpose at the Justus Lipsius Building where the Council meets. Moreover, the debate will be recorded on videotape and the tapes will be available for journalist to borrow.
Finland is in agreement with the focus of the Belgian presidency programme in overall. According to Finland, it is very important that the public debate focuses on a citizens' forum.
There are three conflict areas on top of the Council's agenda: the Western Balkans, the Middle East and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The Council is expected to discuss the situation in Macedonia and the planned visa restrictions concerning Albanian extremists. Conclusions on the situation in the region will be adopted – the General Affairs Council convenes for the first time since the extradition of the former president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, to the Hague war crimes tribunal. The ministers will discuss the Middle East situation during lunch. Finland has been especially concerned with the catastrophical humanitarian situation concerning especially refugees and child soldiers of the Great Lakes Region in Africa. Finland continues humanitarian assistance to the area in cooperation with the International Red Cross (ICHRC), the UNCHR and Finnchurchaid. This year the amount of the assistance is FIM 15 million.
Belgium will also outline its presidency programme on the Common European Security and Defence Policy as well as on the enlargement of the Union. During the Belgian presidency the enlargement process will continue in accordance with the road map adopted by the Council of the European Union in Gothenburg.
The Council is also expected to confirm the Union's basic alignment for the final document of the Third World Conference against racism. The conference will be held in Durban in South Africa on 31 August – 7 September,2001. Moreover, a review about the work of the other configurations of the Council will be given and the follow-up on the European Council in Gothenburg will be discussed.
In connection with the General Affairs Council, the eighth Association Council with Hungary will be held on Tuesday, 17 July, as well ast the third Cooperation Council with Kazakhstan and Kirgistan.
Further information: Counsellor Terhi Hakala, Division for EU Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, e-mail: [email protected], tel: 09-1314 5780.
The website of the Belgian EU presidency(Link to another website.)