EU General Affairs and External Relations Council to discuss external energy relations and Africa
Government Communications Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Press Release 18/2007
19 January 2007
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will meet in Brussels on Monday 22 January. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, will represent Finland at the meeting.
The EU Foreign Ministers will discuss external relations in connection with European energy policy. Discussions will be based on the Commission’s Strategic Energy Review which was published on 10 January. The Commission proposes the setting up of a new international agreement on energy efficiency between the OECD and, e.g., China, India and Brazil and the establishment of an EU-Africa energy partnership. Work on the external energy relations was begun during the Finnish EU Presidency and Finland supports its continuation on the basis of the Commission's proposal. The network of energy correspondents, set up during the Finnish Presidency, offers a new means to prepare for disruptions or instabilities in energy supply.
The Commission will present the Council its communication on Strengthening the European Neighbourhood Policy which was published in December 2006. Work on the European Neighbourhood Policy will continue during the spring and decisions on the policy are to be made at the June European Council.
The Council is to discuss various issues on Africa. In relation to the situation in Sudan and Somalia, the EU Foreign Ministers will discuss ways in which the EU could support the African Union’s planned peace keeping operation in Somalia. The Ministers are also to discuss the situation of the Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya. The European Union is opposed to the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances. The EU expects a fair, acceptable and humane solution to be found to overcome the situation.
The Council will also discuss the EU’s relations with Iran. In December 2006, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The Council will discuss the implementation of sanctions that are in line with the UN resolution. The Council will also focus on reports on the Western Balkans, the Middle East and Iraq.
In the context of general affairs, the Council is to discuss the annual communication from the Commission to the Spring European Council on the progress achieved in the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy. Before the Spring European Council, the communication will be discussed in various Council formations which are to prepare more detailed proposals for ways to promote the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy in different policy sectors.
The German Presidency will inform the other Member States on its preparations for the Berlin Declaration to be issued on 25 March and the report on the Constitutional Treaty to be given to the European Council in June.
Further information: Jari Luoto, State Secretary for EU Affairs, Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2180 and, in external relations, Elina Anttila, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5079