EU Foreign Ministers to discuss the November European Council and Russia
Government Information Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Press release 339/2004
27 October 2004
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will meet on Tuesday, 2 November in Brussels. The main themes of the meeting are the preparation for the November European Council and EU-Russia Summit that will take place on 11 November. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, will represent Finland at the meeting.
The main themes of the European Council, that will take place on 4 and 5 November, will be the preparation of the Mid Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy in spring 2005, adoption of a multi-annual programme on Justice and Home Affairs, communicating Europe, presentation of Commission reports on enlargement and external relations.
Wim Kok, Chairman of the High Level Group, will present to the European Council a report on the preparations for the Mid Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy. The implementation of the strategy has not proceeded in a manner that would enable to attain the objective, set at the Lisbon European Council in 2000, to turn Europe into the most competitive economy in the world by 2010. Finland considers it important to improve the efficiency of the follow-up system of the strategy. Enhancing the quality of EU legislation and the development of impact assessment offer concrete tools to achieve the set objectives.
The European Council is to adopt a multi-annual programme, to be known as the Hague Programme, on Justice and Home Affairs. The European Council will review progress on the Hague Programme in the second half of 2006. Finland is prepared to conduct the Mid Term Review of the programme during its EU Presidency. Finland is of the opinion that it would be of utmost importance to reach agreement on a decision to use qualified majority decision-making in the fields of asylum, immigration and border control issues.
The EU Foreign Ministers will also prepare the discussion by the European Council on key external relations issues. The role of the EU will be discussed in the connection of the reconstruction of Iraq. Other external relations themes to be discussed at the European Council meeting will include the Middle East, Iran and Sudan.
The General Affairs and External Relations Council will discuss the preparation for the EU-Russia Summit, that will take place in the Hague, and the situation in Somalia. The EU-Russia Summit is to focus on the four common areas of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and Russia and international and regional issues, such as the situation in the Middle East as well as Iran and Iraq.
As regards Somalia, the Council will discuss ways to strengthen peace in the country now that Somalia's interim parliament has begun its work. Stabilisation of peace is among the first objectives with regard to Somalia's reconstruction. Finland is of the opinion that the possible role of the African Union in the process must be examined. Finland supports efforts to strengthen peace in Somalia through the EU and considers it important to reinforce international cooperation.
Further information: Jari Luoto, State Under-Secretary for EU Affairs, Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2182, and Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Deputy Director General, Department for Europe, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5390