EU Foreign Ministers heading for the European Council summit with a wide range of affairs
On Monday, 15 June, the Foreign Ministers of the European Union were up to their ears in work with the Middle East, the Western Balkans as well as the preparations for the approaching EU Council summit. Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors believe that the Member States will give their approval for the re-appointment of President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso as early as at the Thursday-Friday summit. The Foreign Ministers showed green light for the visa liberalisation with Serbia, but the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) still decided the freeze the approval of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
According to Stubb, Netanyahu’s new approach gave plenty of reason for discussions among the Foreign Ministers, but “by no means did it come down to up-grading the relations with Israel”. Generally speaking, the Foreign Ministers estimated that the situation is developing in a better direction.
As concerns the Middle East, Iran was another topic of discussion between the Foreign Ministers. However, Foreign Minister Stubb is of the opinion that the situation of Iran is very difficult to assess, since as concerns the election where President Mahmud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner ”it is more unclear than clear how the votes were really cast”. However, Stubb underscored that “it is important to continue the dialogue but, on the other hand, there is not much else one dares to say at this point”.
Only partial progress as concerns Serbia
As far as Serbia is concerned, the Foreign Minister would have hoped for more far-reaching decisions than the Ministers made in this meeting. “It is great that concessions in visa liberalisation issue are on their way, but it is amazing that an agreement facilitating Serbia’s closer EU association could not be approved even now.”
According to Foreign Minister Stubb, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has already given Serbia a very positive assessment of its measures and the country should be rewarded for its efforts. “This is an example of how the EU foreign policy should be more coherent, and also an example of the fact that the Lisbon Treaty is needed,” Stubb said, summarising the current state of in relation to Serbia.
European Council summit around the corner
The European Council of Thursday and Friday was one of the main topics of discussion both in the conference hall and the lobbies around it. Both Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors and Foreign Minister Stubb estimated that the summit will already reach at least a political agreement on its own part as concerns re-appointment of President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.
During the meeting, the Ministers also drafted the guarantees to be provided for Ireland. Foreign Minister Stubb with his Swedish and Austrian colleagues took part in the rephrasing of the security policy section of the guarantees. “From our point of view, the most important thing is that it remains incontestably clear that Finland is 100-percent committed to EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and defence policy,” estimated Stubb, according to whom the new phrasing drafted today will guarantee this.
Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors, on the other hand, shed light on the European Council preparations related to economic affairs. At the same time, Thors outlined the economic challenges the new Commission probably headed by Barroso will have to face: “The focus should be on the reduction of indebtedness and enhancement of the employment situation. The EU must be able to renew itself.”