The EU Foreign Ministers prepare the European Council meeting and ASEM meeting of Foreign Ministers

Government Information Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Press release 89/2004
19 March 2004





The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council meets on Monday, 22 March in Brussels. The Council will focus on the preparation of the March European Council meeting and the ASEM meeting of Foreign Ministers. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, and Minister Paula Lehtomäki will represent Finland at the meeting.

The Council will adopt the agenda of the European Council meeting which will serve as the basis for the conclusions to be adopted by the European Council. The European Council will focus on ways to improve the Union's competitiveness and employment and on the follow-up to the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy. The Presidency will prepare a report for the European Council on the preconditions and timetable for re-launching the Intergovernmental Conference. The meeting will also discuss measures to fight terrorism on the basis of the proposals put forward by the extraordinary meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 19 March. The Council will also discuss key international relations.

Concerning the Lisbon Strategy, Finland has stressed that emphasis should be placed on the implementation of the agreed commitments and avoid the creation of new processes and objectives. The Spring European Council must focus on the promotion of economic growth in Europe by increasing investments, innovation activities and competitiveness. In addition, the flexibility and attractiveness of the labour market must be improved, investments in human capital increased and the sustainability of general government finances maintained.

Finland is of the opinion that the negotiations for the adoption of a new Treaty should be continued without delay and built upon the earlier agreed consensus. It is primordial to achieve a negotiation result that will guarantee equality among the Member States and the efficiency and smooth functioning of the Union's decision-making. This requires flexibility from all negotiation parties. The acceptability of the negotiation outcome also demands that enough time be devoted for proper discussion on all open questions and that all delegations contribute to the final negotiation result.

Finland supports the approach and proposals put forward by the Irish Presidency to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism. In addition to new measures, it is pivotal to ensure the implementation of the earlier agreed commitments. The conclusions of the Tampere European Council offer an excellent basis for the fight against terrorism and, therefore, particular attention should be attached to their implementation. It is also of utmost importance to increase the coherence of the Union's external action.

In the context of external relations, the Council will on Monday discuss the situation in the Western Balkans and in particular the hostilities between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Serbia. At least 31 persons have died and more than 500 have been injured in the hostilities. The serious incidents in Kosovo and Serbia demonstrate the fragility and volatility of the stability in the region. It is important that the ongoing violence and wheel of revenge is brought to an end.

The Council will also prepare the meeting of Asian and European Foreign Ministers, ASEM, that will take place in Ireland on 17 and 18 April. The Foreign Ministers will discuss the enlargement of ASEM which has been underway for a long time. The Asian countries have proposed that three Southeast Asian countries, Myanmar (former Burma), Laos and Cambodia, could join the ASEM process. The EU has not been in favour of the idea due to the apparent shortcomings in human rights and democracy in Myanmar and has, therefore, tried to find alternative approaches. The EU has also required that the new EU Member States should automatically be included in the process. It is to be hoped that the enlargement issue can be resolved at the ASEM Summit in Hanoi in October 2004 by the latest. The next ASEM Summit will be held during the Finnish EU Presidency in September 2006.

The Council will also discuss the Presidency's report on the work done for the formulation of the Union's Middle East Strategy. The Thessaloniki European Council in 2003 announced that the EU would prepare a detailed work plan to increase dialogue and cooperation with the Arab world. The work plan was adopted at the December European Council meeting and the General Affairs and External Relations Council has continued the work to turn the plan into a Middle East Strategy. The aim is that the new strategy will support reforms in the Middle East countries, promote pluralism and democracy and advance economic growth. This is part of the implementation of the European security strategy. The work on the Middle East strategy is to be concluded in good time so that the June European Council could adopt the strategy.

The Council will also discuss the situation in Iran with regard to Iran's nuclear programme and human rights situation.

Further information: Lotta Lindegren, Senior Officer, Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2150 and Anne Huhtamäki, Counsellor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Division for European Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 6097 or +358 40 546 0456