Enlargement, crisis management and UN cooperation at the EU´s General Affairs Council
The EU´s General Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday, 14 May, will focus on the EU's enlargement, particularly on the free movement of labour. Sweden will seek to find a common position on this negotiation chapter in order to close it conditionally during the Swedish presidency.
The other major topic on the agenda is the EU's security and defence policy which will be discussed together with the defence ministers. The Council is expected to adopt a document which would provide guidelines for the EU's crisis management and also include a crisis management exercise programmme for 2001-2006. Exercises would test decision-making and operational leadership, and would not include troops. In 2001, the crisis mangement structures and the functionality of procedures would be tested. The first joint exercise between the EU and Nato would take place in 2003 with special emphasis on the process of decision-making and concultation in EU operations utilising Nato's resources. The EU force on its own would be trained the following year. The Council is also expected to adopt the presidency conclusions on the EU´s police resource conference with police chiefs which took place on 10 May. The conclusions will be used in compiling a crisis management report for the Europe Council in Gothenburg and in launching preparations for a ministerial-level capabilities improvement conference in November.
The third main item on the agenda is the improvement of cooperation between the EU and the UN in crisis management and conflict prevention. The aim is to define the contents of cooperation and to make it more concrete. By contributing to the improvement of the EU´s crisis management capabilities Finland wants to support and compliment the UN´s operations in crisis management and conflict prevention. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will participate at a dinner with the EU ministers on Monday night. Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will represent Finland.
Other topics on the agenda include the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, South Serbia and Montenegro and to adopt conlucsions on the Western Balkans. The Middle East peace process will be discussed in order to prepare a statement by the EU on ending violence and promoting the peace process. The Council will discuss the EU´s joint policies for the association meeting between the EU and Israel on 21 May. Conclusions on African conflicts, particularly in the Great Lakes region, Western Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as on Indonesia are expected to be adopted. Sweden will brief the ministers on preparations for the Europe Council in Gothenburg.