IGC and European Council on the agenda for EU Foreign Ministers
Government Information Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Press release 190/2004
11 June 2004
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council will be meeting in Luxembourg on 14 June. A working session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) will also be held in conjunction with the meeting. The Council is intended to make preparations for the European Council and the Heads of State or Government level session of the IGC to be held in Brussels on 17-18 June. Finland will be represented in Luxembourg by Erkki Tuomioja, the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The foreign ministers will approve the agenda for the June European Council, which is expected to decide on a candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission, agree on justice and home affairs issues for the next stage of the Tampere Programme and monitor the implementation of measures to combat terrorism. Finland supports the commencement of preparatory work on the Tampere II Programme in June.
As far as the future financial framework for the Union is concerned, the idea is not to discuss content at the European Council, but to focus on procedural matters. Finland takes the view that the Heads of State or Government should confirm the aim of reaching political consensus in summer 2005. The foreign ministers will also be preparing the European Council's decision on Croatia's application for membership. Other matters coming before the June European Council will include economic, employment and environmental issues and current foreign relations questions.
The IGC session to be held in conjunction with the European Council is expected to decide on negotiations for agreeing the EU Constitutional Treaty. The meeting of foreign ministers will be aiming to reach a consensus on as many as possible of the questions concerning areas of EU policy that still remain open, so that the European Council can focus on the more difficult issues concerning the institutions, i.e. the allocation of votes in the Council (the definition of the qualified majority) and the line-up of the Commission. From Finland's point of view, the key issues coming before the foreign ministers' meeting concern trade policy, criminal law and cohesion policy (the extremely sparsely populated areas in the north).
As far as external relations are concerned, the foreign ministers will be discussing the transfer of power in Iraq to the Interim Government, due to take place at the end of June, the UN Security Council Resolution on Iraq passed on 8 June, and EU relations with Iraq. The basis for discussions on relations between the EU and Iraq will be the Commission's proposal for a medium-term Iraq strategy intended to be approved at the June European Council. The Commission's proposal contains three objectives: the development of a stable and democratic Iraq, the establishment of an open, stable, sustainable and diversified market economy, and Iraq's economic and political integration into its region and the open international system.
The ministers will also discuss the EU's attitude to Burma (Myanmar) being involved in ASEM cooperation between the EU and ten Asian countries. The EU has already said that it would be possible for Burma to become a member of ASEM under certain conditions, which so far have not been fulfilled. The South-East Asian cooperation organization ASEAN presented a demand to the EU in 2001 that the last three member countries of the organization, including Burma, should be accepted into ASEM next time cooperation is expanded. ASEM expansion has so far been postponed, but following EU enlargement, continuing cooperation without the new EU Member States would be extremely difficult.
In connection with the Middle East situation, the ministers will discuss various issues including Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza plan, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the role of the EU and the Quartet in the Middle East Peace Process. Other external relations issues under discussion by the Council will include inspection of the implementation of the EU's Action Plan against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the situation in Iran.
Further information: Nina Hyvärinen, Senior Officer, tel. +358 9 1602 2150, Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, and Anne Huhtamäki, Counsellor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Division for European Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 6097 or +358 40 546 0456.