The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council to discuss the Brussels European Council and the EU-Russia Summit
Government Information Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Press release 298/2003
10 October, 2003
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council will meet on 13 and 14 October in Luxembourg. The meeting will focus on the preparation of the Brussels European Council and EU-Russia Summit. Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and Minister Paula Lehtomäki will represent Finland at the meeting.
The Council will adopt the agenda of the European Council that will be organised on 16 and 17 October in Brussels. The European Council meeting will discuss measures to boost economic growth and competitiveness and ways to control immigration flows. The European Council will also focus on key external relations issues. The European Council meeting will be paralleled with a working session of the Intergovernmental Conference that will be held at the level of the Heads of State or Government. The Heads of State or Government will hold a general debate on the guidelines for the Union's institutional system.
Finland emphasises that the measures to boost economic growth are part of the Lisbon Strategy. They must be addressed, on the basis of the Commission's preparatory work, as part of whole competitiveness issue at the next spring European Council. Finland opposes any cooperation based on immigration quotas.
The Council will discuss the Statute for the Members of the European Parliament which contains provisions on the fees, pensions and travel compensations payable to the members of the Parliament. Finland considers it important that the Statute be finalised as soon as possible for it to be applicable by the next electoral period (2004-2009).
The Council will also prepare a conference to organised on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania that is planned to take place on 29 October. It seems, however, improbable that the accession conference take place in October as there are no preparations under way with regard to Romania's negotiation positions. Finland supports the Commission and the Presidency in their efforts to advance the negotiation process of Bulgaria and Romania. The progress of the negotiations is determined by Bulgaria's and Romania's readiness to provide the Commission with the necessary information for the drafting of negotiation positions. The accession negotiations must adhere to the principle of proceeding on own merits and to objective criteria.
In the context of external relations, the Council will prepare the EU-Russia Summit which will be held on 6 November in Rome. The EU aims to obtain results in all areas of cooperation. One of the common goals is to facilitate the movement of persons between the EU and Russia. As a short-term measure, the summit will examine ways to simplify visa procedures on the basis of reciprocal action. The intention is also to intensify the functioning of the current cooperation bodies based on the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Russia. The summit will also cover Russia's negotiations for the WTO membership.
The Commission will report to the Council on the preparation of the Wider Europe Neighbourhood Policy and the subsequent Union's new financial instrument for cross-border cooperation. Finland emphasises that the Wider Europe Neighbourhood Policy should primarily be focused on the Union's new eastern neighbours Ukraine, Moldova and Belo-Russia. Finland also stresses Russia's special position as the EU's strategic partner. The objective is that the coordination of the current financial programmes for cooperation in the border regions be improved before the Union's new financial framework for 2007-2013. The Commission is to submit a detailed communication on the new financial instrument for the neighbourhood policy which should become applicable during the Union's next financial framework.
In the context of external relations, the Council will also discuss the cooperation of the Western Balkans with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the situations in the Middle East, Iraq and Iran.
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 6145 or +358 40 546 0456