Foreign Ministers prepared the European Council

Government Information Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Press release 346/2004
2 November 2004

The EU Foreign Ministers paved way for the European Council meeting that will take place at the end of the week. Eikka Kosonen, Permanent Representative of Finland to the EU, represented Finland at the meeting. Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja was prevented from attending the meeting due to an influenza.

The main themes of the European Council, that will take place on 4 and 5 November, will be the preparations for the Mid Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy and the adoption of a multi-annual programme on Justice and Home Affairs, the Hague Programme. Communicating Europe and the Commission's enlargement reports will also be touched upon.

In addition, the Foreign Ministers discussed key external relations which will also be on the agenda of the EU Heads of State or Government. The situation in Iraq will be an important subject. The Interim Prime Minister of Iraq, Mr Iyad Allawi, is to attend the European Council. The Middle East, Iran and Sudan will also be discussed.

The Foreign Ministers also prepared the EU-Russia Summit that will take place in the Hague, the Netherlands, on 11 November. The intention is to discuss the further development of the four common areas agreed upon in St Petersburg in 2003.

Further information: Jari Luoto, State Under-Secretary for EU Affairs, Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, tel. +358 9 1602 2182 and Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Deputy Director General, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5390