General Affairs
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15078/01 (Presse 460) 2397th Council meeting - GENERAL AFFAIRS - Brussels, 10 December 2001 President : Mr Louis MICHEL Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium Internet: http://ue.eu.int/Newsroom E-mail: [email protected] 15078/01 (Presse 460 - G) 1 EN 10.XII.2001 CONTENTS PARTICIPANTS................................................................................................................................4 ITEM DEBATED PROCEEDINGS IN THE COUNCIL'S OTHER CONFIGURATIONS – TAKING STOCK...........6 PREPARATION FOR THE LAEKEN SUMMIT...............................................................................7 WHITE PAPER ON EUROPEAN GOVERNANCE..........................................................................8 MAKING A SUCCESS OF ENLARGEMENT – CONCLUSIONS ..................................................8 EUROPEAN UNION ACTION FOLLOWING THE ATTACKS IN THE UNITED STATES ......11 SCHEME OF GENERALISED TARIFF PREFERENCES..............................................................12 AFGHANISTAN – CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................13 MIDDLE EAST – COUNCIL STATEMENT...................................................................................16 EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY (ESDP).........................................................17 WESTERN BALKANS – CONCLUSIONS .....................................................................................17 AFRICA .............................................................................................................................................19 OTHER BUSINESS...........................................................................................................................21 – Gender mainstreaming in EU policies ......................................................................................21 ITEMS APPROVED WITHOUT DEBATE ENLARGEMENT − Accession partnerships..............................................................................................................................................I − Accession conferences – EU common positions.......................................................................................................I EXTERNAL RELATIONS − Relations with the Western Balkans .........................................................................................................................I − Relations with Ukraine .............................................................................................................................................I − Appointment of the EU Special Representative in Afghanistan ............................................................................. II − Implications of the terrorist threat for EU policy – Conclusions ...........................................................................III − Renewal of the mandate of the Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region .............................................IV − Africa – human rights ............................................................................................................................................IV − Relations with the ACP countries ...........................................................................................................................V − Central Asia – Conclusions.....................................................................................................................................V − Cuba – Conclusions ...............................................................................................................................................VI − Cyprus/Malta – Fisheries ..................................................................................................................................... VII − Cyprus/Malta/Turkey – Association Committees................................................................................................ VII − EU/Canada Summit ............................................................................................................................................. VII 15078/01 (Presse 460 - G) 2 EN 10.XII.2001 ECOFIN − Macro-financial assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina......................................................................................VIII − Macro-financial assistance to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ....................................................................VIII − Macro-financial assistance to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia......................................................VIII JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS − Action plan in the field of Justice and Home Affairs..........................................................................................VIII − Epidemiological indicators ....................................................................................................................................IX INSTITUTIONAL MATTERS − European Parliamentary elections..........................................................................................................................IX TRANSPARENCY − Information and communication activities of the EU – Conclusions......................................................................X _________________ For further information call 02 285 87 04 or 02 285 74 59 15078/01 (Presse 460 - G) 3 EN 10.XII.2001 PARTICIPANTS The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows: Belgium : Mr Louis MICHEL Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Annemie NEYTS State Secretary, attached to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Denmark : Mr Per Stig MØLLER Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Bertel HAARDER Minister for Refugees, Immigration and Integration and Minister without Portfolio with responsibility for European Affairs Mr Friis Arne PETERSEN State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Germany : Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Federal Mr Joschka FISCHER Chancellor Mr Christoph ZÖPEL Minister of State, Foreign Affairs Greece : Mr George PAPANDREOU Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Anastasios GIANNITSIS Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Spain : Mr Josep PIQUE I CAMPS Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Ramón DE MIGUEL Y EGEA State Secretary for European Affairs France : Mr Hubert VEDRINE Minister for Foreign Affairs Ireland : Mr Brian COWEN Minister for Foreign Affairs Italy : Mr Renato RUGGIERO Minister for Foreign Affairs Luxembourg : Ms Lydie POLFER Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for the Civil Service and Administrative Reform Netherlands : Mr Jozias VAN AARTSEN Minister for Foreign Affairs Austria : Ms Benita FERRERO-WALDNER Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Portugal : Mr Jaime GAMA Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Teresa MOURA State Secretary for European Affairs Finland : Mr Erkki TUOMIOJA Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Kimmo SASI Minister of Foreign Trade and European Affairs Sweden : Ms Anna LINDH Minister for Foreign Affairs United Kingdom : Mr Jack STRAW Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mr Peter HAIN Minister of State for Europe * * * 15078/01 (Presse 460 - G) 4 EN 10.XII.2001 Commission : Mr Romano PRODI President Mr Michel BARNIER Member Mr Pascal LAMY Member Mr Christopher PATTEN Member Mr Günter VERHEUGEN Member * * * General Secretariat of the Council : Mr Javier SOLANA Secretary-General/High Representative for the CFSP 15078/01 (Presse 460 - G) 5 EN 10.XII.2001 PROCEEDINGS IN THE COUNCIL'S OTHER CONFIGURATIONS – TAKING STOCK The Council took stock of progress made on the most important issues currently under discussion in the Council's other configurations. The purpose of this review, presented regularly by the Presidency, was to give the General Affairs Council an overview of the most important issues dealt with in the Council's other configurations so that it could ensure that the Council's activities were coordinated and consistent between themselves as well as with the Union's overall goals. The President was pleased to note substantial progress, inter alia on matters mandated by the European Council, such as the adoption of structural indicators as laid down by the Lisbon strategy, maritime safety agreements – especially the Agency – and, in the area of JHA, the definition of terrorist offences, Eurojust and combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. However, he was disappointed at the lack of progress made on the Galileo project and the Community patent, as well as at the current lack of agreement on the list of offences covered by the European arrest warrant. He stressed the need for even greater efforts to settle outstanding differences so that conclusion could be reached on these matters as soon as possible, especially as the European arrest warrant would be up for discussion at the Laeken European Council. 15078/01 (Presse 460 - G) 6 EN 10.XII.2001 PREPARATION FOR THE LAEKEN SUMMIT The Council noted the information provided by the President on matters likely to be discussed at Laeken, as well as practical arrangements and how the proceedings were expected to unfold. The Council was briefed on preparations made by the various Council configurations, in particular so that it could judge whether the mandates given at previous European Councils had been fulfilled. Subject to the customary letter of invitation which the President of the Council would be sending to his colleagues in the next few days, the programme for the