6941/03 (Presse 63) GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS * 2495th Council meeting - EXTERNAL RELATIONS - Brussels, 18 March 2003 President : Mr Giorgos PAPANDREOU Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic * The 2496th session on General Affairs is the subject of a separate press release (doc. 6942/03 Presse 64) Internet: http://ue.eu.int/ E-mail: [email protected] 6941/03 (Presse 63) 1 EN 18.III.2003 CONTENTS 1 PARTICIPANTS................................................................................................................................ 4 ITEMS DEBATED EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UNION'S EXTERNAL ACTIONS....................................................... 5 WIDER EUROPE NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD............................................................................... 6 WESTERN BALKANS- Council Conclusions ................................................................................... 7 ESDP - OPERATION IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA - Council Conclusions ............................................................................................................................ 8 MIDDLE EAST ................................................................................................................................... 8 HUMAN RIGHTS ............................................................................................................................... 9 CHR 59 - Council Conclusions .................................................................................................. 9 IRAN - Council Conclusions.................................................................................................... 11 CHINA - Council Conclusions................................................................................................. 13 EU RUSSIA RELATIONS............................................................................................................. 16 NORTH KOREA ............................................................................................................................... 16 ANTI-DUMPING .............................................................................................................................. 16 WTO NEGOTIATIONS IN THE FIELD OF SERVICES................................................................ 16 ITEMS APPROVED WITHOUT DEBATE EXTERNAL RELATIONS Relations with Estonia - new agricultural concessions.............................................................................................I Relations with Hungary - new mutual agricultural concessions...............................................................................I Relations with Slovenia - regional aid map..............................................................................................................I EU-Mexico Joint Council.........................................................................................................................................I 1 D Where declarations, conclusions or resolutions have been formally adopted by the Council, this is indicated in the heading for the item concerned and the text is placed between quotation marks. D The documents whose references are given in the text are available on the Council's Internet site http://ue.eu.int. D Acts adopted with statements for the Council minutes which may be released to the public are indicated by an asterisk; these statements are available on the above mentioned Council Internet site or may be obtained from the Press Office. 6941/03 (Presse 63) 2 EN 18.III.2003 EU-Chile Association Council ................................................................................................................................II Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama................................................................II Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela ..................................................................................................II EU-US Agreement on customs co-operation ......................................................................................................... V ESDP Council Resolution on standardisation in the field of armaments .......................................................................... V ESDP - Dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Mediterranean partners.................................................. VI GENERAL AFFAIRS Report on the progress achieved by the European Union in 2002......................................................................... VI Working methods for an enlarged Council - Code of conduct.............................................................................. VI JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS EUROPOL audit report and discharge for 2001...................................................................................................VII ANTIDUMPING Imports of Rubber Grade Carbon Black originating in Egypt and Russia............................................................VII EDUCATION, YOUTH AND CULTURE Contribution to the European Council meeting on 21 March 2003.................................................................... VIII 6941/03 (Presse 63) 3 EN 18.III.2003 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 Minister, attached to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for Agriculture Denmark : Mr Poul Skytte CHRISTOFFERSEN Ambassador, Permanent Representative Germany : Mr Joschka FISCHER Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Federal Chancellor Greece : Mr Giorgos PAPANDREOU Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Anastasios GIANNITSIS Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Spain : Ms Ana PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI Minister for Foreign Affairs France : Mr Dominique de VILLEPIN Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms Noëlle LENOIR Minister attached to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for European Affairs Ireland : Mr Brian COWEN Minister for Foreign Affairs Italy : Mr Franco FRATTINI Minister for Foreign Affairs Luxembourg : Ms Lydie POLFER Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Netherlands : Mr Tom de BRUIJN Ambasador, Permanent Representative Austria : Ms Benita FERRERO-WALDNER Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Portugal : Mr António MARTINS da CRUZ Minister for Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities Abroad Finland : Mr Erkki TUOMIOJA Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Alec AALTO State Secretary Sweden : Ms Anna LINDH Minister for Foreign Affairs United Kingdom : Mr Denis MACSHANE Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office * * * Commission : Mr Poul NIELSON Member Mr Christopher PATTEN Member * * * General Secretariat of the Council : Mr Javier SOLANA Secretary-General/High Representative for the CFSP 6941/03 (Presse 63) 4 EN 18.III.2003 ITEMS DEBATED EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UNION'S EXTERNAL ACTIONS The Council held its third annual orientation debate on how further to improve the effectiveness and coherence of the Union's external actions, on the basis of contributions by the Presidency, the Commission and the Council Secretariat. Discussions focused on issues such as improving the management of external assistance; priorities and the allocation of resources; making external spending more responsive; and improving the financing of CFSP. After the discussion, the Presidency noted the progress made in the reform of external assistance, as well as the following issues for further work: · the importance of "new" themes such as migration, terrorism and sustainable development; · the need for continued and enhanced co-ordination on the ground between the Commission and Member States and with other donors; · the need to improve the political visibility of EU external action; · the importance of poverty focus; · the desirability for the Commission to make proposals on how arrangements for dealing with thematic/horizontal priorities could be made clearer and more transparent; · the need for the General Affairs and External Relations Council to play a greater role in decisions on allocations under category IV of the EU budget; · the wish for the Commission to make proposals on improving the coordination betwen pillars; · the invitation to the Commission to make proposals on unallocated expenditure and means to simplify procedures to enable accelerated action; · the necessary management reforms to be introduced in the EDF (European Development Fund). The Council instructed the Permanent Representatives Committee to carry work forward on this dossier. 6941/03 (Presse 63) 5 EN 18.III.2003 WIDER EUROPE NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD The Council welcomed the Commission Communication "Wider Europe - Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours" as well as a contribution by Secretary-General / High Representative Solana. On this basis, it had an orientation debate on the general principles of this initiative, after which the Presidency noted as preliminary elements: · the emphasis placed by several speakers on the principle of differentiation of the relationship (different models to be applied to the different countries considered); · but also the fact that the approach to these countries was guided by common concerns, including the question of basic values (human rights, democracy, rule of law); · the fact that similar issues had to be addressed in these countries