General Affairs Council (5 December 2011)
(Limited Text - Ministerial Extracts only)
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The Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
I attended the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels on 5 December.
The GAC was chaired by the EU presidency, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, Secretary of State for European Affairs of Poland. A provisional report of the meeting and all conclusions adopted can be found at:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/genaff/126578.pdf.
The agenda items covered were as follows:
Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)
In a public session, Ministers noted the presidency’s report on MFF which can be found at:
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/11/st17/st17448-re01.en11.pdf.
The incoming Danish presidency undertook to take forward this work with the aim of adopting the MFF by the end of 2012.
Preparation for the December European Council
Ministers discussed preparations for the December European Council with the President of the Council, Herman Van Rompuy.
On the eurozone, I and others stressed the need for increased transparency and full interaction between the 17 eurozone members and the 10 non-members.
During discussions on Council conclusions, I set out UK views on energy and made proposals for references to our shared concerns about the regime in Iran.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will report to Parliament after he has attended the European Council on 8-9 December.
Commission Work Programme for 2012
The Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration, Maros Sefcovic, presented the Commission’s work programme for 2012 (see following link). The report cites restoring the EU’s economy as its top priority.
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/11/st17/st17394.en11.pdf.
Annual Growth Survey
Commissioner Sefcovic also outlined key elements of the 2012 annual growth survey (see following link). The incoming EU presidency, Denmark, added that they would hold a series of bilateral discussions with member states on the report in January 2012.
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/11/st17/st17229.en11.pdf.
Enlargement
In its conclusions (see link at the beginning of this statement) the Council reiterated the importance of the enlargement process in generating far-reaching political and economic reform and securing stability and democracy; and looked forward to developing a new approach towards those negotiating chapters dealing with judiciary and fundamental rights and justice, freedom and security, tackling them early in the enlargement process. The Council welcomed Turkey’s continued commitment to the negotiation process and the political reform agenda, and, with strong support from me, positively noted the Commission’s proposal for a positive agenda with Turkey in support of negotiations. The Council welcomed the successful completion of accession negotiations with Croatia, while also highlighting the need for continued efforts to reform further where necessary, and looked forward to the signature of the accession treaty in the margins of the December European Council.
On the western Balkans, I reiterated the UK’s strong commitment to the future of all countries of the western Balkans being in the EU once the required conditions are met. Discussion was particularly focused on Serbia and Kosovo. On Serbia, the Council agreed that progress on Serbia’s relationship with Kosovo was the key criterion for movement on their EU path. A decision on Serbia’s candidate status would be taken at the December European Council. The Council also agreed further tangible steps towards Kosovo’s EU future. The Council took note of the progress Montenegro has made towards opening accession negotiations, which would also be considered at the December European Council.
European Court of Justice
The presidency made a short presentation on the state of play regarding proposals to improve the efficiency of the Court.