General Affairs and External Relations Council: Current International and Diplomatic Affairs on the Agenda
- from: 15.09.2008
- to: 16.09.2008
- In: Brussels
Georgia, Belarus, the Balkans, Zimbabwe and Somalia are on the agenda. The GAERC will also raise the WTO Doha round and begin preparing the European Council.
On 15 and 16 September, Bernard Kouchner, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, chairs the monthly General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meeting in Brussels that brings together the 27 EU Foreign Affairs Ministers, the European Commission and the Secretary-General of the Council/High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
Following the Extraordinary European Council meeting on 1 September, the Gymnich in Avignon and the visit on 8 September of Nicolas Sarkozy, José Manuel Barroso and Javier Solana to Moscow, the GAERC intends to adopt a common action to deploy 200 EU observers in Georgia, in accordance with the 8 September agreement reached with the Russian and Georgian governments. The Ministers will also raise the issue of the European contribution to the Georgian reconstruction effort as well as the preparation of the international conference on the stability and security of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which according to the terms of the 8 September agreement should begin on 15 October in Geneva. The GAERC also intends to appoint a special representative to coordinate the EU's action in the context of the Georgian crisis.
As agreed in the July meeting, the GAERC will further examine the situation in Zimbabwe to assess the status of negotiations between the parties to form a government. In the absence of serious perspectives, the GAERC is likely to decide on tightening sanctions with regard to those persons close to the regime who participated in the campaign of violence that marked elections in May and June in this country.
Ministers will review the situation in Serbia, in the wake of the arrest and transfer of Radovan Karadzic to the Hague and the perspectives for EU/Serbia relations in this context.
The GAERC will also specify the framework for EU engagement in the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. The GAERC will also evaluate the Doha round negotiations at the World Trade Organisation, after the failure of July's ministerial meeting and the consequences for the EU. Trade Ministers will attend a dinner on trade and environmental issues.
Foreign Affairs Ministers will hold first discussions on the preparation of the European Council meeting scheduled for October.
The following meetings will be held in the margins of the European Council:
Monday 15 September 2008
- EU-Turkey Troika
Tuesday 16 September 2008
- EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council
- EU-Uzbekistan Cooperation Council
- EU-Pacific Islands Forum Toika
- EU-African Union Troika
- Updated: 07.11.2008
