Foreign Minister Aivis Ronis to take part in General Affairs Council and Foreign Affairs Council meetings [14 Jun 2010]

The issue on opening EU accession talks with Iceland is planned to be included on the European Council agenda. It is possible that a discussion on Estonia entering to the eurozone will take place. The European Council will also make a decision on holding an inter-governmental conference concerning the composition of the European Parliament.

As part of the General Affairs Council it is planned to inform member state ministers on the current situation in relation to the establishment issues of the European External Action Service (EEAS), for example, talks with the European Parliament on a proposal for a decision on the EEAS. The EU Council conclusions on the implementation of cohesion policy programme and most remote EU regions will be also adopted at the Council. Ministers will also debate the general approach to the draft regulation of the European Citizens' Initiative.

At the Foreign Affairs Council, ministers are expected to discuss the current humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as the Iran nuclear issue. Foreign ministers are scheduled to talk about the current situation in EU-Serbia relations and EU relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as well as to evaluate the results of the EU-Western Balkan high-level meeting held on 2 June 2010 in Sarajevo.

During the Council, it is expected that a discussion on EU engagement in Somalia and the issue of court action against pirates will take place. EU High Representative Catherine Ashton will report on the results of her visit to Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles. Catherine Ashton will also inform the ministers about the hard lessons that have been drawn from the devastating earthquake in Haiti and possible improvements in EU response abilities to crises in the EU and outside it.

Foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the human rights situation in Cuba, as well as the developments in Georgia following municipal elections which took place on 30 May. EU foreign ministers will debate the Corfu Process which was launched within the OSCE framework in preparation to the informal OSCE foreign minister meeting scheduled to take place on 16 to 17 July in Almaty (Kazakhstan). As part of the Corfu Process, OSCE member states discuss the improvement of the three dimensions (political-military, economic and humanitarian) of this organisation.

The ministers are also scheduled to discuss child labour with the aim of strengthening EU efforts to stop the most unfavourable forms of child labour until 2016.

During the session of development ministers, a discussion and the adoption of EU Council conclusions is scheduled on the achievement of Millennium Development Goals in preparation to the UN New York Conference on the review of the Millennium Development Goals.

The meetings of EU foreign ministers at the General Affairs Council and the Foreign Affairs Council take place once a month. The Treaty of Lisbon stipulates that the General Affairs Council is chaired by the corresponding minister of the Presidency, whereas the Foreign Affairs Council – by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.