I am happy to meet again with the committee in advance of the General Affairs and External Relations Council to exchange views on items which are on the agenda for next week's meeting. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, is travelling today in his capacity as envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan. The Minister is one of five envoys appointed by Mr. Annan to present to United Nations member states and their respective regions the elements of a broad package of reforms and proposals contained in the Secretary General's recent report, Enlarge Your Freedom.
Each envoy must report to the Secretary General on the views, priorities and concerns expressed in capitals to ensure the most effective preparation for, and the best possible outcome from, the major summit that will take place at the United Nations next September.
The Government is determined to do all it can to promote broad agreement ahead of the September summit on reforms that will strengthen the United Nations and measures that will set us on course to achieve the millennium development goals. The Minister's appointment indicates the esteem in which the Secretary General holds him and Ireland's track record of commitment to the United Nations. It is a great honour for Ireland to discharge this role and the Government is determined to do the best it can in this matter.
Next Monday's meeting of the council in Luxembourg will be the fifth under the Luxembourg Presidency. The Minister and I will represent Ireland there. The next day I will attend a meeting of European Affairs Ministers which the Presidency has arranged in Luxembourg. At the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 25 April all EU member states, and Bulgaria and Romania, will sign the accession treaty to allow Bulgaria and Romania to become members of the European Union. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and I will sign the treaty on behalf of Ireland. Bulgaria and Romania will be then entitled to take their seats as active observers in meetings from the following day, 26 April. Both states are due to accede to the European Union on 1 January 2007, if they are ready. The treaty falls to be ratified by every member state in advance of the planned accession date. The earliest ratification of the treaty by Ireland will be in late autumn 2004. For previous accessions, ratification has involved motions in the Oireachtas and an amendment to the European Communities Act 1972.
The General Affairs and External Relations Council is beginning an intensive phase of work on the future financial perspectives. This will include discussions at next week's Council and at two ministerial conclaves on the eve of the May and June Council meetings. The EU Presidency is seeking to meet the deadline of June 2005 which has been set for political agreement on this important dossier. The Council's work is focusing on an evolving framework for the negotiations, distinguishing those issues on which there is broad agreement and those on which further work is needed. The first draft of this framework, the negotiating box, was issued by the EU Presidency on 8 March 2004. This draft was found to be fair and balanced. It does not yet contain the key financial figures which are expected to be tabled only in the final weeks of the negotiations. Discussions at the General Affairs and External Relations Council will be based on a revised draft expected tomorrow. We do not yet know precisely how the EU Presidency intends to focus and handle the discussions on Monday.
Our overall approach in the negotiations is to seek to ensure that the European Union is adequately resourced to meet the expectations and needs of its citizens, as well as its existing commitments, while providing value for money for the EU taxpayer. A main priority is to maintain the existing levels of funding for agriculture foreseen in the 2002 agreement on the Common Agricultural Policy. We have supported poorer member states in seeking to secure significant cohesion funding to address disparities in development in the enlarged European Union. We have also pressed the case for a fair outcome for our regions in transition. In addition, we are seeking to maintain existing levels of funding for rural development. We have prioritised research and development, as well as education and training, in the proposed funding for competitiveness. With regard to proposals on external relations, we have stressed, in particular, the importance of focusing on poverty reduction and the achievement of the millennium development goals.
Ireland remains unconvinced of the case for a general rebate mechanism. We wish to ensure that any rebate mechanisms for net contributions to the EU budget should cost no more in total than the current UK rebate. It is important the principle of solidarity applies to whatever is agreed. Consequently, we have stressed that all member states must contribute to the financing of rebate mechanisms, if these are part of a final package. The committee will be holding a session on the financial perspectives on 11 May to which representatives of several Departments, including the Department of Foreign Affairs, have been invited. This will offer an opportunity to examine the detail of the negotiations.
This month, Ministers will address the Middle East, preparations for next month's EU-Russia Summit and the Sudan under the external relations agenda. The Council's discussion on the western Balkans will concentrate on the Commission's recommendation that the European Union should open negotiations for an agreement with the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. The EU has made a firm commitment to work with the countries of the region towards their eventual integration into European structures, provided they meet the necessary political conditions. Serbia and Montenegro is the largest country in the western Balkans, but it has made the slowest progress in developing an institutional relationship with the EU.
There has, however, been political and economic progress in the state over the past year. The EU has also welcomed the significant moves by Belgrade in recent months to ensure that several former military figures, indicted for war crimes during the terrible conflicts of the 1990s, are transferred to The Hague for trial by the war crimes tribunal. While this progress must be sustained in the following months, the EU has reached the important point of where it can look to the conclusion of an agreement with Serbia and Montenegro.
The Council is expected to request the Commission to prepare a draft negotiating mandate as soon as possible, for approval by the member states. It is hoped in the coming months the Council will also take a decision on the opening of negotiations for an agreement with Bosnia-Herzegovina, which would strengthen the reform process. They would also bring forward the prospect of a new European future for all the people of a region which is moving steadily away from the violence and political instability which resulted from the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.
Over the next year, the major issue in the western Balkans will be attempts to reach agreement on Kosovo. The aim will be to provide for a truly multiethnic society with a constitutional status which contributes to regional stability and to the European future of the region. It is hoped the progress being made in relations with Serbia and Montenegro will help political leaders in Belgrade to engage constructively with leaders in Pristina in the interests of a secure, peaceful and prosperous future for all the people of Kosovo.
The discussion on Russia at the Council will focus on preparations for the EU-Russia Summit in Moscow on 10 May. This summit is particularly significant as it is expected that agreement will be reached on roadmaps for four common spaces with Russia. These will provide a coherent framework for relations between Russia and the European Union in the coming years and will considerably enhance co-operation across political, economic and security spheres. From a European Union perspective, it is hoped the summit will result in intensified dialogue with Russia on the common neighbourhood, in particular in resolving the conflicts in Moldova and Georgia. It is also expected the summit will launch closer dialogue in support of an open and democratic process in Chechnya and that Russia will confirm that consultations on human rights will be held on a regular basis at the highest level.
The situation in the Middle East region will be discussed over lunch. It now appears the Council will adopt conclusions on several issues affecting the region, including Iraq, Lebanon and the Middle East peace process. Discussions are under way at official level to refine the texts which Ministers will consider. It is expected the conclusions on Iraq will welcome the formation of the transitional Government there and to reaffirm the EU's commitments to support Iraq. The conclusions on Lebanon are expected to re-affirm the positions adopted at the spring European Council last month and to note the appointment of a new designate prime minister, Mr. Najib Mikati. The conclusions on the Middle East peace process are likely to reaffirm the EU's long-standing commitment to the international quartet roadmap and to urge the parties to accelerate their progress towards meeting their obligations under the roadmap and the more recent Sharm-el-Sheikh Summit. The summit was a heartening development on which it is hoped the parties will build. The commitments agreed at the summit gave grounds for hope and a real prospect of an early return to negotiations on all issues. The difficulties and the obstacles which must be overcome cannot be underestimated, but we urge all parties to redouble their efforts to fulfil their commitments and create the conditions in which negotiations can resume.
The Council will consider several items concerning Africa including the situation in the Great Lakes. It will consider how the EU can lend further support to ensure that the transition processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi are accelerated to lead to the scheduled national elections in both countries later this year. Recent events in the Democratic Republic of Congo are encouraging including the disarmament process almost complete in the lturi region under the supervision of the United Nations mission. There was also the welcome announcement by the main Rwandan Hutu armed militia, still active in the east, that it will cease military action against Rwanda and engage in a voluntary process of disarmament and repatriation. Good progress continues to be made in Burundi towards the holding of national elections at the end of June 2004.
The transition, nevertheless, in the Democratic Republic of Congo still remains at a critical stage, with much remaining to be done, particularly electoral preparations and improving security through the establishment of fully integrated national army and police forces. Ministers are likely to discuss plans for a high-level mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo by Mr. Javier Solana early next month to impress the urgency of hastening the transition upon the Government and the parties to the peace agreements. The Council will also approve the deployment of a small EU planning and advisory mission to advise the Government in the crucial area of security sector reform, an area in which the EU is continuing to lend vital assistance.
The Council will also have a brief discussion on the political situation in Zimbabwe, following the recent parliamentary elections there. Based on the reports of EU diplomats in Harare, including the Irish ambassador, who observed the elections and other information available, no objective assessment can conclude that it was either free or fair. It is to be regretted that the Zimbabwean Government spurned the opportunity presented by the election to introduce meaningful reforms and genuinely comply with the Southern African Development Community guidelines for the holding of democratic elections. The onus therefore remains on the newly-appointed Zimbabwean Government to show serious intent about improving the situation of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. Until there is movement towards meeting the EU benchmarks in this regard, I do not believe that, in the event of a review, there will be any basis for altering the Union's Common Position on Zimbabwe, which imposes restrictive measures against the leading members of the ZANU-PF Government.
The Council is also scheduled to have a brief discussion on the situation in Sudan following the adoption of a number of resolutions by the United Nations Security Council at the end of March. These include Resolution 1593 on impunity which provides for referral of the atrocities and serious human rights violations highlighted in the recent report of the international commission of inquiry to the International Criminal Court for further action. This is a welcome step and one which should facilitate the bringing to justice, in the most effective way possible, of those responsible for the most serious crimes committed in Darfur since the start of the current conflict.
The overall political and humanitarian situation in the Darfur region continues to remain serious. The priority remains an improvement in security on the ground and the speedy resumption of political negotiations between the Sudanese Government and the Darfur rebels, with a view to achieving an overall settlement. In both areas, the African Union is playing a critical role and one which Ireland and our EU partners are determined to continue supporting. We remain open to providing further support to the African Union, in the context of an expanded mission in Darfur, proposals for which will be discussed by the African Union Peace and Security Council later this month. In the meantime, sustained international pressure needs to be exerted on all the parties to honour their commitments, improve the security situation and achieve a speedy political settlement.
It is also important to forge ahead with implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement concluded in Nairobi last January, since this will facilitate the search for a political solution in Darfur. The generous response of donors at last week's Sudan conference in Oslo, which saw a total of US$4.5 billion pledged, demonstrates the willingness of the international community to assist Sudan and all its people to emerge from conflict and build a better future for their country. As the committee is aware, Ireland pledged €15 million at the conference.
Members will recall that in the wake of the tsunami which caused such devastation in south-east Asia in December last year, the General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted a wide-ranging action plan to address EU capacity to respond fully and appropriately to such large-scale disasters. On Monday, Ministers will discuss a communication from the European Commission which sets out a number of concrete steps to improve EU capabilities in this area.
Many of the proposals contained in the Commission communication will require further detailed examination at official level. However, I particularly welcome two aspects of the general approach taken by the Commission. The first is that we should focus on improving the mechanisms and capabilities which we already have at our disposal, rather than creating entirely new structures. This is something which Ireland has stressed from the beginning. The EU has a number of instruments which already exist which can respond rapidly to large-scale disasters, in particular the mechanism for civil protection. The Commission communication focuses on concrete, practical steps to improve and further develop the mechanism and I support this approach.
The second aspect which is important is the Commission's clear focus on improving co-operation with the United Nations. While it is important that the EU develops its own capabilities, the last thing we wish to see is the development of parallel structures which compete with UN actors on the ground. We need capabilities that can be deployed rapidly as part of an overall international disaster relief effort, in support of the UN's role as lead co-ordinator in disaster situations. The Commission's proposals are very much in this direction.
From a national perspective, we in Ireland need to look at how we can contribute to further developing the EU's civil protection capabilities. My Department is currently co-ordinating an interdepartmental audit of assets and capacities in Ireland for use in humanitarian emergencies abroad. I would hope that this audit will be completed before the summer.
The Council is expected to adopt conclusions which will authorise the Commission to work jointly with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to prepare action plans. Inclusion of these countries in the European neighbourhood policy, and the development of action plans, marks a significant step forward in the EU's engagement with the region. Indications are that this item will become an "A" point at Council.
On external relations issues, the Council is scheduled to discuss the proposed EU common position on the 2005 review conference of state parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This common position has been developed with the objective of the Union co-ordinating its position on a wide range of disarmament and non-proliferation issues which will be discussed at the seventh review conference of the non-proliferation treaty scheduled to take place in New York from 2-27 May. It is likely that this item will be agreed without discussion.
I mentioned earlier that I will be attending a meeting of Ministers for European Affairs which the Presidency has arranged for the day following the GAERC. At the meeting, which is informal in nature, it is expected that the discussion will cover aspects of the future financial perspectives, communicating Europe — a constant topic — and the ratification of the EU constitution.
I will be very happy to listen to the views of committee members and take any questions they may have.