Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 July 2013
61. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he believes that there is significant overlap in the Foreign Affairs Council and the General Affairs Council in the European Council; if he further believes they should be merged into one council; if he will outline the proposed reforms Ireland intends to put forward in the future in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32652/13]
View answerIt will be recalled that under the terms of the EU Treaties prior to the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the functions of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and the General Affairs Council (GAC) were combined in one formation of the Council of the European Union, the General Affairs and External Relations Council. The provisions of the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on 1 December 2009, separated out these distinct functions to constitute the two separate formations of the Council which exist today – the Foreign Affairs Council and the General Affairs Council. The Treaty on European Union (Article 16) confers on the GAC two primary functions: first, to "ensure consistency in the work of the different Council configurations"; and to “prepare and ensure the follow-up to meetings of the European Council”. The GAC thus has a cross-cutting coordination role among the various formations of the Council and it endeavours to do this, most evidently, through its role in preparing for and ensuring the follow-up to meetings of the European Council. The GAC is chaired by the rotating Presidency, which over the last six months, has been undertaken by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Article 16 in the Treaty on European Union separately confers on the FAC two primary functions: first, to "elaborate the Union’s external action on the basis of strategic guidelines laid down by the European Council"; and to "ensure that the Union’s action is consistent".
The FAC deals with the EU's external action, including common foreign and security policy, development cooperation and trade. It is tasked with framing the Union’s common foreign and security policy and it takes the decisions necessary to define and implement it on the basis of guidance from Heads of State or Government. The FAC, along with its chair the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is also tasked under the Treaties with ensuring the unity, consistency and effectiveness of action by the Union. The FAC and GAC formations of the Council each undertake substantive and distinct bodies of work. The only overlap of note that occurs between the two relates primarily to the GAC’s role in preparing the work of the European Council, which by definition draws upon and engages with the work of many other Council formations, including that of the FAC. I am happy with the current division of functions, as set out in the Treaties.
