I welcome the opportunity to review the busy set of agendas for next week's General Affairs Council and Foreign Affairs Council meetings. With the Chairman's permission, I propose to give the committee a brief read-out of the key items discussed at the March meetings of General Affairs Council and Foreign Affairs Council.
The March General Affairs Council had a detailed discussion on preparations and draft conclusions for the spring European Council meeting which took place later that week, the outcome of which was the subject of an extensive debate in the Dáil. The council and the Foreign Affairs Council held a joint session to discuss the state of play on the establishment of the external action service, in preparation for its discussion at next week's General Affairs Council.
At the Foreign Affairs Council, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, Kristalina Georgieva, reported to Ministers on their visit to Haiti. They gave a positive assessment of the well co-ordinated EU humanitarian response. Ms Ashton has been to Haiti on several occasions and made the point the EU's focus must be on an effective and efficient humanitarian response. The EU, however, does not get publicity for its aid programmes, a deficit which needs to be addressed. A brief discussion of the Chilean earthquake aftermath also took place. The decision was taken at the March meeting to appoint a new EU special representative to Afghanistan, a former colleague of mine, Mr. Vygaudas Ušackas, the former Lithuanian foreign Minister.
The Middle East peace process does not feature on this month's agenda, following the extensive lunch-time discussion which took place at the March meeting. That discussion took place immediately following the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton's, first visit to the region from 14 March to 18 March, including Gaza, and her subsequent participation in the Quartet meeting in Moscow on 19 March. There was broad agreement on the need to continue to support US efforts aimed at convening proximity talks, as well as encouraging the Israeli Government to undertake genuine confidence-building measures rather than further reducing the rather limited space for political progress through the creation of new facts on the ground.
Unfortunately, one month on, we are still awaiting a decisive response from Israel to the proposals for advancing the talks process which we understand the Obama Administration has presented. I hope there will be a positive response from the Israeli Government to these proposals.
EU-Ukraine relations, the situation in Moldova and the Swiss-Libya Schengen visa issue were discussed. In addition, Slovenia briefed on a western Balkans conference which it had recently hosted and which brought together all the prime ministers of the region, with the exception of Serbia. Poland also mentioned a forthcoming Community of Democracies meeting in Krakow.
In the joint session on Monday, Foreign and Defence Ministers will consider the situation in Somalia and Afghanistan. They will also note the customary conclusions setting out developments in the Union's common security defence policy, CSDP. Ministers may focus on the implications of the recent decision of the Kenyan authorities to discontinue prosecutions of suspected pirates detained by the EU's naval Operation Atalanta with effect from September. There is not much point in arresting people if there is nowhere to forward them for trial.
Afghanistan was discussed at the last meeting of the Council in March. I expect the discussion to be wider on this occasion, not only because defence Ministers will be present, but also because we will have an opportunity to hear directly from the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Rasmussen, who will attend part of the meeting during which it will be in informal session. Our discussion is likely to encompass the various initiatives and meetings under way or in preparation, including the on-going military-civilian Operation Moshtarak in Helmand Province, the Afghanistan President's agenda for national reintegration and reconciliation, the peace jirga, a consultative forum with all the main ethnic and tribal groups, and the international conference in Kabul, now expected to be held on 20 July.
The draft Council conclusions on the CSDP, which are being discussed at official level, make reference to strengthening the EU-NATO strategic partnership in crisis management, a position Ireland has always supported, especially in the form of agreeing effective practical co-operation in Afghanistan between the EU's police support mission, EUPOL, and ISAP.
The Council will also refer to the EU action plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan, which foreign Ministers agreed on 27 October last, to enhance the effectiveness of EU assistance programmes in the area. The action plan represents a renewed commitment on behalf of the EU as a whole to increase the effectiveness of EU assistance by channelling its resources in support of the strategic development priorities of the Afghan Government and to strive for a common approach in national measures and aid programmes there.
The first six-monthly report on the implementation of the action plan has been published. We need to pursue a more co-ordinated approach to key sectors in Afghanistan, including greater coordination of funding.
The situation in Kyrgyzstan will be discussed and Council conclusions are expected. Mass protests on 6 April and 7 April resulted in the country's president, Mr. Bakiyev, fleeing the capital, Bishkek, and the establishment of an interim government by opposition leaders. Mr. Bakiyev has since left the country.
Ireland shares the concern expressed by the EU at the loss of life during the protests in Kyrgyzstan. While the situation stabilised last week, there has been a concerning increase in violent incidents in Bishkek and in Mr. Bakiyev's home region in recent days. The EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Pierre Morel, travelled to Kyrgyzstan immediately after the unrest and made contact with key people, including the interim government. It is important that the EU engage with the interim government as it emerges and with other parties inKyrgyzstan to assist the country in moving forward, including on democratisation and reform.
Iran has been taken off the agenda for Monday's meeting. The Presidency says that it will, however, be on the agenda in May.
Foreign Ministers will also discuss the elections held in Sudan this month. These elections, which were the first in 25 years, represent a vital step in Sudan's transition to democratic government. Initial reports from observers, including a large EU observation mission, indicate that notwithstanding many deficiencies in the electoral process, the elections were concluded in a relatively peaceful and calm atmosphere. I might as well touch on ongoing difficulties with the full implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement between the north and south and the continuation of the conflict in the Darfur region, as well as associated tensions with the international community over the International Criminal Court, ICC, arrest warrant for President Bashir.
Burma is on the agenda, largely as a result of a request from this committee. The Minister for Foreign Affairs requested that it should be on the agenda. In addition to discussion on the current situation, I expect the Council will agree to extend UN sanctions for a further year and to issue conclusions setting out our views on the troubling political situation in Burma. Further to some recent correspondence with the committee, the Minister is very pleased to brief members on the situation. The key issue for us at present is the upcoming elections in Burma and the conditions under which they will be held. Although they are expected to take place in the last quarter of the year, no date has been confirmed.
On 10 March the Burmese regime published the five laws governing the conduct of elections which, unfortunately, confirm for the Department of Foreign Affairs that they will not be fair, free, inclusive or transparent as the international community has long demanded. In spite of a broad view that the terms of the discredited 2008 constitution virtually preclude the ability of credible elections, the international community believed it was important to do all in its power to urge the regime to conduct a credible election process. I believe we shall be disappointed again in that particular regard, however.
We have also made clear the need for all political prisoners, including in particular Aung San Suu Kyi, to be released without delay and for a process of national dialogue and reconciliation involving all opposition and all ethnic groups to be initiated in advance of the election. Ireland, the European Union, the United Nations and a number of ASEAN members have played an active role in such efforts.
As members of the committee will be aware, none of the initiatives called for has happened. Efforts by the new US Administration to try to engage with the regime in the interest of promoting the agenda of credible elections have also met with virtual silence. Instead of being given her freedom, Aung San Suu Kyi's detention was extended for a period of 18 months in August to ensure she was not in a position to contest the elections or lead her party during the course of the campaign. Few other political prisoners have been released and no efforts have been made to initiate national dialogue. The electoral laws recently published indicate that the Burmese regime intends to control every aspect of the preparation of the elections, their outcome and the future government that will emerge. Many Burmese opposition and ethnic groups have responded quickly, making clear their view that the elections will be a sham. Aung San Suu Kyi declared that the new laws were unjust and her NLD party announced in late March that it will neither register for not contest the elections on the basis of these laws. This means, unfortunately, that the party will have to be dissolved in the next month.
There have been strong expressions of concern from the international community. As members will recall, the EU agreed in December last to send an exploratory mission at official level to Burma which would focus on the election process, essentially to investigate whether the EU can play a part in encouraging a credible electoral process. Clearly, before such a mission proceeds, we shall need to review our position very carefully to be satisfied that the benefits of fielding it would significantly exceed the fairly substantial arguments against such a visit.
The issue of the EEAS and resources and relations with strategic partners is also on the agenda. It was flagged at the March meeting of the Council. High Representative Ashton has proposed a strategic discussion on the distribution resources around the world and the EU's relations with key partners on global issues. The discussion is scheduled to take place over lunch on Monday. Foreign ministers previously discussed the Union's relations with strategic partners at the meeting which was held early in March. The Office of the High Representative will circulate statistics on the allocation of EU resources in the coming days to facilitate discussion. High Representative Ashton is expected to brief on Monday as to how she intends to take forward the preparatory work on this item in the lead-up to a special meeting of the European Council which is to be held in September. That will examine how the Union can better engage with strategic partners.
Turning to the General Affairs Council, this will focus on the follow-up to the European Council in Brussels, which was held on 25 and 26 March. There is very little to report on the issue of climate change. It is the first item on the agenda as a follow-up to the European Council meeting. The spring Council allowed the Heads of State or Government to hold their much delayed first discussion on climate change post-Copenhagen. The European Council advocated a stepwise approach, building on the Copenhagen Accord, which should focus on integrating political guidance of the accord into the various negotiating texts. There is also a call on the COP 16 Conference in December to anchor the accord to the UN process and to address some of the key remaining gaps. We welcome the Council's reaffirmation of EU support to the UN process and pledge to strengthen the EU's outreach to third countries. The European Council also reiterated the quick start made to financing commitments and agreed to present a preliminary state of play at the June UNFCCC session.
The General Affairs Council may discuss recent meetings of two main UN negotiating tracts, the ad hoc working group on the Kyoto Protocol and the ad hoc working group on long-term co-operative action. The next step in the process is expected to be taken at the UNFCCC meeting in Bonn, which will be held in June.
Turning to financial regulation and supervision, again there is very little to report. The General Affairs Council is expected to note briefly the conclusions of the European Council on financial regulation and supervision. The European Council agreed that rapid progress is needed on the straightening out of financial regulation supervision within the European Union in international forums such as the G20. It may also touch on Commissioner Bernier's proposals regarding an EU crisis management framework which was presented at an informal ECOFIN in Madrid on 17 April. The Commissioner is expected to issue a communication in October outlining proposals for crisis management and prevention across the entire spectrum of financial activities. Work on this is still at a fairly early stage.
Turning to the European strategy for jobs and growth, the so-called Euro 2020, the General Affairs Council will provide Ministers with an opportunity to exchange on the various follow-up strands concerned with the European strategy for jobs and growth. The European Council agreed on the main elements of the new strategy, including key targets which will guide its implementation and arrangements for its improved monitoring. We welcome the new strategy and generally support its aims and ambitions. We are very satisfied with the broad thrust of the five EU headline targets that the European Council has agreed upon: employment; research and development, including innovation; climate change and energy education; social inclusion; and, in particular, poverty. There is now a significant body of work to be undertaken in relation to various aspects of the strategy both at national and EU levels ahead of the anticipated formal adoption of the strategy at the June European Council.
There will be discussion on the European External Action Service, EEAS. The General Affairs Council will discuss this in some detail. It has been discussed at previous meetings. The establishment of the EEAS is one of the most significant innovations of the Lisbon treaty. It will work to assist High Representative Ashton in carrying out her mandate, which is designed to ensure the consistency and better co-ordination of the Union's external actions and to address the very point that was made by Senator Quinn, namely, that the European Union appears sometimes to be involved and sometimes not. The high representative recently put forward a proposal in accordance with the Lisbon treaty for a Council decision on the organisation and the functioning of the EEAS. There have been intensive discussions at an intensive level recently at official level. It is hoped that member states can reach broad agreement on Monday and we are broadly happy with the text, subject to some fairly minor points. This dossier has been developing for some time and because it will involve co-decision, the European Parliament will be involved at a later stage. The European Parliament itself has some fairly strong views on the EEAS.
Ministers will have an orientation debate on the European citizens' initiative and I look forward to participating in it. The citizens' initiative is one of the major innovations in the Lisbon treaty and it has the potential to reinforce citizens' and organised civil society's involvement in the shaping of the EU policy agenda. The draft regulation issued last month by the Commission appears to strike a reasonable balance between our wish to have an open system and the need for controls to prevent abuse. The draft also takes account of the recent public consultation process which evoked a substantial response from across the EU, including from the Oireachtas. Special implementing arrangements will be needed here as we do not currently have a system of popular initiative or petition. These will be required to manage the collection, authentication and verification of signatures.
The EU Presidency has published a paper identifying four key issues which will provide the focus of next Monday's discussions. These are the registration and admissibility of the proposed initiative; the minimum number of signatories per member state; the procedures for collecting signatures or support; and the use of on-line systems for collecting support. When we discussed the number of signatories per member state here, there was a broad feeling that the figure of 0.2% was about right. That has been replaced by a somewhat complex mathematical formula which will have the effect of reducing the numbers required in Ireland from about 11,000 to 9,000. If I recall rightly, the Chairman pointed out that if one stood outside a hostelry on O'Connell Street, 11,000 signatures could easily be collected. I am glad the Presidency will focus on these key issues and I would be happy to address them in detail this morning, if committee members so wish.
There is a number of other issues. I suspect there will be a discussion on the travel disruption as a result of the volcanic ash. There will also be some discussion on northern Cyprus, the co-operation and verification mechanisms for Bulgaria and Romania and enlargement issues, including that of Turkey. That concludes my comments on the agenda and I will be pleased to take questions from members of the committee.
