Cormac Devlin
Ceist:145. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the EU General Affairs Council that was held on 18 October 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57845/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 22 November 2022
Ceisteanna (145)
Freagraí scríofa
Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, attended the General Affairs Council meeting on 18 October 2022 in Luxembourg. At this meeting Ministers exchanged views on the topics to be discussed at the 20-21 October European Council meeting, including Ukraine/Russia, Food Security, Critical Infrastructure, Energy, Economic Issues and External Relations. Discussion mostly focused on Ukraine/Russia, where the need to ensure accountability and the possibility of further sanctions measures were considered, and on energy, in the context of the imminent issuance of the Commission's energy package.
This was followed by a state of play discussion on the Rule of Law in Poland based on the Commission's Article 7(1) TEU reasoned proposal with a particular focus on judicial independence. Recent changes by Poland were welcomed, including the abolition of the Disciplinary Chamber, but it was noted that any reforms would have to ensure judicial independence and full compliance with the Court of Justice of the EU judgments.
Follow up to the Conference on the Future of Europe was also discussed, focusing on the European Parliament's call for a Convention on the EU Treaties and on the organisation of the proposed Conference on the Future of Europe feedback event in December. There was almost complete consensus that now is not the time for convening a Convention and that the Council should await further European Parliament proposals in the coming months.
Ministers also discussed the European Parliament's proposal for a number of key reforms to EU Electoral Law. Many Member States expressed support for the objectives of the European Parliament's proposals, including to increase the democratic legitimacy of the EU; however, there was broad agreement that the proposals required more detailed analysis, that national voting specificities would need to be considered carefully, and that the timeframe to have the proposed changes in place ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections was unlikely to be achieved.
Under AOB, there was a short briefing from the Commission on its Communication “Enforcing EU law for a Europe that delivers” adopted on 13 October. The Commission noted that the Communication was a useful opportunity to show how enforcement actions translate into concrete benefits for citizens and businesses.