Presidency Conclusions

Transcription

1 Presidency Conclusions 2002 Spanish Presidency (January June 2002) Presidency Conclusions. Barcelona European Council March 2002 Available at: The second part of the Presidency Conclusions contains information explicitly referring to the external relations of the European Union. Among the topics discussed were the Convention on the Future of Europe, the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, the Northern Dimension, the ratification of the Nice Treaty and the role of the EU in the unstable regions of Gibraltar, the Western Balkans, Serbia and Montenegro, the FYROM, in the Middle East, Zimbabwe, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. The Annex of the Conclusions, called the Declaration of Barcelona on the Middle East, refers to the political situation between the Israel and Palestine and stresses the importance of finding a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Presidency Conclusions. Seville European Council June 2002 Available at: The first part of the Conclusions comprises information regarding the positive achievements of the Convention on the Future of Europe, guidelines for a proper reform of the Council and a positive Irish ratification of the Treaty of Nice. Furthermore, specific provisions are made with regard to the enhancement of the CFSP and its subsequent ESDP. The enlargement of the European Union, the stage of negotiation with the candidate countries and the improvements in the area of asylum and migration are further provisions of the Presidency Conclusions. 1

2 Danish Presidency (July December 2002) Presidency Conclusions. Brussels European Council October 2002 Available at: The Conclusions contain information referring to the enlargement of the European Union and to the status of Kaliningrad after the enlargement. Highly important for the further developments of the CFSP and ESDP are the information on the EU-NATO relations and the case of the FYROM. Further consideration is given to the terrorist attacks in Russia, which were unanimously condemned by all the EU leaders. Annex II, called ESDP: implementation of the Nice provisions on the involvement of the non-eu European Allies provides information with regard to the institutional cooperation between the EU and NATO, as well as those regarding the participation of the non-eu European NATO members to the ESDP missions. Presidency Conclusions. Copenhagen European Council October 2002 Available at: The Presidency Conclusions provide useful information with regard to the achievements of the Convention on the Future of Europe, which will be presented in the first European Council Summit in Furthermore, the report notes the special attention that has been given to the case of the enlargement of the EU, especially to the candidate countries (Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey) and to the relations between the enlarged EU and the neighbouring countries. The fruitful cooperation between NATO and the EU, under the framework of the ESDP, has been further reaffirmed. The Annex II, entitled Declaration of the Council Meeting in Copenhagen on 12 December 2002 provides further guidelines for the implementation of the Berlin Plus agreements. Annex III, European Council Declaration on the Middle East, expresses the full support of the European Union to finding a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 2

3 2003 Greek Presidency (January June 2003) Presidency Conclusions. Brussels European Council March 2003 Available at: The Presidency Conclusions include information regarding the completed enlargement process, the situation in Iraq, in the Middle East, the strengthening of the CFSP and its subsequent ESDP, the transatlantic relations, the situation in the Western Balkans, in the aftermath of the assassination of the Serbian Prime-Minister Zoran Djindjic, in Cyprus and North Korea. The EU leaders praised the success of the EU Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the EU-first military lead operation in FYROM, following NATO s operation Allied Harmony. Presidency Conclusions. Thessaloniki European Council June 2003 Available at: The first part of the Presidency Conclusion provides information related to the final achievements of the European Convention and gives further impetus for calling for a new IGC in which the Draft Constitutional Treaty should be discussed by the Member States. Furthermore, problems related to the asylum, the illegal immigration and securing the external borders of the Union have been discussed. The enlargement and the stage of negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania represented another points on the agenda of discussion. The EU has reaffirmed the commitments towards finding a solution for the divided island of Cyprus and to contribute to the stabilization of the Western Balkans. A new set of policies, the Neighbourhood Policy, has been launched in the context of the enlarged Union. Italian Presidency (July December 2003) Presidency Conclusions. Brussels European Council October 2003 Available at: The Presidency Conclusions provide information regarding the successful start of the IGC that is expected to lead to the final signature of the European Constitution. Furthermore, in part V, 3

4 External Relations, the conclusions provide references with regard to the failure of the WTO Meetings in Cancun, to the Commission s Wider Europe-New Neighbourhood, the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership and the Northern Dimension. Several other issues that influence the external policy of the Union have been mentioned: the situation in Moldova, the relations with the Arab world, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the important case of Iraq, the future relations with Iran and the situation in Kosovo, Bolivia, Guatemala and the Great Lakes Region. Presidency Conclusions. Brussels European Council December 2003 Available at: The Presidency Conclusions contain references to the failure of negotiation with regard to the European Constitution. Section III of the Presidency Conclusions deals with the problem of immigration and cooperation in the judicial field. Section IV is related with the enlargement of the European Union, the status of negotiation with Bulgaria and Romania, the situation of Turkey. In section V the case of Cyprus is being mentioned, reaffirming the support of the European Union for reuniting the island. Section VI deals exclusively with the external relations of the EU, the problems of the Western Balkans, the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, the situation in Iraq. Furthermore, issues such as the concerted fight against terrorism, the Middle East peace process, the relations with the Arab world, the transatlantic relations, the relations with Russia, Ukraine, China, Latin America and Caribbean, Africa, Democratic People s Republic of Korea have been discussed. The concepts of Green Diplomacy and Olympic Truce have been mentioned. The achievements on the field of the CFSP/ESDP and the EU-UN relations are further analyzed under the heading B of the Presidency Conclusions. The Annex called European Council Declaration on Transatlantic Relations provides further impetus for strengthening the transatlantic partnership and reaffirms the importance EU attaches to the EU-NATO, EU-US and EU-Canada relations. 4

5 2004 Irish Presidency (January June 2004) Presidency Conclusions. Brussels European Council March 2004 Available at: The Presidency Conclusions provide information concerning the status reached in the IGC, the threats of global terrorism and refers to the particular situation of the divided island of Cyprus. In part V, referring explicitly to the international situation, the main topics that have been discussed were: the Middle East Peace Process, the EU Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia and Montenegro Kosovo, the violence in Côte d Ivoire and the relations with Russia. Presidency Conclusions. Brussels European Council June 2004 Available at: The last Irish Presidency Conclusions refers to the positive achievements of the IGC, to the area of freedom, security and justice and the fight against terrorism; it contains relevant information regarding Bulgaria and Romania s progress in accession negotiations, analyzes the situation of Turkey and Croatia and the implications of Croatia s membership in the EU for the Western Balkans. Part VI of the conclusions refers to the peace process in Northern Ireland while Part VII provides explicit information concerning the European Security Strategy, the developments of the ESDP, the establishment of new Partnership Initiatives (Neighbourhood Policy, Mediterranean and Middle East Partnership), the cooperation with the strategic partners of the EU (US, Canada, Japan, Russia, India and China. Furthermore, the conclusions analyze the situation in Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan/Darfur), in the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, Kosovo. The coming presidential elections in Serbia have been separately analyzed. Of a particular importance for the future of the EU-NATO cooperation is the document European Defence: NATO/EU consultations, planning and operations which aim to enhance the cooperation between the two organizations. The two attached documents refer to the situation in Iraq and to the last developments in the Middle East Peace Process. 5

6 Dutch Presidency (July December 2004) Presidency Conclusions. Brussels European Council. 4-5 November 2004 Available at: The Dutch Presidency Conclusions contain, under Section II practical information related to the cooperation in the area of freedom, security and justice. Section IV and V refers explicitly to issues concerning the external relations of the Union, such as the ongoing process of enlargement of the European Union, the second mandate of George Bush as US president and the need to strengthen the transatlantic partnership. The conclusions further provide information concerning the situation in Sudan, Iraq, in the Middle East, in Iran, Ukraine, and give further impetus to the Euro- Mediterranean partnership.. Extraordinary European Councils Extraordinary European Council. Brussels. 17 February 2003 Available at: The extraordinary European Council has been called in the context of the increasingly tensioned situation with regard to Iraq. It provides information referring to the wholeheartedly support for the actions taken by the UN Security Council and to the likely consequences for Iraq if the country does not comply with the international regulations. Furthermore, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been discussed and the appointment of a Palestinian Prime-Minister has been warmly welcomed by the EU leaders. Informal European Council. Athens Declaration. 16 April 2003 Available at: The European Council held in Athens had a symbolic meaning: the signing of the Accession Treaty with the ten new Member States of the European Union. With this occasion, the EU leaders have reaffirmed the underpinning values of the European Union and expressed their full commitment to work towards enhancing them. 6

7 Informal European Council. Declaration on Iraq. 16 April 2003 Available at: The informal European Council has been focused on the situation in Iraq, in the aftermath of the American intervention concluded with dismantling the Saddam Hussein s regime. The report provides information related to the newer perspectives that have been offered to the Iraqi people to rebuild their country and to strengthen the democratic institutions. Furthermore, the EU leaders have expressed their full support towards stabilizing the situation in Iraq. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been analyzed and the EU has reaffirmed its commitment towards bringing to an end to it, through fully supporting the endorsement of the provisions of the Roadmap Plan launched by the so-called Quartet, the US, the EU, the UN and Russia. Informal European Council. Meeting with the President of the European Convention. 16 April 2003 Available at: A third meeting of the EU leaders has been called by the President of the European Convention. Mr. Valéry Giscard d Estaing. The conclusions of this meeting analyzed the last achievements of the European Convention and the institutional questions have been clarified. Declaration on combating terrorism. Brussels. 25 March 2004 Available at: This extraordinary European Council has been called in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Madrid on March 11 th The common declaration of the Heads of State or Government from the EU Member States contains relevant information referring to the to the solidarity clause from the EU Draft Constitution, the security strategy of the EU, the assistance to the victims of the terrorist attacks, the necessary cooperation between the Member States, the border controls and the document security, provides further impetus for a EU common approach to combat the terrorism, mentions the objectives of the EU plan of action to combat terrorism, requires an enhanced cooperation with the US and other partners and propose the creation of a Counter-Terrorism coordinator. Annex I, European Union Strategic Objectives to Combat Terrorism, comprise useful information referring to the necessary measures the EU has to take in making the fight against global terrorism more efficient. 7

8 2595 th Council Meeting Heads of State or Government. Brussels. 29 June 2004 Available at: The report of the meeting refers to the appointment of Mr. Javier Solana in the position of Secretary-General of the Council, High Representative for CFSP and the declaration of his appointment as the future EU Foreign Minister th Council Meeting Heads of State or Government. Brussels. 5 November 2004 Available at: The report of the meeting contains the list with the nominee commissioners EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION European Constitution Available at: The website provides useful information related to the European Constitution. Under the section of working groups, there are relevant information concerning the working groups related to the external and defence policy of the European Union. Working groups related to the external policy of the European Union Working group VII: External Action Working documents Available at: Final report Available at: Working group VIII: Defence Working documents Available at: Final report Available at: 8

9 EU Operations EU Operations past, present and future ESDP operations Available at: The website provides information concerning all the EU military operations that have been conducted under the framework of ESDP. Moreover, for each ESDP operation, there is a separate website where all the relevant information have been included. EU-NATO Cooperation EU-NATO Cooperation Available at: The website provides basic information concerning the cooperation between the European Union and NATO. More detailed information about EU-NATO cooperation can be found on NATO s website, under the heading NATO-EU relations available at: Council Decision on the release of information under the EU-NATO Security Agreement Available at: The document provides relevant information regarding the release of information between the two organizations. NATO Summits Available at: The website contains links to all NATO s summits and ministerial meetings. 9

10 EU-NATO Declaration on ESDP Available at: The document provides interesting information with respect to the creation and the development of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and the subsequent cooperation between the EU and NATO. NATO-EU concerted approach for the Western Balkans Available at: The document provides relevant information referring to the cooperation between the two organizations in the Western Balkans. 10