PRESS RELEASE. 3022nd Council meeting. General Affairs. Luxembourg, 14 June 2010 P R E S S

Transcription

1 COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION PRESS RELEASE 3022nd Council meeting General Affairs Luxembourg, 14 June /10 PROVISIONAL VERSION PRESSE 174 President Mr Miguel Ángel MORATINOS and Cooperation of Spain Mr Diego LOPEEZ GARRIDO Secretary of State for European Affairs of Spain P R E S S R u e d e l a L o i B B R U S S E L S T e l. : ( 0 ) / F a x : ( 0 ) press.office@consilium.europa.eu /10 1

2 Main results of the Council The Council reached agreement on a draft regulation aimed at establishing the European citizens' initiative, making it possible for EU citizens to call for legislative proposals to be made on a specific issue. It asked the presidency to start negotiations with the European Parliament so as to enable the regulation to be adopted at first reading. The initiative, one of the main innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon, will enable citizens to ask the Commission to bring forward legislative proposals if the signatories to such a demand number at least one million and come from a significant number of member states. The draft regulation sets out the procedures and conditions for implementing the citizens' initiative. The Council adopted conclusions on the following issues: economic and social cohesion in the EU; the EU's outermost regions; common practices in consular assistance and crisis coordination; maritime policy. It also approved the signature, on behalf of the EU, of a revision of the Cotonou agreement, the EU's partnership agreement with ACP states /10 2

3 CONTTS 1 PARTICIPANTS... 4 ITEMS DEBATED EUROPEAN CITIZS' INITIATIVE... 6 PREPARATION OF THE JUNE EUROPEAN COUNCIL... 7 EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE... 8 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COHESION... 9 Report on cohesion policy... 9 Outermost regions OTHER ITEMS APPROVED FOREIGN AFFAIRS Common practices in consular assistance and crisis coordination - Council conclusions EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFCE POLICY Annual Report on ESDP and ESDP-related training DEVELOPMT POLICY ACP-EU partnership agreement TRANSPORT Integrated maritime policy - Council conclusions Safety targets for railways Where declarations, conclusions or resolutions have been formally adopted by the Council, this is indicated in the heading for the item concerned and the text is placed between quotation marks. Documents for which references are given in the text are available on the Council's Internet site ( Acts adopted with statements for the Council minutes which may be released to the public are indicated by an asterisk; these statements are available on the Council's Internet site or may be obtained from the Press Office /10 3

4 PARTICIPANTS High Representative Ms Catherine ASHTON Belgium: Mr Staven VANACKERE Mr Olivier CHASTEL Mr Jean DE RUYT Bulgaria: Mr Nickolay MLADOV Czech Republic: Mr Jan KOHOUT Mr Viteslav GREPL Denmark: Ms Lene ESPERS Mr Søren PIND Germany: Mr Guido WESTERWELLE Mr Dirk NIEBEL Mr Werner HOYER Estonia: Mr Urmas PAET Ireland: Mr Micheál MARTIN Mr Peter POWER Greece: Mr Dimitris DROUTSAS Mr Spyros KOURELIS Spain: Mr Miguel Ángel MORATINOS CUYAUBÉ Mr Diego LÓPEZ GARRIDO Ms Soraya RODRIGUEZ France: Mr Bernard KOUCHNER Mr Alain JOYANDET Italy: Mr Franco FRATTINI Mr Ferdinando NELLI FEROCI Cyprus: Mr Markos KYPRIANOU Mr Andreas MAVROYIANNIS Latvia: Mr Aivis RONIS Ms Elita KUZMA Lithuania: Mr Audronius AŽUBALIS Mr Evaldas IGNATAVIČIUS Luxembourg: Mr Jean ASSELBORN Ms Marie-Josée JACOBS High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Institutional Reforms State Secretary for Foreign Affairs with responsibility for preparing for the EU Presidency, attached to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Permanent Representative Deputy Prime Minister, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister for Development and Cooperation Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development State Secretary, Federal Foreign Ministry Minister of State for Overseas Development Alternate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Secretary of State for European Affairs Secretary of State for International Cooperation Minister for Foreign and European Affairs State Secretary for Cooperation and Francophony Permanent Representative Minister of Foreign Affairs Permanent Representative Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Prime Minister, and Immigration Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs 11021/10 4

5 Hungary: Mr János MARTONYI Mr Gábor IVÁN Malta: Mr Tonio BORG Netherlands: Mr Maxime VERHAG Mr Tom de BRUIJN Austria: Mr Michael SPINDELEGGER Mr Hans Dietmar SCHWEISGUT Poland: Mr Radoslaw SIKORSKI Mr Pawel WOJCIECHOWSKI Portugal: Mr Luis AMADO Mr Pedro LOURTIE Romania: Mr Teodor BACONSCHI Mr Doru COSTEA Slovenia: Mr Samuel ŽBOGAR Ms Dragoljuba BČINA Slovakia: Mr Miroslav LAJČÁK Ms Olga ALGAYEROVA Finland: Mr Alexander STUBB Mr Paavo VÄYRYN Sweden: Mr Carl BILDT Ms Gunilla CARLSSON United Kingdom: Mr William HAGUE Mr Andrew MITCHELL Permanent Representative Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Permanent Representative Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Permanent Representative Deputy State Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs Secretary of State for European Affairs State Secretary for Global Affairs State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Minister for International Development Cooperation Foreign secretary Secretary of State, Department for International Development Commission: M Maros SEFCOVIC Vice-President 11021/10 5

6 ITEMS DEBATED EUROPEAN CITIZS' INITIATIVE The Council reached agreement on a general approach on a draft regulation aimed at making it possible for EU citizens to call for legislative proposals to be made on a specific issue. It asked the presidency to start negotiations with the European Parliament, on the basis of the general approach, so as to enable the regulation to be adopted at first reading. The initiative, one of the main innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon, will enable citizens to ask the Commission to bring forward legislative proposals if the signatories to such a demand number at least one million and come from a significant number of member states. For details, see press release 11099/ /10 6

7 PREPARATION OF THE JUNE EUROPEAN COUNCIL The Council examined draft conclusions for the European Council meeting to be held on 17 June, prepared by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, in cooperation with the Spanish presidency and the Commission. Issues to be addressed by the European Council, as set out in an annotated draft agenda issued in May (doc. 9282/10), include: Jobs and growth: adoption of the Europe 2020 strategy; G-20: preparation of the Toronto summit; Development policy: UN millennium development goals; Climate change. President Van Rompuy is also expected to present an interim report on the work of the task force on economic governance that he chairs, at the request of the European Council, and which has held its first two meetings. The draft conclusions will be reviewed in the light of the Council's discussion /10 7

8 EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE The Council took stock of progress in negotiations with the European Parliament on draft decisions on the establishment of a European External Action Service, and of further steps to be taken in the coming weeks. Ongoing work has been focusing on the functioning and organisation of the EEAS and on the necessary amendments to the EU's financial regulation and staff regulations. Creation of the EEAS is one of the most significant changes introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on 1 December. It is aimed at enabling greater coherence and efficiency in the EU's external action, thereby increasing the EU's influence in the world. The EEAS will assist the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in fulfilling her mandate. It will work in cooperation with the diplomatic services of the member states and comprise officials from relevant departments of the General Secretariat of the Council and of the Commission, as well as staff seconded from the national diplomatic services of the member states. The Council reached agreement on the main issues at its meeting on 26 April /10 8

9 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COHESION Report on cohesion policy The Council took note of the presentation by the Commission of a report on implementation of the EU's policy on economic and social cohesion during the programming period, and adopted the following conclusions. "THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, RECALLING that promotion of economic, social and territorial cohesion, and solidarity among Member States is one of the objectives of the European Union, as referred to in Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union, RECALLING Council Regulation (EC) No. 1083/2006 of 11 July 2006 laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund, 1 and in particular Article 30(3) of that Regulation inviting the Council to examine the strategic report as soon as possible after its publication, NOTING that cohesion policy - even though its implementation was hindered by the changing economic circumstances - has proved to be a relevant instrument to respond flexibly and efficiently to the socio-economic challenges resulting from the financial crisis, while maintaining a focus on medium and long-term objectives, and has the potential to contribute to post-crisis socio-economic prospects, RECALLING the conclusions of the European Council of 25 and 26 March 2010, according to which all common policies, including the cohesion policy, will need to support the Europe 2020 Strategy, and that it is important to promote economic, social and territorial cohesion, also by developing infrastructure, in order to contribute to the success of that new strategy 2, NOTING the demonstrated achievements of the cohesion policy across Europe and the added value it can bring to the Europe 2020 Strategy, also through ensuring ownership of common European objectives at all governance levels and through proposing tailored and integrated solutions for each territory, 1 2 OJ L 210, , p. 25. Doc. EUCO 7/1/10 CO EUR 4 CONCL /10 9

10 WELCOMES the Strategic Report by the Commission and the conclusions and recommendations referred to therein 1, encouraging a more result-oriented policy, stressing the relevance and soundness of the agreed strategies, also in the context of the economic and financial crisis; NOTES WITH SATISFACTION that projects representing 27% of the total financial amount dedicated to the cohesion policy for the period are already selected, after approximately 18 months of active implementation, thanks to a real acceleration since the last quarter of 2009, and that this average rate of project selection is closely respected in the three current objectives Convergence, Regional Competitiveness and Employment, and European territorial cooperation which cover all European regions; NOTES that according to the Strategic Report, around 230 billion EUR of a total of 347 billion EUR were earmarked for the approved operational programmes for investment in operations consistent with the Lisbon Strategy and the Europe 2020 Strategy and WELCOMES that these priorities are being selected at a similar or slightly faster pace than other actions; NOTES that an improved concentration of the cohesion policy resources can ensure a meaningful contribution of this policy to fostering competitiveness, innovation and employment in the EU; NOTES nevertheless some delays in selecting projects in important fields, such as the rail sector, certain energy and environmental investments, digital economy, social inclusion, or governance and capacity building, and INVITES accordingly the concerned Member States to work further on improvements relating to project selection in these particular fields; WELCOMES the efforts by the Member States to deliver their national strategic reports presenting both relevant qualitative and quantifiable elements on the implementation of cohesion policy programmes; WELCOMES this Strategic Report as a significant achievement that should facilitate the future assessment of the effectiveness of cohesion policy in delivering European strategic objectives and NOTES that this Strategic Report provides an opportunity to discuss in the Council the results and achievements of cohesion policy, the contribution it is able to bring to other European objectives and the impact of other policies on economic, social and territorial cohesion; 1 Doc. 8321/10 FSTR 23 FC 7 REGIO 30 SOC 250 FIN 129 CADREFIN 27 + ADD /10 10

11 STRESSES that evaluation of successive programming periods is necessary to increase policy learning in order to optimise the policy's impact, and therefore INVITES the Member States to continue their efforts related to evaluation and reporting, in particular to generate more evidence on the impacts of cohesion policy; STRESSES the need to further improve the co-ordination of cohesion policy and other EU and national policies, where necessary, in order to increase the effectiveness in delivering common objectives in a more coordinated way; UNDERLINES that cohesion policy has proved its value in its own right and needs to have an important role within the Europe 2020 Strategy, as this policy fosters structural change across Europe and supports key investment priorities; RECALLS the valuable experience gained during the earmarking exercise and the need to concentrate operations in regions on a limited number of priorities to ensure they have a tangible impact, while Member States and regions should be given enough flexibility to determine the policy mix most appropriate to their specific needs and assets, and INVITES the Member States and the Commission to work towards improvement of the current mechanisms of concentration; INVITES the Commission to explore all possibilities for a better co-ordinated and further simplified cohesion policy, with the aim of streamlining the programming, management and control procedures and reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, taking into account the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity, in line with sound financial management, in order to allow prompt and effective use of the EU budget; COURAGES all actions oriented towards better quality strategic reporting on implementation of cohesion policy programmes including the use and reporting of a limited number of common core indicators, starting at a program level, to facilitate comparison and inform future national and EUlevel reports; COURAGES the Commission to continue exploring the possibilities in the field of financial engineering with the aim of increasing leverage effect and impact of cohesion policy and achieving the best results possible from the selected projects; INSISTS on the real added value generated by one strategic approach and by common implementation rules for the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Social Fund, within the general framework of the cohesion policy; INVITES all stakeholders to continue discussions with regard to economic, social and territorial cohesion, especially with regard to simplification and with the aim of securing the necessary public financial resources at national, regional or local level in addition to the available EU budgetary resources, and to ensure effective management systems to be employed; 11021/10 11

12 LOOKS FORWARD to the Commission s communications to be published in 2010 on the contribution of the cohesion policy to the Europe 2020 Strategy, and the coming proposals of the Commission in the context of the 5 th Cohesion Report; Without prejudice to the future financial framework, the COUNCIL: STRESSES the need for continuous EU-wide debate on political and strategic issues relating to the cohesion policy in order to have a common interpretation on its strategic aims and delivery principles, RECALLING that, while being concentrated on the least prosperous regions, cohesion policy should continue to foster competitiveness, innovation, employment and economic, social and territorial cohesion in the European Union; RECALLS experiences from the applied transitional regimes and NOTES that possible discussion should consider existing transitional regimes, inter alia in order to seek similar treatment of regions in similar situations, which also allow programmes to be organised effectively; RECALLS that cohesion policy, through its territorial cooperation programmes as well as through its multi-layer governance system under shared management, fosters cross-border and transnational integration and exchange of good practices; CALLS on the Commission to ensure that its proposals for the new legislative provisions for the future of the policy are presented within a timetable that would allow for the effective start of the new programmes as from the 1 January 2014; LOOKS FORWARD to the second phase of strategic reporting on implementation of the cohesion policy programmes under Council Regulation (EC) No. 1083/2006, which will take place in " Outermost regions The Council was informed by the Commission of the outcome of its 2010 forum on the EU's outermost regions, held in Brussels on 27 and 28 May, and adopted the following conclusions. "THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, RECALLING the specific arrangements applicable to the Outermost Regions allowing the adoption of measures that enhance the effectiveness and relevance of EU policies, stemming from the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 11021/10 12

13 TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the Commission Communication Strategy for the Outermost Regions: Achievements and Future Prospects, as well as the Commission Communication The Outermost Regions: an asset for Europe, RECALLING that the European Council in its Conclusions of 11 December 2009 welcomed the Commission's intention to establish the Forum for Outermost Europe open to all Member States and the Outermost Regions and that its first edition should take place in 2010 and, from then on, every two years, WELCOMES the Commission Communication "Cohesion policy: Strategic Report 2010 on the implementation of the programmes " which, inter alia, refers to the Outermost Regions and the key role of territorial cooperation in the integration of the Outermost Regions with their neighbours; TAKES NOTE of the Joint Memorandum signed by the Outermost Regions and Spain, France and Portugal, entitled A renewed outlook (vision) of the European Strategy for the Outermost Regions ; WELCOMES the organisation of the first edition of the Forum of Outermost Europe, which took place in Brussels on 27 and 28 May and which was largely attended, and where the European Institutions, the Member States, the Outermost Regions, their public institutions, business community, researchers and civil society were represented; UNDERLINES that the Forum allowed to raise awareness of the issues facing the Outermost Regions and was an important opportunity to develop ideas contributing to the definition of the next strategic orientations and proposals; HIGHLIGHTS the important role of the natural and cultural heritage in the Outermost Regions, in terms of economic development and creation of employment; CALLS for the development of the assets of the Outermost Regions for the benefit of the whole of the European Union and for the need to promote initiatives taking place within the Outermost Regions that have a clear added value for the EU, for example in the field of Research and innovation, renewable energies, biodiversity, agriculture, fishing, health, information and communication technologies, cultural industries, maritime affairs and territorial cooperation; 11021/10 13

14 STRESSES that the Europe 2020 Strategy with its three main priorities, namely: developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation, promoting a more resource-efficient, greener and more competitive economy and fostering a high-employment economy, delivering social and territorial cohesion, should have to be fully applied also in the Outermost Regions, taking into account the special characteristics and constraints of these regions, as well as the flagship initiatives; RECOGNISES the need for balance between, on the one hand, measures that aim to offset the specific and permanent constraints of the Outermost Regions and, on the other hand, those that seek to promote their advantages and opportunities; UNDERLINES the need for the renewal, at the appropriate time, of the strategy for the Outermost Regions; INVITES the Commission: to take appropriate account, in this context, of the needs and opportunities presented by the Outermost Regions in its review of European Union policies; to adopt, at the appropriate time, a Communication presenting a renewed strategy for the Outermost Regions; to continue working on specific measures for the Outermost Regions, where appropriate, reinforce partnership and systematically evaluate the effects of the European Union policies on the Outermost Regions, in particular when carrying out impact assessment studies.." 11021/10 14

15 OTHER ITEMS APPROVED FOREIGN AFFAIRS Common practices in consular assistance and crisis coordination - Council conclusions The Council adopted conclusions set out in document 10698/10. EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFCE POLICY Annual Report on ESDP and ESDP-related training The Council took note of an annual report from its politico-military group on European security and defence policy (ESDP) and ESDP-related training, and endorsed the report's conclusions. The 2010 annual report, which draws on contributions from the European Security and Defence College, from other EU-level training actors and from member states, notes improvements in some areas as regards ESDP and ESDP-related training, whilst nothing that the situation remains similar to those described in the reports for 2008 and The report finds that further consideration needs to be given to the management of open source intelligence training activities, previously organised by the European Defence Agency. Options should be submitted to the Council preferably before the end of Potential synergies between the EDA and relevant training actors, including the ESDC, on education and training regarding armaments cooperation should be encouraged and further explored. As regards training on gender aspects for CSDP missions and operations, member states are invited to follow recommendations adopted in late 2009 on implementation of UN Security Council resolutions 1325 and In this context, member states are encouraged to conduct and offer training courses on mainstreaming human rights and gender issues under CSDP. The 2010 annual report can be found in doc. 9472/ /10 15

16 DEVELOPMT POLICY ACP-EU partnership agreement The Council approved a decision authorising the signature, on behalf of the EU, of the second revision of the ACP-EU partnership agreement (Cotonou agreement), which is the basis for the EU's relations with 78 ACP states (doc.10160/10). It also approved an amending agreement (doc. 9565/10). For details of the revision, see press release 7774/10. Furthermore, the Council adopted a decision establishing the position to be taken by the EU within the ACP-EU Council of ministers concerning transitional measures applicable from the date of the signing to the date of entry into force of the revised agreement (doc /10). TRANSPORT Integrated maritime policy - Council conclusions The Council adopted conclusions calling on the Commission to present legislative proposals for the financing of integrated maritime policy actions, with a view to entry into force by The conclusions invite the Commission, in close cooperation with the member states concerned, to present, by June 2011, an EU strategy for the Atlantic region, based on the prospect of clear added value, in order to address common challenges faced by the countries of the region; These should include marine research, maritime surveillance, environmental and economic challenges. The conclusions call on member states and the Commission strive further to move maritime concerns higher up the climate change agenda and to reinforce efforts at international level for the protection of marine biodiversity, in particular in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The Council calls on member states and the Commission to promote the continuous improvement of safety, security, environmental performance and working conditions, enhancing the effective implementation of internationally agreed rules by all flag, port and coastal states. The conclusions can be found in doc /10. Safety targets for railways The Council decided not to oppose adoption by the Commission of a decision establishing the values of common safety targets, in compliance with directive 2004/49/EC, on safety on the EU's railways (doc.7730/10) /10 16