EU General Affairs Council

HC Deb 25 June 1999 vol 333 cc484-5W

Mr. Hood

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of the General Affairs Council held in Luxembourg on 21 and 22 June; and if he will make a statement. [88334]

Ms Quin

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I attended the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 21 June 1999. Accession Conferences with the six applicants engaged in negotiations took place on 21 and 22 June. An EU/South Caucasus Summit took place on 22 June. The Council adopted the A points listed in document 9362/99 and 9367/99. Copies of the documents listing the A points will be placed in the House Libraries as soon as they become available.

ComitologyThe GAC gave political agreement to a Decision on Comitology. This sets out procedures for overseeing implementation by the Commission of legislation delegated to it by the Council and European Parliament.

Modern Means of CommunicationThe GAC discussed proposals to test a multilateral video-conferencing system and to establish a secure phone/fax network between Foreign Ministers' offices. It was agreed that work should begin on both proposals.

Association Agreement with EgyptAfter four and a half years of negotiations, the Council agreed the terms of an Association Agreement with Egypt. The Presidency and Egypt will now initial the final text and the Commission put a formal proposal to the Council.

EU/Mercosur and EU/Chile Trade NegotiationsThe Council reached agreement on how to take forward trade liberalisation negotiations with Mercosur and Chile. The agreement provides for talks to start this year on regulatory issues and on the removal of non-tariff barriers to trade, as well as for co-operation before and during the forthcoming WTO Round of multilateral trade negotiations. Negotiations on tariff issues will begin not later than 1 July 2001, with their outcome taking into account the results of the multilateral trade negotiations.

Western BalkansThe Council welcomed the adoption of UNSCR 1244 and urged all parties to co-operate in implementing it. It called on all Kosovo residents to remain in Kosovo and work for a democratic, multi-ethnic Kosovo. It welcomed the agreement on Russian participation in KFOR. It emphasised that the EU would participate fully in the UN mission in Kosovo. It invited the Commission to report further on the region's humanitarian and reconstruction needs. It condemned the mass killings in Kosovo and emphasised that EU member states would co-operate fully with ICTY.

The Council agreed that the EU would create a new category of Stabilisation and Association Agreements for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Macedonia. Countries would be eligible once they met the relevant conditions. The Council reviewed performance of individual countries and agreed on next steps, including preparation of a feasibility study on opening negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Albania, and examination of the feasibility study on an Agreement with Macedonia and of the proposals for upgrading the trade regime with Albania.

Reports on Summits with Third CountriesThe Presidency and Commission reported on the recent Summit meetings with the US, Canada and Japan.

Black Sea Economic ForumThe Council discussed a proposal for strengthening relations between the EU and the Black Sea Economic Forum.

EnlargementThe third round of Ministerial Accession Conferences took place after the GAC and noted progress made in negotiations during the German Presidency. Of the 31 chapters in the acquis, all of the candidates have opened 15 and closed between six and 10. The Conferences looked forward to further progress during the Finnish Presidency.

EU/SwitzerlandAfter several years of negotiation, seven bilateral agreements between the EU and Switzerland were signed in the margins of the GAC. The agreements cover Free Movement of Persons, Air Transport, Land Transport, Agriculture, Mutual Recognition of Standards, Public Procurement and Science and Technology.

EU/South CaucasusA Summit was held with the Presidents of Armenia and Georgia and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan on 22 June to mark the entry into force on 1 July of Partnership and Co-operation Agreements with all three countries. A joint declaration issued at the meeting stressed the political and economic importance the EU attaches to the South Caucasus and looked forward to a closer partnership.