Date of release : 31-01-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : General Affairs and External Relations Council

During a public debate this morning, Jean Asselborn, the current President of the Council of the European Union and the Luxembourg Minister for Foreign Affairs, along with his European counterparts, examined the Annual Operational Programme of the Council, jointly prepared by the Luxembourg and the UK Presidencies. They also examined the Annual Working Programme of the European Commission. The ministers also heard the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, on the tasks already undertaken by the Commission, as well as the perspectives ensuing from these tasks aimed at strengthening the action of the Union. The Presidency welcomes this important contribution to the work in progress by the Commission.

Based on a questionnaire submitted by the Luxembourg Presidency to the ministers of the Member States, the ministers then discussed the topic of "cohesion" in the financial framework of the European Union for the 2007-2013 period. The Presidency is pleased that "the colleagues agreed to respect without reserve the deadline" of June 2005, in accordance with the objective set by the Presidency "to reach political agreement on the financial perspectives by June." Minister Asselborn emphasised his "satisfaction with the tenor of the debate", which he called "frank, useful and constructive." The debate also allowed the Presidency "to determine more precisely the principal challenges of this policy of cohesion."

The Presidency announced that it will return to the issue of financial perspectives in February during the two debates "on competitiveness for growth and on employment", in order to "prepare points of negotiation that will be, after March, the preferential instrument for seeking political agreement on the financial perspectives prior to the European Council of June 2005."