Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The EU Foreign Affairs Council will address Ukraine, Georgia, the Middle East, Africa, defence readiness, and EU-US relations, focusing on security, policy, and international cooperation.
The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union will take place over two days and be headed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The Foreign Affairs Council is responsible for the EU’s external action, which includes foreign policy, defence and security, trade, development collaboration, and humanitarian aid.
What are the main priorities of the Foreign Affairs Council in the upcoming session?
As reported by the European Council, on 18 Nov 2024, EU Foreign Affairs Ministers will examine the Russian aggression against Ukraine, after a short intervention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha via videoconference. The Council will then trade thoughts on Georgia and hold a lunch meeting on EU-US relations. In the afternoon, the Foreign Affairs Council will examine the situation in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa and will be notified about current affairs.
On the next day, EU Defence Ministers will hold a conference on EU support to Ukraine, on which they will informally swap with the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, the advisor to President Zelenskyy on Strategic Affairs Alexander Kamyshin, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The Council will also exchange thoughts on defence readiness and preparedness, and be briefed about current affairs, notably regarding the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity and the PESCO Strategic Review.
How does the EU Council manage foreign policy consistency?
Generally, together with the European Commission and with the aid of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council’s main function is to ensure the unity, consistency and efficacy of the EU’s external action.
It also represents and implements the EU’s foreign and security policy, based on procedures set by the European Council. In particular, the Council can undertake EU crisis management actions, both civil and military, in quest of the EU’s objectives of peace and security. It can also adopt measures required to implement the EU’s foreign and security policy, including possible sanctions.
