General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting The October General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting will consider various topical international issues, including:

• Georgia and relations with Russia,

• Zimbabwe,

• Republic of Moldova,

• Belarus, and

• Uzbekistan.

The Council may adopt conclusions on these issues.

At its meeting on General Affairs, the Council will continue with preparations for the European Council meeting on 15 and 16 October 2008.

The following will also be held, alongside the Council meeting:

• an EU-Morocco Association Council meeting.

Event General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting at the FIL Conference Centre, Luxembourg (10.00).

A press conference will be held at the end of the meeting.

For full information concerning this meeting, please see: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_applications/applications/transparencycouncil/index.ASP?lang=en&cmsid=1119

Contacts

Press officers:

Nicolas Kerleroux, tel.: +32 2 281 8239 nicolas.kerleroux@consilium.europa.eu

François Head, tel.: +32 2 281 6083 francois.head@consilium.europa.eu

High Representative’s spokeswoman:

Cristina Gallach, tel.: +32 2 281 5150, cristina.gallach@consilium.europa.eu

French Presidency:

Marine De Carné, tel.: +32 475 579 095 marine.de-carne@diplomatie.gouv.fr

 Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 October 2008

EUROPEAN COUNCIL

The European Council is likely to spend much of its meeting discussing the economic and financial situation.

It is expected to consider in particular:

– the current set of economic circumstances, including the state of financial markets and European supervision, particularly on the basis of contributions from the ECOFIN Council meeting on 7 October 2008;

– measures to tackle climate change and improve the EU’s energy security;

– the way forward regarding the Treaty of Lisbon;

– follow-up to its extraordinary meeting on 1 September 2008 concerning the crisis in Georgia and relations with Russia, particularly as regards implementation of the agreement of 8 September 2008, the EU’s role politically and on the ground, action to support Georgia and relations between the EU and Russia, especially in preparation for the summit on 14 November 2008.

The European Council will also be asked to adopt the European pact on immigration and asylum, already agreed to at the JHA Council meeting on 25 September 2008.

The European Council meeting will be preceded by a tripartite social summit on Wednesday morning. This is a high-level consultation meeting between representatives of the Council (the Presidency, the Czech Republic and Sweden), the Commission and the social partners.

Further information

• ECOFIN Council conclusions of 7 October 2008 on the economic slowdown, on financial stability and financial supervision and on executive pay, in preparation for the European Council meeting: 13784/08.

• Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting in Brussels (1 September 2008): 12594/08

Event

Meeting of Heads of State or Government at the Justus Lipsius building, Brussels.

The Presidency will hold a press conference on Wednesday evening and another one at the end of the European Council meeting, in the middle of the day on Thursday.

For full information concerning this meeting, please see: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?id=429&lang=en&mode=g

Contacts

Press officers:

Nicolas Kerleroux, tel.: +32 2 281 8239 nicolas.kerleroux@consilium.europa.eu

François Head, tel.: +32 2 281 6083 francois.head@consilium.europa.eu

High Representative’s spokeswoman:

Cristina Gallach, tel.: +32 2 281 5150, cristina.gallach@consilium.europa.eu

French Presidency:

Marine De Carné, tel. +32 475 579 095 marine.de-carne@diplomatie.gouv.fr

 Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 October 2008

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) The Environment Council will hold a policy debate on genetically modified organisms. This will be based on the outcome of its meetings on 3 March and 5 June 2008 and of the informal meeting at Saint-Cloud on 4 July 2008.

Its discussions will cover three substantive issues:

– improved environmental assessment, so as to take full account of long-term environmental risk, especially effects on non-target species,

– consideration of socio-economic criteria in the authorisation process, and

– allowance for sensitive or protected areas, so as to establish GMO-free zones.

The Environment Council is expected to adopt conclusions at its meeting in December 2008.

Background

Since the Commission report of March 2006 on the implementation of coexistence measures, the Council has held several discussions on the matter and instructed an ad hoc working party to look into the entire issue, in view of the special nature of the subjects involved and the various types of expertise required.

The ad hoc working party has discussed some specific points and has also held consultations with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Discussions have shown that it is possible to improve existing arrangements under current Community and international law.

Further information

• Commission report on the implementation of national measures on the coexistence of genetically modified crops with conventional and organic farming (7210/06)

Event

Environment Council meeting at the FIL Conference Centre, Luxembourg (10.00).

The Presidency will give a briefing in the Council press room at 09.30 on Wednesday 15 October 2008 (European Council accreditation required).

A press conference will be held at the end of the meeting.

For full information concerning this meeting, please see: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_applications/applications/transparencycouncil/index.ASP?lang=en&cmsid=1119

Contacts

Press officer:

Susanne Kiefer, tel.: + 32 2 281 9442, susanne.kiefer@consilium.europa.eu

French Presidency:

Philippe Ray, tel.: +32 478 882 935, philippe.ray@diplomatie.gouv.fr

 Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 October 2008

Package of measures on climate change and renewable energy ("climate-energy package") The Environment Council will be briefed by the Presidency on progress with the climate-energy legislative package. This is to back up existing measures to achieve the overall target, as approved by the European Council in March 2007, of a 20 % reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 and a 20 % share of renewable energy in the EU’s total energy consumption by 2020, including a 10 % target for renewable transport fuels.

Background

At the European Council’s request, in January 2008 the Commission submitted its package of measures to achieve the EU’s climate change and renewable energy targets, comprising four legislative proposals (see below).

In spring 2008 the European Council confirmed that this set of proposals formed a suitable basis on which to reach agreement in December 2008, with the aim of having them adopted in early 2009 at the latest.

At this meeting, Ministers are also to adopt conclusions in preparation for international negotiations on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in Poznań from 1 to 12 December 2008. The Poznań conference comes in response to the Bali road map (2007), which established a work programme for a new climate protection agreement, to take effect after 2012.

Further information

• Proposal for a Directive amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading system of the Community (5862/08)

• Proposal for a Decision on the effort of Member States to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, to meet the Community’s greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments up to 2020 (5849/08)

• Proposal for a Directive on the geological storage of carbon dioxide (5835/08)

• Proposal for a Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (5421/08)

• European Council meeting on 8 and 9 March 2007: Presidency conclusions, points 27 to 39 and Annex I (7224/1/07)

• European Council meeting on 13 and 14 March 2008: Presidency conclusions, points 17 to 29 (7652/1/08)

• Poznań conference: http://www.cop14.gov.pl (English and Polish only) Event Environment Council meeting at the FIL Conference Centre, Luxembourg (10.00).

The Presidency will give a briefing in the Council press room at 09.30 on Wednesday

15 October 2008 (European Council accreditation required).

A press conference will be held at the end of the meeting.

For full information concerning this meeting, please see: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_applications/applications/transparencycouncil/index.ASP?lang=en&cmsid=1119

Contacts

Press officer:

Susanne Kiefer, tel.: +32 2 281 9442, susanne.kiefer@consilium.europa.eu

French Presidency:

Philippe Ray, tel.: +32 478 882 935, philippe.ray@diplomatie.gouv.fr

 Friday 24 October 2008

Maintenance obligations

The Justice and Home Affairs Council is expected to reach political agreement on a proposal for a Regulation on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations.

The aim of the proposal is to eliminate all obstacles at present still standing in the way of recovery of maintenance within the European Union, in particular the requirement for enforcement proceedings. If the need for such proceedings is removed, all maintenance decisions will be freely exportable between Member States, without any kind of check in the enforcing Member State; this would appreciably speed up recovery of maintenance payable. Creditors should thus be able to obtain, easily, swiftly and in most cases at no cost, an enforceable order exportable without hindrance within the European judicial area and enabling them to be regularly paid the sums due to them.

Background

As regards maintenance obligations, at Tampere in 1999 the European Council called for the establishment of special procedural rules to simplify and speed up the settlement of cross-border disputes and for the abolition of any intermediate measures required for the recognition and enforcement in the State addressed of a decision given in another Member State.

In order to facilitate public access to the legal rules applicable, the proposed Regulation tries to combine in one place all of the measures required for recovery of maintenance claims in the Community. It thus includes provisions on conflicts of jurisdiction, on conflicts of law, on enforceability and enforcement of foreign decisions and on cooperation. Its scope extends to all maintenance obligations arising from family relationships or relationships having similar effects, so as to ensure equal treatment for all creditors.

Also lying behind discussions on the proposed Regulation, submitted by the Commission in January 2006, are negotiations under way at the Hague Conference on Private International Law concerning a convention and protocol on maintenance obligations.

Further information

• Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (“Brussels I”) (OJ L 12, 16.1.2001)

• Hague programme (OJ C 53, 3.3.2005)

• Hague Conference on Private International Law: http://www.hcch.net/ Event Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting at the FIL Conference Centre, Luxembourg (10.00).

The Presidency will give a briefing in the Council press room a few days before the meeting.

A press conference will be held at the end of the meeting.

For full information concerning this meeting, please see: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_applications/applications/transparencycouncil/index.ASP?lang=en&cmsid=1119

Contacts

Press officer:

Jesús Carmona, tel.: +32 2 281 9548, jesus.carmona@consilium.europa.eu

French Presidency: