euinside

Cause and Effect in European Politics and Law

Tough GAERC is expected today

Adelina Marini, May 18, 2009

Very tough agenda has the General Affairs and Foreign Relations today because it will have to prepare two very important summits - the European Council in June, when the first half of the year will be examined under Czech Presidency as well as the priorities of the second half under Swedish Presidency. And also the foreign ministers will have to prepare the EU-Russia summit. It will be held in the Russian town of Khabarovsk on the 21st and 22nd of May. What is available so far as an agenda shows that the main issues of the summit will be the relations between EU and Russia, the financial and economic crisis, including the Russian proposal for a new energy charter, energy security and other international issues.

The European Council will be held on the 18th and the 19th of June in Brussels and main issues appear to be institutional. The EU leaders expect to hear from the Irish prime minister some guarantees with regard to the second referendum over the Lisbon Treaty. The economic, financial and social situation will also be in the centre of the discussions and especially the measures, undertaken so far and their impact over the financial sector, the real economy and the employment. There will be a review over the measures, undertaken by the G20 leaders in London.