COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL interesting latest

PRESS

Council of the European Union     18/09/2018     Presidency press release after the informal meeting of energy ministers, 17 and 18 September 2018, Linz, Austria Press release Informal meeting of energy ministers dedicated to hydrogen and energy storage solutions Published 18 Sep 13:45 On 18 September 2018 the use of hydrogen as a future‑oriented energy form was among the items on the agenda of the informal meeting of EU energy ministers. “The Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union proposed a Hydrogen Initiative that many member states approved of and signed”, said Elisabeth Köstinger, current chair of the EU energy minister meetings. “Under this initiative, the signatory states commit themselves to continue research and investment in the production and use of hydrogen as a future‑oriented technology”, Elisabeth Köstinger added. In Linz, where the informal meeting of energy ministers took place on 17 and 18 September, one of the most modern European hydrogen production plants is currently being built. “In order to achieve the European‑wide 2030 climate and energy goals, renewable energy forms have to be strengthened and better integrated”, Elisabeth Köstinger emphasised. “A big challenge is also being able to use renewable energy at those times when the sun is not shining, the water level is low or the wind is not blowing. Therefore, energy storage solutions are crucial in order to stock energy and to store it in the case of overproduction.” According to Elisabeth Köstinger, renewable hydrogen could, in future, play an important role in this area. Moreover, she said, hydrogen constituted not only a potential future‑oriented technology for storing energy but its use as a vehicle fuel would also add to reducing the role of fossil energy sources in mobility. “With the Hydrogen Initiative we want to send out a strong signal for renewable hydrogen and a European-wide cooperation”, Elisabeth Köstinger said. EU Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete also welcomed the initiative of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union: “Green hydrogen offers significant potential for the decarbonisation of the European economy. The Commission warmly welcomes the Hydrogen Initiative as it will further harness the innovative drive across the EU." Another focus point in the discussions of the energy ministers was the envisaged progress with the Clean Energy Package. “The conclusion of this package is a central energy policy priority of our presidency”, Elisabeth Köstinger stressed. “The Bulgarian Presidency has done a remarkable amount of groundwork by concluding three dossiers on renewable energy, energy efficiency and governance. This has enabled us to make important headway and I am confident that we will succeed in fully concluding this historic package.” Commissioner Cañete also expressed his optimism regarding the Clean Energy Package: Today’s exchanges have allowed to further clarify positions. I remain confident that we can reach a conclusion by the end of this year and therefore still under the Austrian Presidency.” Regarding the debate on capacity mechanisms, Elisabeth Köstinger took a conciliatory position: “We recognise that several member states have introduced different types of capacity mechanisms in recent years. We are also aware of the political sensitivity of the topic, in particular with regard to climate protection. In this area the opinions of member states vary widely, and our goal as the country holding the presidency is to find viable proposals and compromises which offer, on the one hand, a secure legal framework and, on the other hand, the highest possible supply security of supply without putting the European climate protection requirements at risk.” Elisabeth Köstinger especially highlighted the role of the presidency as a mediator between the member states and the European Parliament. Overall, the chair expressed her satisfaction with the informal meeting of EU energy ministers in Linz. “We had a very open and active discussion on the points mentioned above. In these discussions, the positions of all member states were fully respected. This is one of the basic prerequisites for making progress possible and potentially finalising the Clean Energy Package in the coming months.” Council of the European Union     European Council     18/9/2018  Invitation letter by President Donald Tusk to the members of the European Council ahead of the informal meeting in Salzburg on 19 and 20 September 2018 We will start our dinner on Wednesday with a discussion on migration. During the summer, tensions among Member States resurfaced once again in connection with the influx of migrants to the EU. I want to openly state the following: the quest to end the migration crisis is a common task of all the Member States and EU institutions. If some want to solve the crisis, while others want to use it, it will remain unsolvable. I am hoping that in Salzburg we will be able to put an end to the mutual resentment and return to a constructive approach. It is precisely this kind of approach that has brought about the desired effects in recent months: today, the influx of illegal migrants to the EU is back at pre-crisis levels (see below). After my visit in Cairo together with Chancellor Kurz, I have no doubt that we should endorse the initiative to call an EU-League of Arab States summit in early 2019. We should also discuss the potential to step up cooperation with Egypt, including in the area of migration. It is worth recalling that the Egyptian authorities have made the fight against smuggling and trafficking their priority. As a result, there have been no irregular departures from Egypt to Europe this year (compared to almost 13 000 in 2016). On Thursday we will focus on collective efforts to ensure a high level of security in Europe, as foreseen by the Leaders' Agenda. The objective is to upgrade police and judicial cooperation, to strengthen border security and to ensure resilience in cyberspace. I would like us to assess the progress made over the past years and to have a broad political debate on the challenges ahead, on the basis of the enclosed Note. We will also briefly raise the issue of a common response to man-made and natural disasters, while Prime Minister May will brief us on the Skripal case. Finally, we will meet over lunch at 27 with our chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier. With only six months to go before the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU, we are entering the final weeks of negotiations. Therefore, I want us to review progress in these talks and to discuss the way forward with three objectives in mind. First, we should reach a common view on the nature and overall shape of the joint political declaration about our future partnership with the UK. Second, we will discuss how to organise the final phase of the Brexit talks, including the possibility of calling another European Council in November. Third, we should reconfirm the need for a legally operational backstop on Ireland, so as to be sure that there will be no hard border in the future. Let me recall that limiting the damage caused by Brexit is our shared interest. Unfortunately, a no deal scenario is still quite possible. But if we all act responsibly, we can avoid a catastrophe. Leaders' agenda note on internal security(pdf)     18/9/2018 Council of the European Union     18/9/2018 | "Supporting the future of Syria and the region": financial tracking report 2018 At the second "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region" conference hosted by the EU in Brussels on 24-25 April 2018, the international community and the governments of refugee hosting countries came together to reaffirm their commitment to support the millions of civilians affected by the conflict in Syria as well as the refugees and communities generously hosting them. The international community pledged USD 4.3 billion in funding to support humanitarian, stabilisation and development activities in 2018 in Syria and the region, and a further USD 3.5 billion for 2019-20. International financial institutions and donors also announced almost USD 21.2 billion in loans. The EU, on behalf of the Brussels II conference co-chairs, has today published a report on progress against these pledges. Read the co-chairs' statement on the financial tracking report Read the post-conference financial tracking report Multilateralism: the Council endorses the UN-EU Strategic Partnership on peace operations and crisis management priorities for 2019-2021 On 18 September 2018, the Council adopted conclusions endorsing the priorities of the UN-EU Strategic Partnership on peace operations and crisis management for the period 2019-2021. The Council recognised the mutually beneficial nature of the longstanding UN-EU cooperation on peacekeeping and civilian, police and military crisis management. The Council highlighted the significance of including women, peace and security as an overarching priority. It welcomed the efforts to enhance conflict prevention in the context of peace operations and crisis management operations. Through these conclusions, the Council reiterates the EU's firm commitment, alongside its Member States, to a strong UN as the bedrock of the multilateral rules-basedorder. The EU provides the UN with political support as well as expertise, financial backing and political leverage to deliver on UN mandates. Close cooperation helps UN and EU missions and operations act more coherently and effectively to address various security challenges and ensure a positive and sustainable impact on the ground. Partnering with the UN contributes to the EU playing its role as a global peace and security actor in support of effective multilateralism. Read the full text of the conclusions on "Reinforcing the UN-EU Strategic Partnership on peace operations and crisis management: priorities 2019-2021" The European Union at the United Nations - Factsheet Council of the European Union     18/9/2018  EUCAP Sahel Niger: Council extends the mission for two years On 18 September 2018, the Council extended the mandate of EUCAP Sahel Niger until 30 September 2020 and agreed on a budget of €63.4 million for the period 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2020. The Council also updated the mission's mandate. EUCAP Sahel Niger provides advice and training to support the Nigerien authorities in strengthening their security capabilities since its launch in 2012. The mission supports the capacity building of the Nigerien security actors to fight terrorism and organised crime. Since 2016, the mission has also assisted the Nigerien central and local authorities, as well as security forces, in developing the procedures and techniques to better control and address irregular migration.  EUCAP Sahel Niger contributes to the development of an integrated, multidisciplinary, coherent, sustainable, and human rights-based approach among the various Nigerien security actors. The Head of mission is Frank Van der Mueren. The mission's headquarters are located in Niamey. EUCAP Sahel Niger Συμβούλιο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης     18/9/2018  EUCAP Sahel Niger: παράταση αποστολής, έγκριση προϋπολογισμού, τροποποίηση εντολής Στις 18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2018, το Συμβούλιο παρέτεινε την εντολή της EUCAP Sahel Niger μέχρι τις 30 Σεπτεμβρίου 2020 και ενέκρινε προϋπολογισμό 63,4 εκατ. ευρώ για το διάστημα από 1η Οκτωβρίου 2018 έως 30 Σεπτεμβρίου 2020. Το Συμβούλιο προσάρμοσε επίσης την εντολή της αποστολής ούτως ώστε να βοηθήσει τις αρχές ασφαλείας του Νίγηρα να βελτιώσουν τις ικανότητες τους όσον αφορά τον έλεγχο και την καταπολέμηση της παράνομης μετανάστευσης, καθώς και τη μείωση των επιπέδων εγκληματικότητας που συνδέονται με αυτήν, παρέχοντας στρατηγικές συμβουλές και εκπαίδευση, μεταξύ άλλων και στον τομέα του ελέγχου των συνόρων. Η τροποποίηση της εντολής της EUCAP Sahel Niger είναι απόρροια των συμπερασμάτων του Ευρωπαϊκού Συμβουλίου της 29ης Ιουνίου 2018 και προσβλέπει στην υλοποίηση των στόχων της ΕΕ σε θέματα μετανάστευσης. Η αποστολή EUCAP Sahel Niger δρομολογήθηκε το 2012 με σκοπό να υποστηρίξει τη δημιουργία ικανοτήτων των φορέων ασφαλείας του Νίγηρα που ασχολούνται με την καταπολέμηση της τρομοκρατίας και του οργανωμένου εγκλήματος. Η εντολή της τροποποιήθηκε το 2016 προκειμένου να βοηθήσει και τις κεντρικές και τοπικές αρχές του Νίγηρα, καθώς και τις δυνάμεις ασφάλειας, στην ανάπτυξη διαδικασιών και τεχνικών με στόχο τη βελτίωση του ελέγχου και της αντιμετώπισης της παράνομης μετανάστευσης. Η αποστολή παρέχει συμβουλές και κατάρτιση προκειμένου να βοηθήσει τις αρχές του Νίγηρα να ενισχύσουν τις ικανότητές τους στον τομέα της ασφάλειας. Συμβάλλει στην ανάπτυξη συνολικής προσέγγισης μεταξύ των διαφόρων φορέων ασφαλείας του Νίγηρα, η οποία θα καλύπτει πλήθος τομέων και θα είναι συνεπής, βιώσιμη και βασισμένη στα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα. Αρχηγός της αποστολής είναι ο κ. Frank Van der Mueren. Το γενικό επιτελείο της αποστολής βρίσκεται στο Νιαμέι. Αποστολή EUCAP Sahel Niger Council of the European Union     18/9/2018  Middle East Peace Process: EU appoints a new Special Representative Today, the Council appointed Susanna Terstal as EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process.  The tasks of the Special Representative are to contribute to actions and initiatives leading to a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution. She will facilitate and maintain close contacts with all parties to the peace process, political actors, other countries, as well as the UN and other international organisations, in order to work with them on strengthening the peace process.  Susanna Terstal was Ambassador of the Netherlands to Iran. She has also been the Dutch Ambassador to Angola. She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands in 1994. She held a number of positions in the ministry's legal department and was deputy Permanent Representative in Geneva. She studied in the Netherlands, the United States and Italy.  Ms Terstal will take up her duties immediately and has initially been appointed until 29 February 2020. Susanna Terstal's biography Middle East Peace Process, EEAS webpage