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Council of the European Union 5/3/2019 Western Waters fisheries: Council gives go-ahead to multiannual management plan The EU is soon implementing new, longer term rules to manage fishing activities in the Western Waters, which comprise both the North and South Western Waters, and the waters around Madeira and the Canary Islands. The Council today adopted a regulation establishing a multiannual plan for stocks fished in the Western Waters and adjacent waters, and for fisheries exploiting those stocks. "The multi-annual management plans are crucial to the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy. Today, after the Baltic and North Sea, Western Waters follow suit with the objective of ensuring the sustainability of our marine resources and fisheries sector." Petre Daea, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania and President of the Council Council of the European Union 5/3/2019 Council greenlights rules on screening of foreign direct investments The EU will soon have in place a set of new rules to better scrutinise direct investments coming from third countries on the grounds of security or public order. The Council today adopted a regulation establishing a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments into the EU. This is the first time that the EU is equipping itself with such a comprehensive framework, while its major trading partners already have comparable rules in place. "The EU is and will remain one of the world's most open places to invest in. The new rules on the screening of investments will ensure that openness goes hand in hand with sensible protection of our strategic assets." Ștefan-Radu Oprea, Minister for Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship of Romania and President of the Council Συμβούλιο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης 5/3/2019 Κανόνες περί ελέγχου των άμεσων ξένων επενδύσεων - Το Συμβούλιο δίνει το πράσινο φως Σύντομα η ΕΕ θα διαθέτει ένα σύνολο νέων κανόνων με σκοπό τον καλύτερο έλεγχο των άμεσων επενδύσεων από τρίτες χώρες για λόγους ασφαλείας ή δημόσιας τάξης. Το Συμβούλιο εξέδωσε σήμερα κανονισμό με τον οποίο θεσπίζεται το πλαίσιο για τον έλεγχο των άμεσων ξένων επενδύσεων στην ΕΕ. Είναι η πρώτη φορά που δημιουργείται ένα τέτοιο ολοκληρωμένο πλαίσιο στην ΕΕ, ενώ οι κυριότεροι εμπορικοί της εταίροι έχουν ήδη θεσπίσει ανάλογους κανόνες. "Η ΕΕ είναι και θα παραμείνει ένας από τους πλέον ανοικτούς χώρους επενδύσεων στον κόσμο. Με τους νέους κανόνες για τον έλεγχο των επενδύσεων, θα εξασφαλιστεί ότι το άνοιγμα συμβαδίζει με τη σωστή προστασία των στρατηγικών μας πόρων." Ștefan-Radu Oprea, Υπουργός Επιχειρηματικού Περιβάλλοντος, Εμπορίου και Επιχειρηματικότητας της Ρουμανίας και Πρόεδρος του Συμβουλίου European Council 5/3/2019  Remarks by President Donald Tusk after his meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan Good afternoon. It is my pleasure, Prime Minister, to welcome you in Brussels once again. I would first of all like to thank you for paying a visit soon after your impressive victory in last December's elections and shortly after your new government was sworn in. Your government's focus on values and values-based reforms is deeply appreciated in Europe. I admire your resolve to bring about democratic reforms and economic development, which will benefit all Armenians. The EU will continue to support Armenia's journey towards becoming a consolidated democracy and creating a better economic future for its citizens. We are determined to make the promise of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement a reality, with real benefits for both Armenia and the EU. The vast bulk of the agreement is already provisionally applied and has a real impact. The EU is Armenia's biggest export partner with over 28% of Armenian exports. The implementation of this agreement goes hand in hand with domestic reforms. The EU is ready to further support your reform process with enhanced technical and financial assistance. We agree with your strong emphasis on the fight against corruption and the rule of law reform. Today, we also discussed the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As you know, the EU fully supports the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and their proposals. I am encouraged by the recent contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and welcome the current decrease in tension. The EU continues to believe that the status quo is unsustainable; the conflict does not have a military solution and needs an early political settlement in accordance with international law. Preparing the respective populations for peace is an important step towards settlement, which we are ready to support. I also thanked the Prime Minister for the valuable contribution Armenia makes to the Eastern Partnership. This partnership celebrates 10 years in May. We have agreed to meet again to take stock of the progress the Eastern Partnership has made over the past decade and to look ahead on the occasion of the anniversary celebrations in May here in Brussels. So, I look forward to seeing you back in only two months. Finally, let me make one remark about today's editorial by President Macron. Not going into detail, I fully support his way of thinking, also when he says, and I quote, "Our first freedom is democratic freedom: the freedom to choose our leaders as foreign powers seek to influence our votes at every election." End of quote. There are external anti-European forces, which are seeking – openly or secretly – to influence the democratic choices of Europeans, as was the case with Brexit and a number of election campaigns across Europe. And it may again be the case with the European elections in May. This is why I am calling on all those who care about the EU, to cooperate closely during and after the European elections. Do not allow political parties that are funded by external forces, hostile to Europe, to decide on key priorities for the EU, and the new leadership of European institutions. We cannot wait for the renaissance of Europe – the renaissance of Europe must start now. Thank you. Council of the European Union 4/3/2019  Misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds: Council prolongs EU sanctions for one year The Council extended until 6 March 2020 the asset freezes directed against 12 persons identified as responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds or for the abuse of office causing a loss to Ukrainian public funds. The restrictive measures against one person were not extended. This decision is based on the annual review of the measures. This restrictive measures regime has been in place since 5 March 2014, and has been extended on a yearly basis since then. The legal acts will be published in the Official Journal on 5 March 2019. EU restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine (policy page) Συμβούλιο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης     4/3/2019 |  Υπεξαίρεση ουκρανικών κρατικών κεφαλαίων: Το Συμβούλιο παρατείνει τις κυρώσεις της ΕΕ για ένα έτος Το Συμβούλιο παρέτεινε έως τις 6 Μαρτίου 2020 τη δέσμευση περιουσιακών στοιχείων 12 προσώπων που έχουν αναγνωρισθεί ως υπεύθυνα για την υπεξαίρεση ουκρανικών κρατικών κεφαλαίων ή για κατάχρηση εξουσίας που ζημίωσε τα δημόσια ταμεία της Ουκρανίας. Τα περιοριστικά μέτρα εις βάρος ενός προσώπου δεν παρατάθηκαν. Η απόφαση αυτή βασίστηκε στην ετήσια επανεξέταση των μέτρων. Το καθεστώς επιβολής περιοριστικών μέτρων ισχύει από τις 5 Μαρτίου 2014, και από τότε παρατείνεται σε ετήσια βάση. Οι νομικές πράξεις θα δημοσιευθούν στην Επίσημη Εφημερίδα στις 5 Μαρτίου 2019. Περιοριστικά μέτρα της ΕΕ λόγω της κρίσης στην Ουκρανία (ιστοσελίδα με γενικές πληροφορίες)