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Press material Friday 8 April 2022   ● Council of the EU   08/04/2022 11:00 | Press release | EU adopts fifth round of sanctions against Russia over its military aggression against Ukraine   In light of Russia’s continuing war of aggression against Ukraine, and the reported atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Ukraine, the Council decided today to impose a fifth package of economic and individual sanctions against Russia. The agreed package includes a series of measures intended to reinforce pressure on the Russian government and economy, and to limit the Kremlin’s resources for the aggression. "These latest sanctions were adopted following the atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Bucha and other places under Russian occupation. The aim of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhuman and aggressive behaviour of the Russian troops and make clear to the decision makers in the Kremlin that their illegal aggression comes at a heavy cost." Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy The package comprises: - a prohibition to purchase, import or transfer coal and other solid fossil fuels into the EU if they originate in Russia or are exported from Russia, as from August 2022. Imports of coal into the EU are currently worth EUR 8 billion per year. - a prohibition to provide access to EU ports to vessels registered under the flag of Russia. Derogations are granted for agricultural and food products, humanitarian aid, and energy. - a ban on any Russian and Belarusian road transport undertaking preventing them from transporting goods by road within the EU, including in transit. Derogations are nonetheless granted for a number of products, such as pharmaceutical, medical, agricultural and food products, including wheat, and for road transport for humanitarian purposes. - further export bans, targeting jet fuel and other goods such as quantum computers and advanced semiconductors, high-end electronics, software, sensitive machinery and transportation equipment, and new import bans on products such as: wood, cement, fertilisers, seafood and liquor. The agreed export and import bans only account for EUR 10 billion and EUR 5.5 billion respectively. - a series of targeted economic measures intended to strengthen existing measures and close loopholes, such as: a general EU ban on participation of Russian companies in public procurement in member states, the exclusion of all financial support to Russian public bodies. an extended prohibition on deposits to crypto-wallets, and on the sale of banknotes and transferrable securities denominated in any official currencies of the EU member states to Russia and Belarus, or to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Russia and Belarus,. Furthermore, the Council decided to sanction companies whose products or technology have played a role in the invasion, key oligarchs and businesspeople, high-ranking Kremlin officials, proponents of disinformation and information manipulation, systematically spreading the Kremlin’s narrative on Russia's war aggression in Ukraine, as well as family members of already sanctioned individuals, in order to make sure that EU sanctions are not circumvented. Moreover a full transaction ban is imposed on four key Russian banks representing 23% of market share in the Russian banking sector. After being de-SWIFTed these banks will now be subject to an asset freeze, thereby being completely cut off from EU markets. In its conclusions of 24 March 2022, the European Council stated that the Union remains ready to close loopholes and target actual and possible circumvention of the restrictive measures already adopted, as well as to move quickly with further coordinated robust sanctions on Russia and Belarus to effectively thwart Russian abilities to continue the aggression. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine grossly violates international law and is causing massive loss of life and injury to civilians. Russia is directing attacks against the civilian population and is targeting civilian objects, including hospitals, medical facilities, schools and shelters. These war crimes must stop immediately. Those responsible, and their accomplices, will be held to account in accordance with international law. The siege of Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities, and the denial of humanitarian access by Russian military forces are unacceptable. Russian forces must immediately provide for safe pathways to other parts of Ukraine, as well as humanitarian aid to be delivered to Mariupol and other besieged cities. The European Council demands that Russia immediately stop its military aggression in the territory of Ukraine, immediately and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders. The relevant legal acts will soon be published in the Official Journal. EU restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine European Council conclusions, 24-25 March 2022 Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on Russian atrocities committed in Bucha and other Ukrainian towns, 2 April 2022 ● Council of the EU   07/04/2022 22:26 | MEETING | Main results - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 7 April 2022   EU ministers met in Luxembourg. On their agenda were: safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems, the market situation for agricultural products and carbon removals. Council of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 7 April 2022 Main results Commission communication on safeguarding food security The Commission presented its communication of 23 March 2022 on safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems, which sets out a number of measures aimed at addressing the impact of the war in Ukraine on food security, both in the EU and worldwide. On the whole ministers welcomed the communication as well as the measures put in place to support farmers, which had been discussed at the March Council meeting. They agreed that, thanks to the common agricultural policy (CAP), food supply in the EU is not at risk. Many member states highlighted the importance of providing food aid and other assistance to Ukraine and of maintaining, both within the European market and internationally, the free flow of trade in agricultural products to support regions affected by the reduction of Russian and Ukrainian exports. Ministers also endorsed the package of measures introduced by the Commission to continue to safeguard food security in the EU, including market measures under the CAP, capacity within the framework of the CAP to mobilise set-aside areas to increase production, and a temporary crisis framework for State aid. During the discussion, the Croatian delegation, supported by others, shared information about the need for further temporary measures to support farms and ensure food security. Many ministers further insisted on the need to strengthen the resilience of the sector by reducing its dependence on inputs and enhancing innovation, saying that this required the development of a long-term strategy. Commission communication on safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems Annexes to the Commission communication Feeding Europe - 60 years of common agricultural policy Market situation in the wake of the Ukraine invasion Ministers invited Mykola Solsky, the new Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, to address the Council in relation to the specific requests he had made to the Presidency and the Commission for support for Ukraine’s agricultural production system. The Council expressed its full support for and total solidarity with Ukraine. The Commission presented the responses currently underway to meet the Ukrainian requests, both in terms of food aid and support for agricultural production. Moreover, based on information communicated by the Commission and member states and following guidance from the European Council, ministers held an exchange of views on the current market situation for agri-food products and the situation of the EU’s agricultural sector, with a particular focus on the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ministers confirmed the will of the EU’s agricultural sector and the CAP to produce enough to both safeguard the EU’s food sovereignty and to contribute to global food security. Ministers also shared their thoughts on the recently adopted market measures, which aim to continue to meet the EU’s food needs and ensure global food security. The discussion focused on the impact on producers in the short and medium term of rising costs of inputs such as energy, fuel, fertiliser and animal feed, as well as factors likely to affect costs and therefore prices. The Council intends to monitor the situation closely and stands ready to adopt further measures in fulfilment of the EU Treaty provisions concerning the role of the CAP. Revision of the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) regulation Agriculture ministers discussed the ongoing revision of the LULUCF regulation. This revision forms part of the Fit for 55 package, which aims to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Ministers discussed the agricultural aspects of the proposed revision, including the methods that the agriculture and forestry sectors will use to report storage and emissions, climate and biological hazards that are specific to the agriculture and forestry sectors, and the creation of an agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) pillar incorporating non-CO2 emissions from agriculture. While the Council expressed its support for the revision, a number of ministers raised concerns in particular about the methodologies for drawing up inventories and for taking account of natural disturbances in the pursuit of annual objectives. Countries with significant forest industries also questioned the obligation under the effort-sharing regulation to transfer their unused LULUCF credits to other member states after 2030. ‘Fit for 55’ package: agricultural aspects of the revision of the LULUCF regulation Other topics on the agenda During the day, under “other business”, the Presidency informed ministers about work currently underway at the Council on vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza, and the Commission presented its proposal for a revision of the geographical indications scheme. A items Sustainable carbon cycles Ministers approved Council conclusions on the agriculture and forestry part of the Commission’s sustainable carbon cycles communication. This communication, published on 15 December 2021, sets out ways to incentivise farming practices that help to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, in order to contribute to the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 55% by 2030. Among the measures mentioned are a legislative proposal for a certification framework for carbon removals, which would make it possible to exploit carbon in the soil economically by mobilising funding from both public and private sources, and the establishment of an expert group to look at these issues in more detail. Council adopts conclusions on carbon farming (press release, 7 April 2022) Council conclusions on the Commission communication on sustainable carbon cycles in the agricultural and forestry sectors Commission communication on sustainable carbon cycles Meeting of G20 agriculture ministers, Bali 13-15 September The Council adopted updated guidelines setting out the priorities of the EU and its member states at the upcoming meeting of G20 agriculture ministers, which will take place in Bali, Indonesia on 13-15 September. Other A items The Council also adopted without discussion the items that figured in the list of non-legislative A items. Meeting information Meeting n°3858-2 Luxembourg 7 April 2022 11:00 Preparatory documents Provisional agenda Provisional list of A items Provisional list of A items, addition 1 Provisional list of A items, addition 2 List of A items, non-legislative activities Background brief Outcome documents List of participants ● Council of the EU   07/04/2022 15:35 | Press release | Council adopts conclusions on carbon farming   Farming ministers have adopted conclusions on carbon farming, based on the parts of the Commission’s ‘sustainable carbon cycles’ communication that deal with agriculture and forestry, and aiming to encourage agricultural practices that help to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in soil or biomass in a sustainable way. These practices may include, on the farming side, planting hedges or trees, growing legumes, using catch crops and cover crops, practising conservation agriculture and maintaining peatlands, and on the forestry side, afforestation and reforestation. The conclusions specify what the Council expects from the certification framework for carbon removals, for which a legislative proposal will follow at the end of this year, to ensure that economic value is attached to practices that increase carbon removal and storage, based on scientifically proven measurement requirements. In its conclusions, the Council welcomed the communication and acknowledged the key role that farming and forestry could play in the fight against climate change by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Ministers also recognised the importance of providing financial support that offers sufficient incentive to farmers and foresters alongside the common agricultural policy, from both public and private resources, in order to encourage them to adopt these climate-friendly practices. Moreover, they supported the Commission’s plan to set up an expert group of farming and forestry representatives, considered that this group would be well placed to evaluate and take account of existing carbon certification schemes and share examples of best practice from across the EU, and invited the Commission to work with the group to look into extending certification to include reductions in greenhouse gases, particularly methane and nitrous oxide. Member states also stressed that the primary purpose of EU agriculture, as stipulated in the treaties, is to ensure food security, and that this aim must not be compromised. Finally, the conclusions highlighted the importance of taking into account regional specificities and avoiding any unnecessary administrative burden when setting up the certification framework, which should be as simple and transparent as possible.

Council of the EU

06/04/2022 14:06 | Press release | Ukraine: Council approves immediate disbursement of €3.5 billion to EU countries welcoming refugees   As part of the EU's efforts to support Ukraine after Russia's invasion, EU ambassadors today endorsed a proposal giving member states immediate access to more initial funding from REACT-EU (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe), as well as facilitating the provision of basic needs and support for refugees from Ukraine. A total of €3.5 billion will be paid out this year as increased initial pre-financing under REACT-EU, one of the largest post-pandemic recovery programmes aimed at reinforcing cohesion policy funds and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). Member states with higher numbers of arrivals, as either transit countries or countries of final destination, will receive a larger share. The proposal makes it possible to alleviate the pressure on the public budgets of member states, so that they can deal with the inflow of refugees from Ukraine. To this end, the pre-financing from the 2021 tranche of REACT-EU will be increased from 11% to 15% for all member states, and from 11% to 45% for those EU countries where the inflow of refugees from Ukraine amounted to over 1% of their populations at the end of the first month following the Russian invasion. The countries which will receive 45% pre-financing are Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, which share a border with Ukraine, as well as Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia and Lithuania, which had accommodated a number of displaced persons equivalent to over 1% of their populations by 23 March 2022. In addition, the proposal introduces a unit cost per person, thereby enabling an easier and swifter implementation of the funds. Above all, the unit cost will facilitate the financing of essential needs for people from Ukraine granted temporary protection by the EU or other adequate protection under national law. That unit cost is set at €40 per week and can be used for a maximum of 13 weeks, starting from the date on which the person concerned arrives in the European Union.