COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Wednesday 20 April 2022

● European Council   20/04/2022 20:46 | Statements and remarks | Remarks by President Charles Michel at the press conference following his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv   Last year, I had the occasion to come to Ukraine three times. And exactly one year ago, in March last year, we went together to the Donbas. And there, I said "Russia is not a mediator". I said "Russia is party to the conflict". And the situation today is showing that I was right. This morning, I went to Borodyanka to witness with my own eyes the situation on the ground. I met the people. There are no words to explain what I feel, not as President of the European Council, but as a father, as a human being. These are atrocities. These are war crimes. They must be punished. It will be punished. They must pay for what they have done there, and in many other cities and other locations in Ukraine. Right now, like you, I think of the people, the soldiers, but also the civilians in the Donbas, in Mariupol and in other cities who are fighting for their lives, who are fighting for the sovereignty of Ukraine. And I know very well, they are fighting for our European values, for freedom, for democratic principles. We are determined to do everything we can to support Ukraine because we want victory for Ukraine. And that is why we will use all the possible tools in our hands. Of course, financial support is very important. We had the opportunity to go into more detail with the President, and that is why we decided a few weeks ago, after a phone call, to launch this trust fund in solidarity with Ukraine. In the coming days, on May 5th, will be the starting point of this trust fund, with an international donors’ conference. We will organise this together with Poland, with Sweden and with the support of the European Commission, all the member states, and with the support of many international actors. We are also working closely with international organisations like the IMF, the World Bank and others to make sure that we can mobilise funds in support, so Ukraine can pay the social expenditures that are needed in the short term, in the mid-term, and in the long term. It is also very important to start as soon as possible the programme of rebuilding the country. I can assure you that the EU will be on your side to rebuild your country. Today we discussed very strategic and interesting ideas, very operational and concrete ideas to accelerate the process. I am optimistic that in the following days and weeks, we will clarify the exact nature of the support that we will be able to provide. And in order to succeed, we will also discuss the rebuilding of the country and the investments needed in infrastructure and in different fields. The second important topic is military support. For the first time in history, the EU has decided to provide lethal military equipment. It was a decision taken two days after the start of the war. I remember very well, I will never forget it. Because you, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, you called me on Saturday, two days after the start of the war, and you asked me to coordinate the effort to start providing military equipment. And we succeeded in convincing the European Union member states in a few hours to provide military equipment. We decided a first tranche of 500 million euros. And now we have a total of 1.5 billion euros of military equipment, and day after day in close consultation with you, we are trying to convince member states to add bilateral support to make sure that what we provide is what you need. We discussed very precisely your needs and how we are able to make sure that we can provide with the EU’s member states and other partners the means that are needed to fight and to win this war. The third point is political support. And I would like to say here that, of course, I understand, and I show full respect for the free and democratic decision taken by the government of Ukraine. When you decided to apply to be an EU member, we tasked the Commission immediately, only in a few days. Usually, it takes eight months for the Commission to publish an opinion. We are in close contact on the substance. We will have the opinion of the Commission by the end of June. Then it will be my responsibility to assess when I can put this point on the agenda of the European Council and the Council, to make sure that we have the political discussion to make progress on this. But I want to share with you that I feel a very strong support to make sure that we can provide concrete support to Ukraine in your choice to follow the EU path for your future. And I am convinced that what you are demonstrating day to day, this demonstration that you are totally committed to democratic principles, to freedoms, and that you don't only fight for the future of the children of Ukraine, we know that you fight for the European fundamental principles and values. We are also determined to provide humanitarian support. We are determined to provide support to make sure that international justice and justice will prevail, because there is no peace without justice. That is why it is very important to collect the evidence and to support all the actors who are working in this important field. Finally, we discussed the sanctions because we see that we must put pressure on the regime, on the Kremlin. We have decided many concrete measures. This is not enough, and it's why we are constantly working to increase the pressure. Again today, we went into more detail and identified some additional elements for us to put proposals on the table of the Council and to be able to maintain the maximum pressure on Russia. Finally, one last word. Dear Volodymyr, we met for the first time about three or four years ago, and this was the starting point of a personal relationship based on trust and confidence. I want to tell you that I am, and we are extremely impressed by your personal leadership. Your personal leadership is also showing the bravery and courage of the people of Ukraine. You are not alone. We are with you. And we will do everything possible to support you and to make sure that Ukraine will win the war. Thank you.

Press material Thursday 21 April 2022   ● Council of the EU   21/04/2022 19:21 | Press release | North Korea: EU adds 8 individuals and 4 entities involved in financing of nuclear programme to sanctions list   The Council added 8 individuals and 4 entities to the list of those subject to the restrictive measures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). These restrictive measures consist of a travel ban, an asset freeze and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed. The new listings include individuals who have held leading positions in institutions that are engaged in the development of the missile programme and individuals and entities that have engaged in sanctions evasion activities that could generate funds for the illegal weapons programmes. The EU is determined to prevent the flow of components, finance and knowledge that could be used by the DPRK to support the development of its illegal weapons programmes. The EU calls on the DPRK to cease destabilising actions, respect its obligations under international law and resume dialogue with relevant parties. The decision brings the total number of persons listed autonomously by the EU to 65. In addition, the EU has frozen the assets of 14 entities as part of its own sanctions regime. It has also transposed all relevant UN Security Council resolutions, which impose sanctions on 80 persons and 75 entities currently listed by the UN. The legal acts have been adopted by written procedure. They include the names and specific reasons for listing published in the Official Journal. ● Council of the EU   21/04/2022 16:58 | Press release | European Peace Facility: €600 million for support to the African Union   The Council adopted today a decision establishing an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility (EPF) in support of the African Union worth €600 million. The EU reaffirms its strong commitment to the EU-AU partnership and to cooperation in the area of peace and security. Covering the period 2022-2024, the three-year Assistance Measure continues the well-established provision of long-term EU support to African-led Peace Support Operations. Within its framework, the African Union will be able to request support for individual Peace Support Operations as needs arise, allowing a quick response to relevant security developments on the African continent. The adopted support is in line with the EU’s commitment to strengthen multilateralism and in particular the key role of the AU regarding peace and security on the African continent. It forms an important part of the two Union’s renewed and enhanced cooperation for peace and security, as announced in the recent AU-EU Summit Declaration. In the framework of this Council Decision, the Political and Security Committee has approved additional support to further enhance the operational effectiveness of the Multi-National Joint Task Force against Boko Haram (MNJTF) in partnership with the African Union and create a safe and secure environment in the areas affected by the activities of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups. This is the first action supported under the new Assistance Measure in support of African-led Peace Support Operations. The EU will add €10 million to the resources already mobilised under the EPF for the MNJTF, increasing its overall support to €20 million and allowing for an extension of the provided support until the end of 2022. Previous support covering the period 1 January - 30 June 2022 was agreed on 16 December 2021. The support provided covers personnel and operational/logistical costs, including ground and air transportation, communication equipment and medical services, to enable the MNJT to effectively carry out its mandate. Background The EPF was created in 2021 to support partners around the world in the areas of military and defence. The EU has recently agreed to support Ukraine with a substantive package of military aid under the EPF. At the same time, the EU does not lose sight of its partnerships with other parts of the world, especially Africa, fully recognising the importance of addressing crises and violent conflict on the African continent jointly and in a comprehensive way. The decision to support the African Union with €600 million is a strong signal of EU’s long-standing commitments to African partners, particularly the African Union. The EU remains the only sizeable direct contributor to the MNJTF for a total amount of €124.4 million since 2016. The EU is ready to stay closely engaged and fully committed to contributing to the activities of the MNJTF and consolidate the achievements attained so far. In line with the EU’s Integrated Approach to external conflicts and crises, EPF funding for the MNJTF is one element of a broader, coordinated and coherent response of the EU to support resilience, stabilisation and economic recovery in the Lake Chad Basin. All this should in turn contribute to the implementation of the Lake Chad Regional Stabilisation Strategy in close coordination with all key actors, including the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the African Union. So far, the Council has adopted ten assistance measures under the European Peace Facility. The European Peace Facility (The European External Action Service) ● Council of the EU   21/04/2022 16:54 | Press release | European Peace Facility: Council adopts additional support for Mozambique   The Council adopted today a decision amending the assistance measure for support to the Mozambican Armed Forces under the European Peace Facility (EPF) adopted in November 2021, adding a further amount of €45 million. This additional support brings overall EPF support for Mozambique to €89 million in total. The assistance measure aims to strengthen EU support for capacity building and the deployment of the units of the Mozambican Armed Forces trained by the EU Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM Mozambique). This support consists of the provision of integrated packages of equipment and supplies in conjunction with EU training missions. The aim is to ensure that the training is as efficient and effective as possible, enabling EUTM-trained troops to be fully operational and self-sufficient upon deployment. Through this assistance measure, the EU will finance equipment to benefit the eleven Mozambican companies to be trained by the EUTM, including individual and collective equipment, ground mobility assets, as well as a field hospital. Background The European Peace Facility was established in March 2021 to finance all Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) actions in military and defence areas, with the aim of preventing conflict, preserving peace and strengthening international security and stability. In particular, the European Peace Facility allows the EU to finance actions designed to strengthen the capacities of third states and regional and international organisations as regards military and defence matters. So far, the Council has adopted ten assistance measures under the European Peace Facility. European Peace Facility: Council adopts assistance measure worth €40 million for Mozambique, press release 19 November 2021 The European Peace Facility factsheet (The European External Action Service)