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Press material Thursday 6 October 2022

● Council of the EU   06/10/2022 19:03 | Press release | Council formally adopts emergency measures to reduce energy prices   EU member states today formally adopted a Council Regulation on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices. The regulation introduces common measures to reduce electricity demand and to collect and redistribute the energy sector's surplus revenues to households and small and medium-sized enterprises. "Today the EU made an important step to curb high energy prices for citizens and companies - but definitely not the last one. EU energy ministers are committed to working on further measures which the Commission plans to propose. It is necessary to address the root-causes of the current crisis and also help the EU industry. The Presidency is prepared to work relentlessly on all possible solutions." Jozef Síkela, Czech minister of industry and trade The adoption of the regulation by written procedure follows a political agreement reached by EU energy ministers in the extraordinary Energy Council on 30 September 2022.

Press material Friday 7 October 2022

● European Council   07/10/2022 07:50 | Statements and remarks | Statement following quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Macron and President Michel, 6 October 2022   The President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia met in Prague on 6 October 2022 in the margins of the first European Political Community at the invitation of the President of the French Republic and the President of the European Council. Armenia and Azerbaïdjan confirmed their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and the Alma Ata 1991 Declaration through which both recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. They confirmed it would be a basis for the work of the border delimitation commissions and that the next meeting of the border commissions would take place in Brussels by the end of October. There was an agreement by Armenia to facilitate a civilian EU mission alongside the border with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan agreed to cooperate with this mission as far as it is concerned. The mission will start in October for a maximum of two months. The aim of this mission is to build confidence and, through its reports, to contribute to the border commissions.

Press material Thursday 6 October 2022

● Council of the EU   06/10/2022 22:31 | Press release | DPRK/North Korea: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU   The EU strongly condemns the illegal launch by the DPRK of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on 4th October 2022 that flew over the territory of Japan amid multiple ballistic missile launches over the past week. This is yet another violation of relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and a flagrant violation of Japan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the United Nations Charter. This act represents a serious threat to peace and security in the region and worldwide and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. The EU condemns these repeated illegal provocations and calls on the DPRK to refrain from any action that could further increase international and regional tensions. The DPRK must immediately comply with UN Security Council resolutions by abandoning all its nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and cease immediately all related activities. The EU stresses that the unlawful actions taken by the DPRK cannot and will never confer upon it the status of a nuclear-weapon State in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or any other special status. The EU reiterates that it will continue to implement the relevant UNSC resolutions and calls on all UN Member States to also fully implement all UNSC sanctions. The EU urges the DPRK to return immediately to full compliance with its obligations under the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon State and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and to bring into force an Additional Protocol to that agreement and abide by all its other international obligations in accordance with UNSC resolutions. The EU urges the DPRK to refrain from any nuclear tests and sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The EU expresses its full solidarity with Japan and the Republic of Korea and urges the DPRK to cease its aggressive and destabilising actions, respect international law and resume dialogue with relevant partners. To this end, the EU stands ready to support any meaningful diplomatic process and is committed to working with all relevant partners to build a basis for sustainable peace and security and take steps aimed at pursuing Complete, Verifiable, Irreversible Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Press material Thursday 6 October 2022

● Council of the EU   06/10/2022 17:18 | Press release | Latest package of sanctions in view of Russia’s escalating aggression against Ukraine: EU adopts restrictive measures against an additional 30 individuals and 7 entities   The Council decided today to impose restrictive measures on an additional 30 individuals and 7 entities in view of Russia’s escalating military aggression against Ukraine and other actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. In addition, the Council decided to broaden the listing criteria on which specific designations can be based, in order to include the possibility to target those who facilitate the circumvention of EU sanctions. The Council considers that facilitating infringements of the prohibition against circumvention of certain EU restrictive measures is likely to contribute to destabilising Ukraine or undermining its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. "In direct response to the latest Russian escalation of its aggression against Ukraine and the blatant violation of the UN Charter, we are sanctioning additional individuals and entities who are supporting, facilitating or benefiting from Russia’s illegal actions. This includes those who organised this sham “referenda”, high ranking officials in the Russian Ministry of Defence and prominent propaganda figures spreading disinformation. Our steadfast support to Ukraine and to the Principles of the UN Charter and international law will continue. e We again call on Russia to end its devastating and senseless aggression." Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Some of the individuals designated today have played a role in the organisation of the illegal sham 'referenda' held in in parts of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, and their illegal annexation. Others are representatives of the defence sector, like the largest shareholder of arms producer JSC Kalashnikov Concern, Alan Lushnikov and the former and current Deputy Ministers of Defence of the Russian Federation. Lastly the list includes individuals who are part of the Kremlin’s disinformation and information manipulation ecosystem, and who contribute to spreading disinformation about the war, such as the Russian political scientist Aleksander Dugin and singers Yulia Chicherina and Nikolay Rastorguev. The 7 sanctioned entities include defence companies providing weapons or fighter aircraft to the Russian Armed Forces, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for organising elections and referenda, and JSC Goznak, a Russian state-owned joint-stock company responsible for the manufacturing of security products. Today's decision is part of the latest package of restrictive measures imposed by the EU against Russia in view of the escalation of its military aggression against Ukraine. Altogether, EU restrictive measures now apply to a total of 1236 individuals and 115 entities. Those designated are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Natural persons are additionally subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories. The relevant legal acts, including the names of the listed individuals and entities, have been published in the Official Journal of the EU. Background On 21 September 2022, in spite of numerous calls by the international community on Russia to immediately stop its military aggression against Ukraine, the Russian Federation decided to further escalate its aggression against Ukraine by supporting the organisation of illegal sham “referenda” in the parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions that are currently occupied by Russia. The Russian Federation also further escalated its aggression against Ukraine by announcing a mobilisation in the Russian Federation and by again threatening to use weapons of mass destruction. These illegal sham “referenda” were strongly condemned on 22 September 2022 by a declaration of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the EU. On 28 September 2022, the High Representative issued another declaration on behalf of the EU once more condemning in the strongest possible terms the illegal sham “referenda”, and confirming that the EU would never recognise them and their falsified outcome. The EU urged all UN members to do the same. The High Representative also indicated that all those involved in organising these illegal sham “referenda” as well as those responsible for other violations of international law in Ukraine would be held accountable and that additional restrictive measures against Russia would be brought forward in this regard. The High Representative recalled that the Union remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and demands that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine. The High Representative further declared that the Union and its Member States will continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to this end, as long as necessary. On 30 September 2022, the members of the European Council adopted a statement in which they firmly rejected and unequivocally condemned the illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. They also states that, by wilfully undermining the rules-based international order and blatantly violating the fundamental rights of Ukraine to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, core principles as enshrined in the UN Charter and international law, Russia is putting global security at risk. They called on all states and international organisations to unequivocally reject that illegal annexation and recalled that Ukraine is exercising its legitimate right to defend itself against the Russian aggression to regain full control of its territory and has the right to liberate occupied territories within its internationally recognised borders. Official journal EU adopts its latest package of sanctions against Russia over the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions (press release, 6 October 2022) Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (press release, 22 September 2022) G7 leaders‘ statement (press release, 23 September 2022) Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the illegal sham “referenda” by Russia in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions (press release, 28 September 2022) Statement by the Members of the European Council (press release, 30 September 2022)

06/10/2022 23:00 | Article The European Political Community meets for the first time in Prague to discuss energy and security On 6 October 2022, the first ever meeting of a broader format of European countries, the so-called European Political Community, took place at Prague Castle. More than forty leaders of European countries debated energy, security, climate and the economic situation in Europe. The future direction of the platform was also discussed. 6 October 202223:30 The European Political Community meets for the first time in Prague to discuss energy and security On 6 October 2022, the first ever meeting of a broader format of European countries, the so-called European Political Community, took place at Prague Castle. More than forty leaders of European countries debated energy, security, climate and the economic situation in Europe. The future direction of the platform was also discussed. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala opened the first meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) with a speech in the Spanish Hall at Prague Castle. This was followed by a plenary session, which was also joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj via a video call. During the day, European leaders discussed security, energy, climate and the economic situation in Europe. "By expanding European cooperation, we are aiming to solve our problems together, and the fact that we have managed to welcome 43 European leaders in Prague at such a difficult time shows that Europeans know how to discuss solutions to today's challenges," emphasized French President Emmanuel Macron, who said it was important to strengthen cooperation in areas such as education and resilience to cyber threats. A part of the day was reserved for bilateral meetings, which allowed for deeper discussions between the statesmen on each topic. The aim of these meetings was to improve mutual understanding between the states and to set up a constructive dialogue to address the most pressing issues of the day. Many countries took advantage of this opportunity, and in total dozens of bilateral meetings were held. The European Political Community meeting concluded with a joint working dinner. "We see the EPC as a platform built on the basis of common solidarity and trust. Our goal is to act together so that there is lasting peace and international law is respected. We must continue to support Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and together we condemn Russia's aggression against it and illegal annexations," said Maia Sandu, President of Moldova. The future of this new platform was also discussed during the meeting, with the leaders of the countries discussing, for example, the format of future meetings. In the end, it was decided that the next meeting of the European Political Community would take place in Moldova, a non-EU country. This just goes to show how much emphasis the EU places on cooperation with its external partners. "This platform has clearly proved to be meaningful and we have agreed to meet again. This time in the Moldovan capital of Chișinău," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, adding that the following meetings of the European Political Community will take place in Spain and then in the UK.