COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION latest

Press material Tuesday 9 May 2023

● Eurogroup   09/05/2023 12:45 | Press release | President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, travels to Japan to participate in the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Niigata on 11-13 May 2023   President of the Eurogroup and Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, T.D., is in Japan where he will participate in the G7 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. The G7 meeting, which takes place on 11-13 May, will be chaired by the Japanese Presidency of the G7. During the meeting, Minister Donohoe, as President of the Eurogroup, will take part in discussions which will focus on providing continued support to Ukraine’s economic resilience and reconstruction; global economic stability, growth and recovery; accelerating climate action and an orderly and just transition to net zero; and the key challenges for the international financial sector. In dialogue with partner countries, the agenda will focus on tackling immediate challenges facing developing countries and strengthening international cooperation for sustainable and inclusive growth. The agenda for the second day includes a joint meeting of G7 Finance and Health Ministers, an update on progress on international taxation and work on development finance and economic security. Speaking ahead of his participation in the meeting, Minister Donohoe said: “The global economy faces a complex confluence of geopolitical and climate challenges. The G7 meeting is an important opportunity for the European Union to continue working with our international partners to build a more sustainable, secure and prosperous global economy. The euro area economy has proven resilient in the face of an unprecedented series of shocks, but there is no room for complacency. This is why the euro area has taken a collective commitment to enhancing our competitiveness, including strengthening our Banking Union and our plans to deepen our Capital Markets Union. Following my recent meeting with the Ukrainian Finance Minister, I will reiterate my unwavering support for Ukraine and its reconstruction.” Notes for editors: The meeting will be chaired by the Japanese Finance Minister, Shunichi Suzuki, and Governor of the Bank of Japan, Kazuo Ueda, who jointly lead the Finance track of the G7 under the Japanese Presidency of the G7. The G7 is an informal forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. The European Union is represented at G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings by the President of the Eurogroup and the European Commission alongside the President of the European Central Bank. In addition to G7 members, invited countries and international organisation, such as the IMF and the World Bank, also participate in the meetings. Invited partner countries to the Niigata meeting are the Finance Ministers of Brazil, Comoros, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore.

Meetings Tuesday 9 May 2023

● Council of the EU   09/05/2023 11:06 | MEETING | Agenda highlights - European Union Military Committee (EUMC), EU Chiefs of Defence, 11 May 2023   The European Union Military Committee will discuss the Strategic Compass and its implementation, the EU support to Ukraine and the lessons observed, and the future of EU Military Missions, with the role of STRATCOM in support.

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Council of the EU
European Union Military Committee (EUMC), EU Chiefs of Defence, 11 May 2023

Agenda highlights

The European Union Military Committee (EUMC) will meet at the level of EU Chiefs of Defence (CHODs). The meeting will be chaired by General Robert Brieger, EUMC’s Chair.

The EUMC will discuss the state of play of key military objectives/work strands of the Strategic Compass implementation (EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, the Military Planning and Conduct Capability, EU C2); the EU support to Ukraine (current activities and sustainability in the longer term) and the lessons observed from Ukraine on joint procurement; finally, the future of EU military missions and the role of strategic communications in their support.

Following the opening intervention by the High Representative Josep Borrell, representatives from EU institutions, as well as several partner organisations and countries are expected to attend the meeting in dedicated sessions: the European External Action Service, the European Commission, the European Defence Agency, European Union Military Staff, NATO and Norway, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Serbia and Vietnam.

For the session dedicated to Ukraine, the CHODs look forward to welcoming the participation via videoconference of Lieutenant General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.


Meeting information

Meeting n°CHOD11052023
11 May 2023

Press material Monday 8 May 2023

● European Council   08/05/2023 21:36 | Press release | Press Statement on Armenia and Azerbaijan, 8 May 2023   President Michel has continued to be in close contact with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to advance the EU’s efforts to promote stability in the South Caucasus and normalisation between the two countries. The leaders have agreed to convene again on 14 May 2023 in a Brussels trilateral meeting. Their discussions will also be flanked by a meeting together with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, in the margins of the upcoming European Political Community summit in Chisinău on 1 June 2023. The leaders have also agreed to continue to meet trilaterally in Brussels as frequently as necessary to address ongoing developments on the ground and standing agenda items of the Brussels meetings. President Michel equally expressed his intention to invite the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France and Germany to meet a second time in the margins of the next EPC summit in Granada in October 2023.