COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Meetings Friday 15 September 2023

● Eurogroup   15/09/2023 18:41 | MEETING | Main results - Eurogroup, 15 September 2023   The Eurogroup discussed macroeconomic developments and policy coordination. The Eurogroup gave its support to the candidacy of Piero Cipollone to become a new member of the European Central Bank's Executive Board, replacing the outgoing member of the ECB's Executive Board, Fabio Panetta. It also took stock of progress made with the ESM treaty ratification and was briefed on ongoing technical work by the ESM.

Press material Friday 15 September 2023

● General Secretariat   15/09/2023 18:07 | Press release | Forward look: 18 September - 1 October 2023   Overview of the main topics and events at the Council of EU and European Council for the coming fortnight. Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 18 September 2023 Ministers will focus on the agricultural aspects of the directive on soil health, agricultural issues related to trade, the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas, as well as annual fisheries consultations for 2024. Read more General Affairs Council, 19 September 2023 Ministers will focus on the request by Spain to modify the EU’s language regime, the annual rule of law dialogue, preparations for the October European Council, and legislative planning. Read more Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 25 September 2023 Ministers responsible for the internal market and industry will meet in Brussels on Monday the 25th of September with the aim of adopting Council general approaches on Euro7 and on the two legal texts of the EU legislation on design protection review. Ministers will also hold a policy debate on the role of competitiveness checks in the formulation of legislative proposals. Read more Justice and Home Affairs Council (Home Affairs), 28 September 2023 The Council will receive an update about ongoing legislative discussions to update EU asylum legislation and ministers will exchange views about the external dimension of migration. EU ministers and ministers from 14 Latin American countries will discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organised crime. Read more Other events Informal meeting of ministers for education and youth, 18-19 September 2023 Informal meeting of transport ministers, 21-22 September 2023 Informal meeting of culture ministers, 25-26 September 2023 Informal meeting of the General Affairs Council, 27-28 September 2023 Informal meeting of ministers responsible for cohesion policy, 29 September 2023 Indicative calendar of meetings under the Spanish presidency (1 July - 31 December 2023) Spanish presidency website

Press material Friday 15 September 2023

● Council of the EU   15/09/2023 17:33 | Press release | Iran: Council lists four more individuals and six entities over serious human rights violations   Today, the Council imposed a tenth package of restrictive measures on four individuals and six entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. Today’s package follows the High Represenative’s declaration on behalf of the European Union to mark the anniversary of the killing of Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022, while in custody of the Iranian morality police. Today’s listings include the Deputy to the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Imam Ali Central Security Headquarters and the police commanders of the Mazandaran and Fars Provinces. The Council also decided to list Kachui prison and its director; the prisons of Sanandaj, Zahedan and Isfshan; as well as Tasnim News agency together with the Supreme Council of Cyberspace. Restrictive measures now apply to a total of 227 individuals and 43 entities. They consist of an asset freeze, a travel ban to the European Union and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed. A ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications is also in place. The European Union expresses its support for the fundamental aspiration of the people of Iran for a future where their universal human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected, and fulfilled. Today’s package of restrictive measures follows the previous nine adopted by the Council on 17 October, 14 November, 12 December 2022, 23 January, 20 February, 20 March, 24 April, 22 May and 26 June 2023. The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU. Official Journal of the EU, 15 September 2023 (including a list of the sanctioned individuals and entities) Statement of the High Representative on behalf of the EU on Iran

Press material Friday 15 September 2023

● Council of the EU   15/09/2023 16:24 | Press release | EU Court of Justice: two judges appointed to the General Court   The representatives of the governments of the member states today appointed two judges to the General Court. Mr Saulius Lukas Kalėda was appointed as a judge at the General Court for a term of office ending on 31 August 2025. His appointment was made as part of the partial renewal of the composition of the General Court in 2019. Ms Louise Spangsberg Grønfeldt was appointed as a judge at the General Court for a term of office ending on 31 August 2028. Her appointment follows the resignation of Mr Sten Frimodt Nielsen from this post. Background The Court of Justice of the European Union consists of two courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court. The judges and advocates-general are appointed by common accord of the governments of the member states after consultation of a panel responsible for giving an opinion on prospective candidates' suitability to perform the duties concerned. They are chosen from among individuals whose independence is beyond doubt. For appointment to the General Court, candidates must possess the ability required for appointment to high judicial office. Member states' representatives appoint a judge to the General Court (press release, 11 January 2023) EU Court of Justice: four judges of the General Court appointed (press release, 20 July 2022) EU Court of Justice: seven judges of the General Court appointed (press release, 29 June 2022)

Press material Friday 15 September 2023

● Eurogroup   15/09/2023 17:31 | Statements and remarks | Remarks by Paschal Donohoe following the Eurogroup meeting of 15 September 2023   Today, we had a really useful Eurogroup meeting. It was great to be back with all of our colleagues in this inspirational setting where we all thanked Nadia Calviño for her hospitality and for the wonderful welcome that we have all received. Most of the meeting was taken by an extensive exchange of views with regard to economic developments. It is a varied picture across the euro area. Here in Spain, the momentum is still good, but in other countries, we are seeing a change. It's also a varied picture with regard to the services sector and the industrial sector in differing economies. After listening to the Commission and the ECB presenting their latest forecasts, it is clear that the euro area economy has lost some growth momentum as a number of past shocks and of course, recent policy decisions are feeding through. However, let me emphasise that the overall resilience of the euro area is still very clear. It's demonstrated most strongly by the continued performance of the labour market within the euro area - by so many people in so many parts of the European Union still being at work despite the many challenges that we've had to deal with. And while of course there is always the urge to focus on the latest figures and the latest forecast, that picture of overall resilience in the face of many great challenges still needs to be made. In our discussion today, we had a particular focus on the medium-term economic performance, on our competitiveness, and on the sustainability of public finances. And against this backdrop, our July Eurogroup statement is still relevant and continues to be endorsed by ministers. Fiscal policy should be prudent, it should be careful, it should pursue a restrictive stance and it needs to work in alignment with changes in monetary policy. So following the discussion that we had on the economic outlook, we moved on to the selection process of a new ECB Executive Board member to succeed our great colleague, Fabio Panetta, following the call for candidates which I launched at the Eurogroup meeting in July. Today, the Eurogroup supported the candidacy of Piero Cipollone, who is the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Italy, to become a member of the ECB Executive Board. A formal press statement was issued already today. The Council is now expected to formally recommend his candidacy to the European Council so that the new board member will, hopefully, be able to take up his duties on 1 November 2023. We wrapped up our meeting with a short exchange on the ratification of the ESM treaty, so our colleague and Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti could inform us of the latest developments that took place in the summer and the next steps for the parliamentary process in Italy. Let me note that if Italy does not proceed with the ratification, it is not only Italy that will not benefit from the safety net that the ESM will provide, but this will not be possible for the whole euro area. I trust that the Italian authorities will continue to do their utmost to deliver on this important commitment. Pierre Gramegna, the managing director of the ESM, briefed us on his recent work, and with that, we came to the end of our agenda.

Press material Friday 15 September 2023

● Council of the EU   15/09/2023 14:28 | Press release | Iran: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union   One year ago, the 22 year old woman Mahsa Amini was killed while in custody of the Iranian morality police. Her death sparked a nationwide movement of women and men calling for the respect, protection and fulfilment of their universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. The response to this wave of protests by the Iranian authorities was repression causing hundreds of deaths, thousands of unjust detentions and harm. Freedom of opinion and expression and other civic freedoms have been increasingly curtailed. The human rights situation in Iran continues to be critical. The EU and its member states stand united in urging the Iranian authorities to strictly abide by the principles enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party. We call upon Iran to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of systemic discrimination against women and girls in public and private life and to take gender-responsive measures to prevent and ensure protection for women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms. The EU believes in and speaks up for fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, including online and offline, and freedom of assembly, which must be respected in all circumstances. A strong and free civil society is essential. We are appalled by the use of harsh sentences, including the carrying out of capital punishment, against protesters and reiterate our unequivocal opposition to the death penalty at all times, in all places and in all circumstances. Taking into account the worrying increase in executions in Iran over the past year, the EU calls on the Iranian authorities to refrain from any future executions, provide due process to all detainees and pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of capital punishment. The EU also recalls that under international law the prohibition of torture is absolute. There are no reasons, circumstances or exceptions whatsoever that could be invoked as a justification for its use. Moreover, we call on Iran to implement the relevant international treaties and agreements to which it is a party, to allow free and unhindered access to the country for relevant UN Human Rights Special Procedures mandate holders and to fully cooperate with the independent, international Fact-Finding Mission created by the Human Rights Council. The European Union will continue to demand that the perpetrators of violence and human rights violations be held accountable. The EU also calls on Iran to immediately cease the unacceptable and unlawful practice of arbitrary detention, including of EU and dual EU-Iranian citizens and to immediately set them free. The EU and its member states reaffirm their strong support for the fundamental rights of Iranian women and men and their aspirations. As a result, we continue to consider all appropriate options at our disposal to address any issues of concern pertaining to the human rights situation in Iran.

14/09/2023 | Article Highlights of the agenda of the informal ministerial meeting on transport The working sessions in Barcelona aim to ensure further joint progress is made towards more accessible and efficient transport and mobility across the EU, designed to improve people's quality of life.

15/09/2023 | Article

Finance ministers advocate for an investment monitoring mechanism to ensure the success of the Global Gateway Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean

EU finance ministers have expressed their determination to establish a monitoring and follow-up mechanism to successfully implement the Global Gateway Agenda, which foresees €45 billion of investment until 2027 to boost the green, digital and social transformation of Latin America and the Caribbean.