COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Tuesday 14 November 2023

● Council of the EU   14/11/2023 12:24 | Press release | Defence Cooperation: Council assesses progress in PESCO and launches its strategic review   The Council today adopted a recommendation assessing the progress made by the 26 participating member states to fulfil the more binding commitments undertaken in the framework of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). The Council underlines that participating member states have continued to make progress in increasing their defence expenditures, with 12% growth in 2023 and further increases forecast for 2024-2025. Furthermore, 25% of the total defence expenditure allocated to defence investment in 2022 was used to accelerate the procurement of needed capabilities and the replenishment of stocks with predominantly off-the-shelf procurement in search of immediate solutions. Through PESCO, the Council assesses the first implications of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine for the security and defence policies of member states, illustrated by initial changes in national plans to secure capabilities for high intensity warfare, including strategic enablers. The Council notes higher interest in the use of the EU capability development tools and initiatives and encouraged continued use of the European Defence Agency as the principal European forum for joint capability development. In its recommendation, the Council calls for a combined effort to reverse the decline in defence research and technology spending (from 1.7% to 1.1%) and maintain the focus on development and innovation, as well as on joint procurement of needed capabilities. This will help strike the right balance between long-term innovation for future capabilities and adequate quantities of military equipment and stockpiles, also with a view to strengthening the European defence industry. Furthermore, the Council calls for more European collaborative approach in addressing capability gaps and encourages member states to invest more and better, by doing it together. The Council encourages participating member states to make further progress in the implementation of the 20 more binding commitments, with a view to fulfilling all of them by 2025, and to use the PESCO framework alongside other defence-related initiatives and processes such as the Capability development Plan (CDP), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the European Defence Fund (EDF). Furthermore, they are invited to take forward potential new opportunities in relation to joint procurement under the PESCO framework. When it comes to the 68 on-going projects, the Council welcomes the fact that PESCO projects are already producing concrete deliverables in areas such as cyber, unmanned systems, military mobility, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear surveillance and medical services, among others. Several PESCO projects have taken measures to rapidly increase the availability and effectiveness of their capabilities in the face of the challenges presented by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Countering unmanned aerial systems, medical support, and protection of maritime critical infrastructure are some of the examples. The Council decided to launch the PESCO Strategic Review with a reflection phase. The Strategic Review, which is to be concluded by the end of 2025 at the latest, provides a major opportunity to shape the future of PESCO and adapt it to the geopolitical context, while keeping up the ambition. The PESCO Strategic Review will reinvigorate and strengthen PESCO.

Press material Tuesday 14 November 2023

● Council of the EU   14/11/2023 12:13 | Press release | Space: Council approves conclusions on the EU space strategy for security and defence   The Council today approved conclusions on the first EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence. The Council recalled the EU’s longstanding commitment to international law and to the values and guiding principles developed in the United Nations framework, and reaffirmed the readiness of EU member states to continue working to establish norms, rules, and principles of responsible behaviours across the full range of space activities. The Council reiterated the strategic nature of space, and the necessity for the EU, as global space power, to address current and upcoming security challenges linked to the recent intensification of irresponsible and hostile behaviours in the space domain. The Council welcomed the new strategy, supported its main avenues, and proposed the following actions: increase the EU’s understanding of space threats, through a yearly classified analysis and the strengthening of military and civilian intelligence services on space security enhance the resilience and protection of space systems and services, acknowledging the Commission’s intention to propose an EU space law better respond to space threats through space domain awareness information, a dedicated toolbox for EU joint responses, and the further development of exercises enhance the use of space for security and defence purposes by better integrating the space dimension into the planning and conduct of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations; by strengthening the EU Satellite Centre (EU SatCen); and by developing space services for governmental use at EU level, including by building on a pilot project proposed by the Commission on a new EU Earth observation governmental service Finally, the Council reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to address these challenges in outer space through international cooperation and collaboration, including through possible new space security dialogues. The Council will follow the implementation of this new strategy by the High Representative and the Commission.

Press material Monday 13 November 2023

● Council of the EU   13/11/2023 21:40 | Press release | EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting   Following today’s Foreign Affairs Council, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell chaired an EU-Western Balkans ministerial meeting gathering the EU’s Foreign Ministers and their counterparts from the Western Balkans. The High Representative launched in May 2021 the initiative of enhanced engagement with the Western Balkans on foreign and security policy. Today’s discussion focused on common security challenges against the background of persistent global and regional security threats. High Representative Borrell underlined the importance of unity and strong cooperation with the Western Balkans partners to build resilience and promote peace and stability on the continent. In this context, the High Representative recalled that the European Union counts on candidate countries as reliable partners in foreign, security and defence policy, including when it comes to alignment with the EU’s decisions in these domains. The meeting also offered an opportunity to exchange views about the challenges in the region and its European future at a time when EU enlargement policy has gained a new momentum and following the recent adoption of the Commission’s enlargement reports assessing each partner’s progress on its EU path. High Representative Borrell reiterated the EU’s continued strong support - political, technical and financial - to all candidates and potential candidates to help them advance key political, institutional, social and economic reforms. In this regard, the new Growth Plan adopted last week should enable partners to step up reforms and investments to significantly accelerate the speed of the enlargement process and the growth of their economies. The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Igli Hasani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, the Deputy Prime Minister/Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo*, Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Filip Ivanović, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Fatmire Isaki and the Minister of European Integration of Serbia, Tanja Miščević participated in the meeting alongside the EU Foreign Affairs Ministers. * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. European Commission’s enlargement reports (European Commission) Commission presents a new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans (European Commission)

Press material Monday 13 November 2023

● Council of the EU   13/11/2023 20:05 | Press release | Interoperable Europe act: Council and Parliament strike a deal for more efficient digital public services across the EU   With a view to creating a network of interconnected digital public administrations and accelerating the digital transformation of Europe’s public sector, the Council presidency and the European Parliament negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the proposed legislation regarding measures on a high level of public sector interoperability across the EU (Interoperable Europe act). "Today’s agreement advances our commitment towards the EU’s digital transformation. The new law will enable public administrations across Europe to cooperate more effectively, thus saving time and costs for our citizens and businesses." Nadia Calviño, acting Spanish first vice-president and minister for economy and digitalisation Main objectives of the regulation The regulation aims to set up a new cooperation framework for EU public administrations to ensure the seamless delivery of public services across borders, and to provide for support measures promoting innovation and enhancing skills and knowledge exchange. The new law will establish an interoperability governance structure with a view to creating an ecosystem of shared interoperability solutions for the EU’s public sector. This way, public administrations in the EU can contribute to and re-use such solutions, innovate together and create added value. Main elements retained from the Commission’s proposal The provisional agreement maintains the general thrust of the Commission’s proposal, namely as regards: rules ensuring a structured EU cooperation where public administrations come together in the framework of projects co-owned by member states, as well as regions and cities a multi-level governance framework steered by the ‘Interoperable Europe Board’ the sharing and reuse of interoperability solutions, powered by a one-stop-shop for solutions and community cooperation (‘Interoperable Europe portal’) and supported by measures to promote innovation, and enhance skills and knowledge exchange The co-legislators’ amendments The co-legislators amended various parts of the Commission’s proposal. The main changes include: a clearer definition of the scope of the proposed legislation, including the concept and definition of ‘trans-European digital public services’ clarifications concerning the objectives and the conditions of the mandatory interoperability assessment with a view to complying with the principle of proportionality to avoid overburdening national and local administrations consistency with the provisions of the artificial intelligence act (AIA) and of the general data protection regulation (GDPR), with regard to the establishment of and participation to interoperability regulatory sandboxes a stronger role for the Interoperable Europe Board, which stands at the core of the new governance structure set up by the regulation

Press material Monday 13 November 2023

● Council of the EU   13/11/2023 18:51 | Press release | Council and Parliament strike provisional deal to reinforce the supply of critical raw materials   The Council and the European Parliament today reached a deal on the proposed regulation establishing a framework to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, better known as the Critical Raw Materials Act. The agreement is provisional, pending formal adoption in both institutions. The political agreement reached today keeps the overall objectives of the original proposal but strengthens several elements. It includes aluminium in the list of strategic and critical materials, reinforces the benchmark of recycling, clarifies the permitting procedure for strategic projects, and requires relevant companies to perform a supply-chain risk assessment on their sourcing of strategic raw materials. "Today’s agreement lays the foundation of Europe’s strategic autonomy. Our dependency on raw materials is the Achilles’ heel of our competitiveness, but with the Critical Raw Material Act we can turn this weakness into strength. We can create a truly European extracting sector; we can turn our waste into a resource; we can build closer ties to third countries and we can secure the life-line of our industry in a truly sustainable way." Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, acting Spanish third vice-president of the government and minister for the ecological transition and the demographic challenge Ensuring the supply of raw materials locally and globally The Commission’s proposed regulation establishes a list of 34 critical raw materials (including 16 strategic ones) and sets targets to increase the EU contribution of these substances (10% for the extraction; 40% for the processing and 15% for the recycling). To achieve this, the proposal called for a quick and simplified permit procedure for strategic extracting projects, to be dealt by a single national contact point. It also called for risk analysis of possible dependencies, member states' exploration plans, higher investment in research, innovation and skills; and protection of the environment by promoting the circularity and sustainability of raw materials. On the global stage, the regulation identified measures to diversify imports of critical raw materials ensuring that not more than 65% of the Union's consumption of each strategic raw material comes from a single third country. Main elements of the agreement The provisional agreement adds one critical raw material (aluminium) to the list of strategic raw materials (hence, 34 critical raw materials and 17 strategic raw materials). The compromise text also considers that in addition to the natural graphite (which already in the list) the synthetic graphite will also be a strategic raw material during a period of three years, until the Commission makes the first revision of the list. Furthermore, the agreement allows that projects able to produce innovative raw materials that substitute strategic raw materials in relevant technologies can be candidates to become strategic projects Member states will have the possibility to object on whether a project will be developed in their member states. Realistic benchmarks The provisional agreement keeps the benchmarks of 10% for extraction of raw materials and 40% for processing but increases the benchmark for recycling to at least 25% of EU’s annual consumption of raw materials. In addition, there should be substantial increase on the recovery of raw materials present in waste. Promoting technologies to moderate consumption The co-legislators propose that 18 months after the entry into force of the regulation, the Commission shall present a report on the estimated consumption of each critical raw material for the next three decades. . Points of single contact According to the different administrative systems of each country, member states will be able to designate one or several “”, at the level they decide (local, regional or national) and the different stages of the value chain (mining, processing, recycling). Promoters of strategic projects will have a “relevant administrative unit” in these points of single contact who will facilitate the permit granting process for the project. Permitting procedure The provisional compromise also unifies the timings of the permit procedure. The total duration of the permit granting process should not exceed 27 months for extraction projects and 15 months for processing and recycling projects. While the first step of the environmental impact assessment (the production of the report, which must be conducted by the project promoter) will be not included in the time-line for the project approval, the public consultation needed for an environmental impact assessment will be part of the total duration of the permit process. Company risk preparedness Large companies exposed to shortages of strategic raw materials in strategic technologies (i.e. battery manufacturers, hydrogen producers, renewable energy generators, data transmission and storage, or aircraft production) will have to regularly carry out a risk assessment of their supply chain of strategic raw materials, which they may present to their board of directors, mapping where the materials come from, what can affect their supply and what are the vulnerabilities to supply disruptions.

Press material Monday 13 November 2023

● Council of the EU   13/11/2023 14:30 | Press release | Venezuela: Council reviews restrictive measures   In view of the situation in Venezuela, the Council today decided exceptionally to extend its restrictive measures for six months only instead of one year, until 14 May 2024. These restrictive measures include an embargo on arms and on equipment for internal repression as well as a travel ban and an asset freeze on 54 listed individuals. In connection to the latest review of the measures, one deceased person was removed from the list. The EU restrictive measures on Venezuela, in place since November 2017, were imposed in response to the continuing deterioration of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Venezuela, to help encourage democratic shared solutions in order to bring political stability to the country and allow it to address the pressing needs of the population. These targeted measures are flexible and reversible and designed not to harm the Venezuelan population.

Meetings Monday 13 November 2023

● Council of the EU   13/11/2023 20:05 | MEETING | Main results - Foreign Affairs Council, 13 November 2023   The Foreign Affairs Council exchanged views on the situation in Gaza, Israel and in the region, the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and Armenia/Azerbaijan. After the formal Foreign Affairs Council, EU ministers participated in the EU-Western Balkans ministerial meeting.