COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

The Belgian presidency hosted an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers 31/01/2024 | Press release The Belgian presidency hosted an informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers The meeting was hosted by the Belgian Minister of Defence, Ludivine Dedonder, and was chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The meeting was as well attended by the EU Defence Policy Directors, PSC ambassadors, advisors, military and civil EU representatives. Press material Wednesday 31 January 2024   ● Council of the EU   31/01/2024 22:08 | Press release | Myanmar: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the 3rd anniversary of the military coup   Three years ago, on 1 February 2021, the military in Myanmar overthrew by force a democratically elected Government. The military's actions have undermined the country's democratic development and plunged Myanmar into a deep political, economic, human rights and humanitarian crisis, significantly threatening the stability of the country and the region. The European Union (EU) renews its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the military coup and its aftermath. We remain deeply concerned by the continuing escalation of violence and the evolution towards a protracted conflict in the country. The repressive actions of the Myanmar military, marked by the use of indiscriminate violence against its own population, stand as a grave violation of basic human rights and a blatant disregard for the principles of justice and humanity. Reports of widespread atrocities, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, sexual and gender-based violence, physical abuse, torture, persecution of human rights defenders and journalists, aerial bombardments and shelling of populated areas including of children and camps for internally displaced persons, all illustrate the military's systemic campaign of violence against the very people it is supposed to protect. The military regime has also cracked down on freedoms of expression, assembly and association, which are the foundations of democracy and stability, and continues to discriminate against the Rohingya and other religious and ethnic minorities. There are now over 2.6 million people internally displaced in Myanmar; 2.3 million of them have been forcibly displaced since 1 February 2021. More than 70,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees, while over one million Rohingya refugees remain in Bangladesh following their expulsion by the Myanmar military. The Myanmar military still impedes the rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all displaced persons and people in need, in all parts of the country, in violation of its obligations under international humanitarian law. The EU reiterates its commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality and independence. Humanitarian assistance must be delivered with respect to these principles. The Myanmar military continues to obstruct any engagement in an inclusive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders as called for by ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus. There is only one way out of the protracted conflict that can pave the path towards a meaningful democratic process that reflects the will of the Myanmar people: ending violence, releasing all prisoners arbitrarily detained, respecting human rights and establishing a dialogue with all stakeholders, including the National Unity Government (NUG), the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), political parties, civil society, religious and minority leaders, and ethnic groups. To this end, the EU continues to support ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and invites all countries within the region and in the international community to support a peaceful solution. The EU stands ready to actively support efforts of the recently appointed ASEAN Special Envoy and any credible and inclusive mediation process with a view to resolve the crisis. The EU reiterates its call for increased international preventive action, including an arms embargo in order to cease the sale and transfer of arms and equipment as they facilitate the military’s atrocities. The EU encourages an active role for the United Nations, notably through the appointment of a UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, the designation of a Resident Coordinator, and to continue taking action in holding the military accountable for its crimes. In the absence of progress in Myanmar, the EU stands ready to adopt further restrictive measures against those responsible for the serious human rights violations taking place in the country and for undermining democracy and the rule of law. On this sad anniversary of the 1 February 2021 military coup, the EU reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the people of Myanmar in their quest for a free, peaceful and democratic future. Meetings Thursday 1 February 2024   ● Council of the EU   01/02/2024 12:59 | MEETING | Agenda highlights - EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting, 2 February 2024   The 24th EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting will take place in Brussels on 2 February 2024 and aim to advance key areas of cooperation between the parties. View meeting page Press material Thursday 1 February 2024   ● Council of the EU   01/02/2024 12:41 | Press release | Single market emergency instrument: Council and Parliament strike a provisional deal on crisis preparedness   Today, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the regulation for a single market emergency instrument (SMEI), and on several accompanying legislative proposals (SMEI omnibus) to anticipate, prepare for and respond to the impact of future crises using the strength of the internal market. "Faced with repeated crises, Europe must prove that it can provide a high level of protection for its citizens, workers and businesses. In times of crisis, the Union must avoid creating unjustified obstacles while respecting fundamental rights, including the right to strike. The new legislative instrument adopted today is aimed precisely at guaranteeing an internal market that ensures the stability of supply chains for critical goods and services, secures welfare and prepares us to face the challenges ahead." Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Employment Being prepared for the next emergency The single market emergency instrument (SMEI) is intended to anticipate, prepare for and respond to the impact of future crises. It builds on lessons learned during recent emergencies such as COVID, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the energy supply crisis. The SMEI provides for continuous monitoring for possible upcoming crises, establishes a vigilance or emergency mode to be activated whenever a threat becomes clear, and puts in place governance so that member states can coordinate their response. It also creates an ‘advisory group’ formed by the Commission and the member states to assess a given situation and recommend responses. As a last resort, the SMEI provides for emergency measures such as targeted information requests to economic operators, priority-rated requests for crisis-relevant products, a fast-track procedure to bring certain products onto the market and derogations from product-specific rules. Together with the SMEI, the Commission presented a package of proposals (the ‘SMEI omnibus’) which updates the current legislation on conformity assessment rules and introduces common specifications and market surveillance rules to enable the SMEI to be operational in times of crisis. Main elements of the provisional agreement The provisional agreement reached today supports the general objectives of the regulation and the SMEI omnibus but introduces several amendments to improve the clarity, feasibility and legal certainty of the proposal. Scope of the regulation The agreement clarifies the scope of the regulation, which must respect its legal basis and therefore be limited to actions related to the internal market. The measures must be limited to crisis situations and should not affect areas of national competence (i.e. national security). The single market emergency board The agreement also reinforces the role of the ‘advisory group’, which will become the ‘internal market emergency and resilience board’. It will be responsible for assisting and advising the Commission in the contingency, vigilance, and emergency modes. In addition to Commission and member state representatives, the board will include a member of the European Parliament as an observer. The chair of the board will report to the European Parliament on a regular basis. The parliament will be informed every time that the board proposes or adopts any implementing act. Resilience and crisis preparedness The agreement proposes that the Commission should undertake stress tests and simulations to anticipate and prepare for crises and assess the possible impact on the free movement of goods, services and people. Economic operators will be encouraged to develop crisis protocols and conduct training and crisis simulations, on a voluntary basis. Shortage of crisis-relevant goods and services The provisional agreement provides for last-resort measures when a crisis threatens the supply of critical goods and services. In such circumstances, the Commission can request data from companies such as the stock level of certain products. If companies refuse to supply this information, they will have to explain the reasons why. Member states should be transparent on the measures that they take to face the crisis situation and have an information-sharing platform to be aware of the measures taken by other member states. In the event of serious and persistent crisis-related shortages, the Commission can issue priority-rated requests to purchase critical goods or services. Companies can accept these requests on a voluntary basis and will be legally covered for liability vis-à-vis their other trading partners if they do not meet other contract obligations. This order will have to be in compliance with competition rules and should not affect security or defense competences of the member states. In these exceptional circumstances, the Commission and contracting authorities from member states may carry out a joint procurement procedure to acquire crisis-relevant or critical goods or services. Member states can also launch procurement for these kinds of goods, in coordination with other member states, and making sure to inform the Commission and the single market emergency board. Ensuring free movement If the vigilance or emergency mode is activated, the provisional deal proposes mitigation measures that member states can use to ensure the supply and movement of goods or services relevant to the crisis. For example, the Commission can make digital tools available to the member states to help identify individuals and verify facts related to the crisis and provide templates or digital forms to accelerate procedures affecting the crisis. SMEI omnibus The agreement the co-legislators reached today extends the scope of the legislative proposals affected by the SMEI to the general product safety regulation, and to non-harmonised products included under this legislation. On the other hand, the agreement excludes the regulations affecting products with particular safety specifications, such as fertilisers, pyrotechnic items, civil explosives and non-automatic weighing and measuring instruments. Application dates Finally, the co-legislators have agreed that member states will have a period of 18 months to implement the new rules, once the regulation comes into force. Next steps The provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament now needs to be endorsed and formally adopted by both institutions. Background On 19 September 2022, the Commission submitted to the European Parliament and to the Council a proposal for a directive on single market emergency instrument. The Council adopted its general approach on 6 June 2023, under the Swedish presidency. Council’s negotiating mandate Commission’s proposal