The heads of European diplomacy will hold two meetings on Monday, 22 February in Brussels, first in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), chaired by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, and afterwards the General Affairs Council (GAC), where the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, will be the Chair.
The heads of European diplomacy will hold two meetings on Monday, 22 February in Brussels, first in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), chaired by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, and afterwards the General Affairs Council (GAC), where the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, will be the Chair.
At the FAC, which will begin at 10:00 AM, Haiti, Iran and the Ukraine will be discussed, and conclusions will be adopted, without discussion, on Moldova and Zimbabwe.
The ministers will take stock of the co-ordinated response to the earthquake in Haiti. After the tragedy of 12 January, the EU immediately mobilised search and rescue teams and earmarked over 400 million Euros for urgent humanitarian assistance, construction and longer-term development.
The EU announced a collective EU contribution of some 300 police personnel for temporary reinforcement of the police capability of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The EU has also set up a co-ordination cell, EUCO Haiti, to co-ordinate contributions of military and security assets for relief and reconstruction.
The focus is currently on providing shelter for over a million Haitians before the rainy season sets in.This was made clear at the Informal Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Development held at La Granja (Segovia) on 17 and 18 February.
The Council will also discuss the position to be adopted in the Donor's Conference for Haiti, to be held in New York in March.
With regard to Iran, the ministers will hold a discussion on the nuclear issue and political and human rights in the country. The EU is willing to consider new restrictive measures against Iran unless it responds favourably to the international community's offer of engagement in the nuclear issue, at the same time that it is willing to seek a negotiated solution with Tehran.
Over lunch, the Council will discuss future EU relations with the Ukraine, following its presidential election.
A press conference by the High Representative is scheduled for about 3:30 PM.
General Affairs Council
At 4 PM, the ministers will meet again, this time in the General Affairs Council (GAC).
Chaired by Miguel Ángel Moratinos, they will prepare the Spring European Council which will take place on 25 and 26 March in Brussels.
The draft agenda was prepared in the framework of the new Treaty of Lisbon, by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, in close co-operation with the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durao Barroso.
The European Council will focus on the new European strategy for jobs and growth (Europe 2020), and the follow-up to the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change.
After this Council meeting, Minister Moratinos will give a press conference at about 6:30 PM.
The next day, Tuesday, 23, a meeting will be held on political dialogue with Montenegro at 8:45 AM, followed by a press conference. At 11:45 AM there will be a Council meeting on co-operation with Kyrgyzstan.
At the request of the High Representative, the two meetings will be chaired by Miguel Ángel Moratinos.