Finland’s EU Presidency : Frontpage - Finlands EU Presidency

03 Oct 2006, 13:38

5559581_web-7549489 During the second the day of their informal meeting, the EU Defence Ministers discussed civil-military coordination in crisis management, the EU’s role in Lebanon and the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Finnish Minister of Defence, Seppo Kääriäinen, said that during its Presidency Finland has promoted civil-military coordination by placing particular emphasis on situational awareness. The Ministers agreed that the presence of the international community is needed to stabilise conditions in Lebanon. The EU’s role is to support Lebanon in its efforts to establish national defence forces and, more generally, to strengthen the structures of civil society.

The Ministers also discussed the future of the EU’s operation in Congo. According to the Ministers, the operation has, so far, been a success.

The two press conferences for the meeting were webcast and can be viewed as recordings from the archive on this website.

02 Oct 2006, 21:10

The EU Presidency, assisted by the Commission, negotiated with the United States in Washington D.C. on 28-30 September on the temporary agreement concerning the processing and transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data.

The negotiations were conducted in a constructive manner, and the parties found consensus on the essential content of the agreement. In conjunction with the negotiations, however, the U.S. expressed issues which related to, among other things, the squaring of EU data protection requirements with the amended U.S. legislation. It is, therefore, necessary to address the matter within the EU during this week. Negotiations with the U.S. will be continued as soon as possible.

03 Oct 2006, 13:49

During its visit to Southern Caucasus, the EU Troika Delegation, led by the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, has visited Georgia and Armenia.

In connection with the visit to Armenia, the EU welcomes the successful outcome of the consultations on the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan. The EU and Armenia announced that they have reached an agreement in principle on a final text. The steps to prepare for the formal adoption of the agreement can now be taken at the next EU-Armenia Cooperation Council to be held on 14 November in Brussels.

At a meeting with Mr Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia, the EU’s central message was that the escalation of the situation should be prevented by means of dialogue. The European Union is ready to promote trust and co-operation between the two countries in order to normalise the situation.

02 Oct 2006, 10:20

EU ministers responsible for justice and home affairs will convene in Luxembourg on 5-6 October for a meeting of the Council of Ministers. The meeting will be chaired by Finnish Minister of Justice Leena Luhtanen and Minister of the Interior Kari Rajamäki.

On Thursday, the Ministers will hold a public debate on the review of the Hague Programme and the President will inform the Council about the follow-up to the informal ministerial meeting in Tampere. The intention is also to submit conclusions on the strengthening of the surveillance of the EU’s southern sea borders and set a new timetable for the technical development of the Schengen Information System (SIS II).

On Friday, the Ministers will try to reach consensus on a framework agreement on the recognition of judgements among the EU Member States in new criminal proceedings. The reform would contribute to the equal treatment of offenders. The Council is also to discuss the key issues relating to the framework decision on the transfer of criminals.

The open sessions of the Council meeting, starting approximately at 10.15 (GMT+2) on Thursday and at 10.00 on Friday, and the press conferences, starting approximately at 14.45 (GMT+2) and at 15.00 on Friday, can be viewed as live webcasts or as recordings from the archive on this site.