The Ministers began preparing the forthcoming meeting of EU Heads of State and Government on Sunday evening (17 June). The key topic during the European Council will be the EU reform process. The EU Foreign Ministers debated the main unresolved issues until the early hours, looking at the form of the treaty, the Union's symbols such as the flag and anthem, the question of whether the EU is to have a legal personality and thereby be able to conclude treaties also in its own name, but also the legally binding nature of the Charter of Human Rights and the so-called pillar structure of the EU. After the discussions, Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was able to announce that it had been largely possible to limit the number of open questions. The Minister continued, "Now it's the final spurt … Europe urgently needs a compromise on the reform process and thus on the future of the European Union. At the end of the week, there will only be "joint winners or joint losers".
On Monday (18 June) the EU Foreign Ministers looked primarily at the political situation in the Middle East, assuring President Mahmoud Abbas of their full support. In their conclusions, the EU Foreign Ministers condemned the actions of militant Hamas supporters in the Gaza Strip and at the same time welcomed the commitment of President Mahmoud Abbas to unity and reconciliation in Palestine. The Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni who had come to attend the Council outlined recent developments. In the new emergency government appointed by President Abbas, Israel now had a partner for cooperation once more, she said. During the press conference, the Foreign Minister confirmed that Israel will at least in part now release and make available to the emergency government frozen tax and customs revenue. For their part, the EU Foreign Ministers called upon the European Commission to take the necessary steps as quickly as possible in order to strengthen the emergency government led by the independent Prime Minister Salam Fayyad but also to continue humanitarian aid and projects in the Gaza Strip.
The Western Balkans also featured in the talks. The EU Ministers again supported the proposal presented by UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari on Kosovo's independence as a basis for further developments in the region. The EU continues to place its hopes on the UN Security Council and a Security Council Resolution. In view of the relaunching of negotiations on a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Serbia, Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier said the Serbian Government had proved "that they are able to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal" and thus relaunching negotiations had been a logical step.
The Ministers also approved the political framework for enhanced EU engagement in Central Asia: the EU Central Asia Strategy drawn up by the German Presidency of the Council together with the European Commission. Here, Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier pointed out that the European Union attaches great importance to political stability, the rule of law and democracy in the region which is constantly becoming ever more significant in strategic terms. The Central Asia Strategy will be presented to the EU Heads of State and Government for approval at this week's European Council.
A recording of Foreign Minister Steinmeier's opening statement at the press conference during the EU Foreign Ministers meeting (in German) and other information on the meeting is available at www.eu2007.de.
