Brussels European Council - Presidency Conclusions

The meeting of the European Council was preceded by an exposé by Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, followed by an exchange of views.

Main topics include:

LISBON TREATY

1. The European Council took note of the preparatory work carried out in line with its December 2007 conclusions.

2. The European Council noted the outcome of the referendum in Ireland on the Lisbon Treaty and took stock of the situation on the basis of an initial assessment provided by the Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

3. The European Council agreed that more time was needed to analyse the situation. It noted that the Irish government will actively consult, both internally and with the other Member States, in order to suggest a common way forward.

4. Recalling that the purpose of the Lisbon Treaty is to help an enlarged Union to act more effectively and more democratically, the European Council noted that the parliaments in 19 Member States have ratified the Treaty and that the ratification process continues in other countries¹.

5. The European Council agreed to Ireland's suggestion to come back to this issue at its meeting of 15 October 2008 in order to consider the way forward. It underlined the importance in the meantime of continuing to deliver concrete results in the various policy areas of concern to the citizens.

FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE
For details, see the complete Presidency Conclusions

POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF HIGH FOOD AND OIL PRICES
For details, see the complete Presidency Conclusions

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
For details, see the complete Presidency Conclusions

WESTERN BALKANS
For details, see the complete Presidency Conclusions

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Millennium Development Goals

6. The year 2008 should mark a turning point in enhancing the collective efforts to eradicate poverty in the context of sustainable development, in order to ensure that by 2015 all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be achieved worldwide. In the light of progress made in some countries and areas, the European Council is convinced that all MDGs can still be attained in all regions of the world, provided that concerted action is taken immediately and in a sustained manner until 2015. However, it is seriously concerned about the trend in many countries and regions, in particular sub-Saharan Africa, in terms of achievement of the MDGs.

7. The EU will continue to play a leading role as the world's largest donor and will make all necessary efforts to ensure an ambitious action-oriented response before, during and after the key events to be held in the second half of this year: the third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Accra, 2 4 September), the UN High-Level Event on the MDGs (New York, 25 September) and the International Conference on Financing for Development (Doha, 29 November-2 December).

8. The European Council fully endorses the Council conclusions of May 2008, which provide a strong collective EU response to the global development challenge. In particular, with a view to attaining all MDGs, the EU strongly reaffirms its commitment to achieve a collective ODA target of 0,56% GNI by 2010 and 0,7% GNI by 2015, as set out in the May 2005 Council conclusions, the June 2005 European Council conclusions and the European Consensus on Development. These commitments should see annual EU ODA double to over EUR 66 billion in 2010. At least half of this collective increase will be allocated to Africa. Member States are encouraged to establish their indicative timetables illustrating how they aim to achieve their agreed ODA targets.

9. The EU will undertake radical reforms to improve aid effectiveness, building on the full implementation of the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the 2005 European Consensus on Development and the 2007 EU Code of Conduct on complementarity and division of labour.

10. The EU will continue to improve policy coherence for development (PCD) in the twelve areas identified in 2005, ensuring furthermore that the PCD principles are part of the international agenda for the MDGs and aid effectiveness.

11. The EU will fully implement the 2007 EU Strategy on Aid for Trade, striving to achieve its collective target of EUR 2 billion spending on EU trade-related assistance annually by 2010 (EUR 1 billion from the Member States and EUR 1 billion from the European Community) and to increase overall Aid for Trade in coherence with the increases in overall ODA. In the range of 50% of the increase in the collective EU trade-related assistance will be available for ACP countries.

12. The European Council welcomes the EU Agenda for Action on MDGs. The EU proposes to its partners in development to share this agenda, which identifies, within time frames, specific milestones and actions in the context of pro-poor growth development in key areas, such as the reduction of poverty and hunger, education, health, environment, gender equality and the empowerment of women, water, agriculture, private sector and infrastructure, that will contribute to ensure the achievement of the MDGs by 2015.

13. The EU is determined to provide an effective collective response to the new challenges to development posed in particular by climate change and high food prices. With regard to climate change, the EU is determined, where relevant, to help developing countries, particularly poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change, to move towards sustainable economic growth and to adapt to climate change, in line with the agreement reached in Bali to launch negotiations aimed at securing a global agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in 2009. It will work for the effective implementation of the 2007 "Global Climate Change Alliance" and will explore ways to mobilise new financial resources to tackle climate change and combat its negative impact. In this context, the EU will work, inter alia, on the basis of the Commission proposal for a global financing mechanism.

Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean

14. The Mediterranean region is an area of vital strategic importance to the European Union in political, economic and social terms. The Barcelona Process has been the central instrument for Euro-Mediterranean relations since 1995 and has allowed the strong promotion of multilateral and bilateral cooperation. Building on and reinforcing previous successes, the "Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean" will inject further momentum into the Union's relations with the Mediterranean. It will complement ongoing bilateral relations which will continue within existing policy frameworks.

15. The European Council welcomes the Commission's Communication of 20 May 2008 and, in particular, the proposals to add an enhanced political and institutional dimension to the EU's relations with Mediterranean partners through a new political impetus, notably by holding biennial summits, and to reinforce the shared ownership of the Partnership through the establishment of a co presidency with due regard for the relevant provisions of the Treaties.

16. On this basis, the EU will conduct the necessary consultations with all Euro-Mediterranean partners with a view to preparing a joint declaration to be adopted at the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean on 13 July 2008.

Eastern Partnership
For details, see the complete Presidency Conclusions

Other issues
For details, see the complete Presidency Conclusions

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ANNEX: DECLARATION ON THE WESTERN BALKANS

Considerable efforts have been made to render the European perspective of the Western Balkans more tangible and visible to the people across the region. With reference to the Commission's Communication "Western Balkans: Enhancing the European Perspective" the European Council underlines the importance of the following three areas:

1) Extending Community policies to the Western Balkans and enhancing regional cooperation
In order to deepen the ongoing cooperation between the EU and the region, which enjoys a European perspective, and to enhance regional cooperation, the European Council:

• Le commerce entre l'Union européenne et les pays méditerranéens (2/7/2008)
• Euromed ministers give new impetus to trade and investment relations (2/7/2008)
• EU-Mediterranean Trade (2/7/2008)
• EU Council Conclusions on the Western Balkans (16/6/2008)
• EU External Relations Council Conclusions (16/6/2008)
• EU Council Conclusions on General Affairs (16/6/2008)
• Statement by European Commission President Barroso after the Irish referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon (13/6/2008)
• Nos engagements en faveur des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement en quelques dates. (4/4/2008)