Main results of the Foreign Affairs Council

EU News 279/2014

COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
11197/14
(OR. en)
PROVISIONAL VERSION
PRESSE 357
PR CO 37
3325th Council meeting
Foreign Affairs
Luxembourg, 23 June 2014

Ukraine

The Council exchanged views with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin on President Poroshenko's peace plan for Ukraine. It supported the plan as a major chance for de-escalation and called on all sides to honour a ceasefire and create the conditions needed to implement the plan.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, said: "We called in particular of course on Russia to support the plan and use its influence to ensure its implementation. We want to see the spiral of violence ending and we called on all sides to do their maximum to protect civilians and to let humanitarian organisations do their job."

The Council also agreed to establish a Common Security and Defence Policy mission to assist Ukraine in the field of civilian security sector reform, including police and rule of law. In that regard, the Council approved a related crisis management concept so that operational planning can be pursued with a view to an early deployment in the summer.

In addition, the Council completed the preparatory work for the full signature of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. As part of the EU's non-recognition policy vis à vis the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, the Council also prohibited the import of goods from Crimea and Sevastopol if they don't have Ukrainian certificates.

Iraq

Ministers debated the latest developments in Iraq, in the presence of Nikolay Mladenov, UN Special Representative for Iraq. The Council expressed its deep concern about the rapidly deteriorating security situation, strongly condemning the attacks perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The Council reiterated the EU's support to the Iraqi authorities in the fight against terrorism, emphasising that the security response needs to be combined with a sustainable political
solution involving all Iraqi leaders and communities. In response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis, the Commission brought total EU humanitarian funding for 2014 to € 12 million.

Egypt

Ministers also discussed the sentences pronounced today against journalists in Egypt. The High Representative said: "Ministers around the table were extremely concerned about the sentences pronounced this morning against the Al Jazeera journalists, and those pronounced in absentia against a number of European journalists. We've also expressed great concern about the death sentences against more than 180 people in Minya and the recent decision by the court to start the
process of imposing death sentences against 14 leading figures from the Islamist movement."

Source and additional information:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/143347.pdf

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