Foreign Affairs Council (Trade), 8 May 2014

A meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council was held on 8 May 2014, focusing on trade-related topics. The agenda included the following topics:

+ Briefings on the progress regarding the ongoing negotiations for free and comprehensive trade agreements;

+ Discussion regarding the EU's 'post-Bali' agenda following the WTO mninisterial conference held in 2013;

+ Adoption of a regulation aimed at creating a common legislative framework to enable the European Union to defend and enforce its rights under international trade agreements;

+ Adoption of an amendment to regulation 2173/2005 on the estblishing of a FLEGT (forest law enforcement, governance and trade) licensing scheme for imports of timber into the EU;

+ Adoption of a regulation laying down provisions for the management of expenditure relating to the food chain, animal health and animal welfare, and relating to plant health and plant reproductive material;

+ Adoption of an amendment to regulation 302/2009 concerning a multiannual recovery plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean;

+ Adoption of a Regulation aimed at ensuring the funding of strengthened post-authorisation monitoring of medicines for human use ('pharmacovigilance') conducted at EU level;

+ Endorsement of a Directive amending Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey;

+ Adoption of an amended regulation on the labour force sample survey;

+ Adoption of a decision on enhanced co-operation between public employment services (PES);

+ Adoption of a directive on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a member state;

+ Adoption of a directive making it easier and cheaper to roll out high-speed electronic communications networks;

+ Adoption a decision to introduce a mandatory EU-wide system to handle emergency calls sent automatically by car or triggered manually by people in the car in case of a crash (eCalls);

+ Adoption of a regulation updating EU fleet capacitty policy to promote inland waterway transport;

+ Adoption of a decision establishing the EU position for the 93rd session of the maritime safety committee of the International Maritime Organisation.

Council of the European Union: Council conclusions on the environmental goods initiative http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/142534.pdf

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