| Author (Person) | Thomson, Ian |
|---|---|
| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning |
| Series Title | In Focus |
| Series Details | 15.10.00 |
| Publication Date | 15/10/2000 |
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus |
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An informal European Council was held in the French city of Biarritz on the 13-14 October 2000. Amongst items on the agenda were the situation in the Middle East, developments in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia following the election and coming to power of Vojislav Kostunica, the draft Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the main issues at stake in the current Intergovernmental Conference. Background The European Council consists of the heads of State or Government of the Member States and the President of the European Commission. They are assisted by their Ministers for Foreign Affairs and by another member of the Commission. The European Council meets at least twice a year in June and December, and is presided over by the Head of State or Government of the Member State holding the Presidency of the Council. Its main purpose is to provide political impetus for the Union's development. Increasingly, each Presidency also holds an extra European Council summit which is often called an 'informal' European Council. The next European Council will be held in Nice in December 2000. Sweden will hold two European Councils during its Presidency, January-June 2001: on 23-24 March 2001 in Stockholm (informal) and 15-16 June 2001 in Gothenburg. Further background information on the European Council is available in a European Sources Online Informal European Council, Biarritz, 13-14 October 2000 The summit began with the customary meeting of the European Council with the President of the European Parliament, Mrs Nicole Fontaine, at which the EU Institution representing the democratic will of European citizens is allowed to present its views on the items to be discussed. The statement by Mrs Fontaine is available, in which she advocated the legal incorporation of the Draft Charter of Fundamental Rights into the EU Treaties (or at least a formal mention of the Charter in Article 6 of the Treaty) and argued against proposals to strengthen intergovernmental co-operation at the expense of the 'Community way'. She also touched upon the situation in Yugoslavia and the Middle East The Heads of State and government then spent the rest of the meeting discussing the issues on the agenda. There was an understanding on easing the mechanisms to allow small numbers of EU Member States to move ahead with enhanced co-operation ahead of other Member States (this will be formally agreed as part of the Intergovernmental Conference to be concluded in December 2000). Emergency financial aid to Serbia of around 200m Euro was agreed. Newspaper reports of the event suggested that there was little progress on other areas relating to negotiations in the current Intergovernmental Conference, in particular relating to the number of European Commissioners there should be after enlargement and the extension of majority voting. A number of separate Declarations were issued on specific issues, and the text of various Press Conferences were also available: [At the time of compilation of the In Focus no formal Conclusions of the Presidency had been issued]. Further information within European Sources Online: European Sources Online: In Focus European Sources Online: Topic Guides European Sources Online: European Voice Penguin Companion to European Union Further information can be seen in these external links: France: EU Presidency Council of the European Union BBC News European Policy Centre Biarritz Further and subsequent information on the subject of this week's In Focus can be found by an 'Advanced Search' in European Sources Online by inserting 'European Council, Biarritz' in the keyword field or search under the key topics discussed such as 'Yugoslavia', 'Middle East' 'Charter of Fundamental Rights', 'enlargement' and 'IGC 2000' Ian Thomson The situation in the Middle East, developments in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , the draft Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the main issues at stake in the current Intergovernmental Conference all feature prominently on the agenda of the informal European Council held in Biarritz on the 13-14 October 2000. |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations, Values and Beliefs |
| Countries / Regions | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia |
