Europaudvalget 2015-16
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Council of the
European Union
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EN
PRESSE 35
PR CO 27
OUTCOME OF THE COUNCIL MEETING
3390th Council meeting
General Affairs
Brussels, 19 May 2015
President
Edgars Rinkēvičs
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia
PRESS
Rue de la Loi 175 B – 1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 281 8026
[email protected] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/press
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CONTENTS
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ITEMS DEBATED
Follow-up to the April special European Council on migration .......................................................... 4
Preparation of the June European Council ........................................................................................... 4
Four presidents' report on EMU ........................................................................................................... 5
OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
GENERAL AFFAIRS
–
Youth employment initiative - Increase of pre-financing ........................................................................................ 6
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
–
Syria - restrictive measures...................................................................................................................................... 6
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
–
ACP-EU Council of Ministers ................................................................................................................................. 6
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
–
Purchasing power parities ........................................................................................................................................ 7
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
–
Visa waiver agreements with Colombia and Peru ................................................................................................... 7
FISHERIES
–
General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - Political agreement .......................................................... 8
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
–
Treaty on access to published works for blind and visually impaired people ......................................................... 8
CUSTOMS UNION
–
1
Heavy oils - Suspension of duties ............................................................................................................................ 9

Where declarations, conclusions or resolutions have been formally adopted by the Council, this is indicated
in the heading for the item concerned and the text is placed between quotation marks.
 
Documents for which references are given in the text are available on the Council's Internet site
(http://www.consilium.europa.eu).
 
Acts adopted with statements for the Council minutes which may be released to the public are indicated by
an asterisk; these statements are available on the Council's Internet site or may be obtained from the Press
Office.
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ENVIRONMENT
–
Lima Declaration ................................................................................................................................................... 10
TRANSPORT
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Aircraft registered in a third country ..................................................................................................................... 10
TRANSPARENCY
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Access to Council documents - Annual report ...................................................................................................... 11
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ITEMS DEBATED
Follow-up to the April special European Council on migration
The Council was informed by the presidency and the Commission of ongoing and planned work as
a follow-up to the statement adopted at the special meeting of the European Council on 23 April
2015.
The presentations encompassed the requested roadmap setting out work up to the June European
Council, the discussions held at the Foreign Affairs Council on 18 May as well as a presentation of
the European Agenda on Migration by the Commission.
At the special meeting of the European Council on 23 April leaders decided to mobilise all efforts at
their disposal to prevent further loss of life at sea and to tackle the root causes of the human
emergency, in cooperation with the countries of origin and transit. The European Council decided to
do everything possible to save people from dying at sea, to strengthen the EU's presence at sea, to
fight the traffickers, to prevent illegal migration flows and to reinforce internal solidarity and
responsibility.
Preparation of the June European Council
The Council took note of the annotated draft agenda, drawn up by the President of the European
Council in cooperation with the presidency and the Commission, for the European Council meeting
to be held on 25 and 26 June 2015.
The European Council will focus on:
1.
Security challenges
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–
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–
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Review of the 2003 European Security Strategy
Defence
Relations with Russia and the situation in Ukraine
Follow-up to guidelines agreed at the special European Council on migration
Stock-taking of measures agreed at the informal European Council on terrorism
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2.
Economic issues
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Digital single market
Conclusion of the 2015 European Semester and country-specific recommendations
State of play on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
Four presidents' report on economic and monetary union (EMU)
The annotated draft agenda will serve as the basis for draft conclusions, to be prepared in the run-up
to the meeting.
Annotated draft agenda for the European Council meeting on 25-26 June
Four presidents' report on EMU
The Council was updated on the state of play in the preparation of the four presidents' report on
economic and monetary union (EMU) to be presented to the June European Council.
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OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
GENERAL AFFAIRS
Youth employment initiative - Increase of pre-financing
The Council adopted a regulation increasing pre-financing under the youth employment initiative
by almost €1 billion (PE-CONS
19/15).
Instead of about €67 million, member states will receive
around €1 billion as advance payments this year. The regulation removes the main bottleneck in the
implementation of the youth employment initiative by releasing the financial burden on the member
states' budgets and allowing them to roll out measures against youth employment quickly.
For details, see press release.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Syria - restrictive measures
The Council updated the information included in EU legal acts concerning four individuals and two
entities that are currently subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze over their involvement in human
rights violations and the violent repression of the civilian population in Syria. In addition, the
Council made a specific entry for a further entity.
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
ACP-EU Council of Ministers
The Council adopted the agenda for the 40th session of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, to be
held in Brussels from 28 to 29 May 2015. Migration, development and trade cooperation will be
among the topics raised.
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ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
Purchasing power parities
The Council decided not to object to the adoption by the Commission of a regulation implementing
regulation 1445/2007 as regards the list of basic headings used for purchasing power parities.
The regulation amends annex II to regulation 1445/2007, which established common rules for the
provision of basic information on purchasing power parities and for their calculation and
dissemination.
The regulation is an implementing act. In line with the procedure laid out in Article 5a(3) of
Council decision 1999/468/EC, it can now enter into force, unless the European Parliament objects.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
Visa waiver agreements with Colombia and Peru
The Council adopted a decision authorising the opening of negotiations on short-stay visa waiver
agreements between the European Union and Colombia and Peru.
Pursuant to
regulation 509/2014
the references to Colombia and Peru (and some other countries)
have been transferred from Annex I (visa obligation) to Annex II (visa exemption) of Council
Regulation 539/2001. The regulation says that this exemption will come into force only when
bilateral agreements on visa waiver between the EU and the countries concerned have been
concluded in order to ensure full reciprocity.
For Peru and Colombia, an additional step was required before opening negotiations on bilateral
visa waiver agreements: a Commission assessment of the two countries with regard to the criteria
set out in Article 1(1) of Regulation 509/2014. On 29 October 2014 the Commission adopted two
reports concluding that both countries fulfilled the relevant criteria.
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FISHERIES
General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - Political agreement
The Council confirmed its political agreement with the European Parliament on an amendment to
regulation 1343/2011 on certain provisions for fishing in the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission
for the Mediterranean) agreement area (11841/14).
The proposal aims to transpose into EU law a number of measures adopted by the GFCM at its
annual sessions of 2011, 2012 and 2013. The EU, as well as Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France,
Greece, Italy, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and Spain are contracting parties to the GFCM, a regional
fisheries management organisation (RFMO) established under the FAO Constitution. The GFCM
may, on the basis of scientific advice, adopt recommendations and resolutions designed to promote
the development, conservation, rational management and best utilisation of stocks of living aquatic
resources in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea at levels which are considered sustainable and
low risk. Since recommendations adopted by the GFCM are binding on its contracting parties, they
should be transposed into EU law.
The last transposition of GFCM decisions was done by means of regulation 1343/2011. The current
proposal will insert the measures to be transposed into that legislative act by way of amendments to
it.
The European Parliament approved the texts at the meeting of its Committee on Fisheries on 11
May 2015. Now, after confirmation of political agreement, if the Council approves the texts in first
reading, after legal-linguistic revision, the European Parliament will prepare adoption of the same
text in early second reading. The Council can expect to receive the revised text in the coming
months.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Treaty on access to published works for blind and visually impaired people
The Council adopted a decision requesting the Commission to submit a legislative proposal with a
view to amending the EU's legal framework so that it complies with the
Marrakesh Treaty
to
facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print
disabled.
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Such a legislative proposal is necessary to ensure compliance of the European legal order with
international obligations from the time of the conclusion of the Marrakesh Treaty, and its speedy
implementation and application in EU member states. The Council is committed to the rapid entry
into force of the Treaty.
The EU, which signed the Marrakesh Treaty on 30 April 2014, requires its legal framework to be
amended to comply with it.
CUSTOMS UNION
Heavy oils - Suspension of duties
The Council exempted certain heavy oils from customs duties retroactively from 4 April 2013
to 30 June 2014.
The
decision
avoids a gap in the same tariff treatment granted to the same categories of products by
reinstating the duty free treatment for certain heavy oils, which they had enjoyed since 1968.
It allows the repayment of duties on imports collected during the 15-month period.
Until April 2013, certain oils in which the weight of the aromatic constituents exceeds that of the
non-aromatic constituents enjoyed duty free treatment in accordance with their classification in the
Combined Nomenclature (CN).
However, following a change to classification rules, since 4 April 2013 those oils were classified
under a different heading of the CN and subject to a duty rate of 1.7%. With effect from 1 July
2014,
regulation 1387/2013
granted them a temporary autonomous suspension of duties.
The favourable tariff treatment should have been applied without interruption as long as those
products were intended to undergo specific processes and the end-use procedures were met.
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ENVIRONMENT
Lima Declaration
The Council approved the signature on behalf of the EU of the Lima Declaration (8704/15).
The Lima Declaration is a political declaration not connected with any financial commitment. Its
purpose is to enhance ongoing political collaboration with Ethiopia to advance international climate
policy, especially through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) negotiations. It also expresses support for long-term cooperation in view of the
implementation of Ethiopia's Climate-Resilient Green Economy Strategy.
In the past months, the partnership, attended by the EU as an observer pending signature of the
Lima Declaration, has proved to become a strategic opportunity in the lead-up to this year's climate
summit in Paris.
TRANSPORT
Aircraft registered in a third country
The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of a Commission regulation amending regulation
965/2012 as regards operations by EU air carriers of aircraft registered in a third country
(7257/15).
The Commission regulation is subject to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This means that
now that the Council has given its consent, the Commission may adopt it, unless the European
Parliament objects.
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TRANSPARENCY
Access to Council documents - Annual report
The Council adopted its
2014 annual report
on the implementation of regulation 1049/2001
regarding public access to documents.
The report provides an overview of the Council's transparency policy and practice and gives
information about the Council's public register of documents as well as statistics on public access to
documents.
The report indicates that in 2014:
–
The Council's public document register listed 317 154 original language documents, of
which 67% were available in a downloadable format.
802 953 unique visitors logged on to the register, 13.5% more than in 2013.
The Council received 2 445 initial requests for access from the public concerning a total of
10 839 documents and gave access (either entirely or in part) to 82.7.% of the requested
documents.
–
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In addition, the report highlights the key developments in the 13th year of implementation of the
regulation and reviews complaints submitted to the European Ombudsman, as well as rulings given
by the Courts of the European Union in 2014 in the field of regulation 1049/2001.
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