Europaudvalget 2018-19 (1. samling)
Det Europæiske Råd 18/10-18 Bilag 6
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European Council
The President
Brussels, 15 October 2018
Dear colleagues,
We will meet later this week to discuss European and global challenges, first among ourselves and
then with our partners from across Asia.
The European Council will start on Wednesday evening with a debate on Brexit. I have invited
Prime Minister May to address the EU27, giving the UK Government's assessment of the
negotiations. Later at 27, we will decide on how to take the negotiations forward, on the basis of a
recommendation by our chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. As you remember from Salzburg, we
wished for maximum progress and results that would lead to a deal in October. As things stand
today, it has proven to be more complicated than some may have expected. We should
nevertheless remain hopeful and determined, as there is good will to continue these talks on both
sides. But at the same time, responsible as we are, we must prepare the EU for a no-deal
scenario, which is more likely than ever before. Like the UK, the Commission has started such
preparations, and will give us an update during the meeting. But let me be absolutely clear. The
fact that we are preparing for a no-deal scenario must not, under any circumstances, lead us away
from making every effort to reach the best agreement possible, for all sides. This is what our state
of mind should be at this stage. As someone rightly said: 'It always seems impossible until it's
done.' Let us not give up.
We will reconvene at 28 on Thursday morning for the regular European Council. After our usual
exchange with the President of the European Parliament, Chancellor Kurz will debrief us on
progress in implementing our previous conclusions, including on migration. We will then have a
debate and adopt conclusions on migration, internal security and external relations. Our aim is to
send a strong message about fighting smuggling networks, protecting our external borders and
building our cooperation with countries of origin and transit. On the internal security front, we need
to strengthen our resilience and our resolve, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. The latest
cyber-attack against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague
demonstrated that we are facing evolving threats. We should also address our new partnership
with Africa and the upcoming summit with the League of Arab States, as well as other global
issues, in particular the fight against climate change ahead of COP 24 in Katowice.
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 Det Europæiske Råd den 17.-18. oktober 2018 - Bilag 6: Hyrdebrev fra formanden for Det Europæiske Råd forud for møde i Det Europæiske Råd den 18/10-18
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Later, the Euro Summit will meet informally over lunch in an inclusive format of 27 to discuss the
EMU reform state of play. Eurogroup President Centeno will update us on the ministers' work on
the reform, while European Central Bank President Draghi will give us his assessment of the
situation. In the current global environment, we need to focus especially on strengthening Europe's
resilience also on the economic front. We need to make sure that there is a good progress in the
EMU reform by the end of the year.
Before concluding, let me recall that the European Council will be followed by the Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM), hosted this year by the EU. Together with 21 Asian countries, the 28 Member
States, along with Norway and Switzerland, will focus on how to make connectivity sustainable and
how we can fortify the rules-based international order. The ASEM starts on Thursday evening and
finishes on Friday afternoon. After that meeting, the EU will hold a Summit with the Republic of
Korea, followed by the EU-ASEAN Leaders' Meeting.
Yours sincerely,
D. TUSK
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