About: foreign affairs council
Hungary blocks EU declaration on Israel-Palestine ceasefire
EU foreign ministers called on Tuesday (18 May) for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and boosted humanitarian aid for Gaza, but failed to reach the unanimity that might give the EU leverage in peacemaking.
EU faced with ‘deep disappointment’ in Western Balkans
EU foreign minister will discuss the Western Balkans on Monday (10 May) to determine how to improve cooperation with the region, burdened by lingering nationalism, a weak economy and widespread disappointment with its fading EU membership prospects.
EU seeks rapid response military force, two decades after first try
Fourteen EU countries, including Germany and France, have proposed a rapid military response force that could intervene early in international crises, a senior EU official said on Wednesday, two decades after a previous attempt. The countries say the EU should...
EU foreign ministers to push for global fossil fuel phase-out
European Union foreign ministers will promote a global phase out of fossil fuels and reaffirm commitments to funding climate adaptation at a meeting on Monday (25 January).
EU to deploy new military mission to enforce Libya arms embargo
EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday (17 February), after Austria lifted its veto, to deploy a combined aerial and naval mission, with a terrestrial component, and enforce a porous UN arms embargo in and around war-torn Libya.
EU foreign ministers to hold emergency Iran talks on Friday
EU foreign ministers will hold emergency talks on the Iran crisis later this week on Friday as tensions rise after US forces killed an Iranian general in a drone strike, diplomats said on Monday (6 January).
EU urges Iran’s full compliance with nuclear deal
EU ministers called for Iran to fully comply with its embattled nuclear deal, and reiterated their regret at the US’ withdrawal, at a foreign affairs ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (15 July). EU ministers discussed how to preserve the...
Spain calls on EU partners to step up diplomacy on Venezuela crisis
EU and Latin American efforts to resolve the Venezuela crisis peacefully are too slow and must be accelerated, Spain's foreign minister Josep Borrell said Monday (8 April).
How to get Europe back into the Middle East
The Foreign Affairs Council is right to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process when it meets Arab leaders on Monday, but it’s on Iran that the EU is needed the most, writes Franco Frattini, the former Italian foreign minister.
Malta holds back the EU on sexual rights in development policy
EU foreign affairs ministers have strengthened their stance on gender equality in development policy. But progress on sexual and reproductive rights, particularly abortion, has been hampered by Maltese opposition. EURACTIV France reports.
EU foreign ministers to agree on Mediterranean intelligence operations
EU foreign affairs ministers will today (22 June) agree on an intelligence gathering operation, the first phase of the bloc’s response to the burgeoning migration crisis in the Mediterranean, but military action against people smugglers will depend on the support of Libya’s National Unity Government and the United Nations. VideoPromoted content
Ashton: Targeted sanctions against Ukraine
EU foreign ministers meeting in emergency session in Brussels decided on measures against Kyiv including visa bans, asset freezes and a suspension of the export of riot control equipment like water cannon, body armour and helmets. VideoPromoted content
Brussels tells Russia to stop pressuring Ukraine over closer EU ties
European foreign ministers have warned Russia to stop putting pressure on Ukraine, as the former Soviet country seeks closer ties with the EU. Gathering in Luxembourg on Monday, the EU's foreign ministers are discussing Ukraine’s progress towards the signing of a free trade deal with the EU during the Eastern Partnership summit next November. But Moscow has been pressuring the ex-soviet member to join the Moscow-led customs union instead, reminding Ukraine of its heavy dependance on Russian gas.
Ukraine dominates EU’s foreign ministers discussions in Luxemburg
The EU's 28 foreign ministers will discuss Ukraine’s progress towards closer association with the EU during a Luxembourg summit, as talks on the release from prison of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko gather steam. Arab Spring countries and the EU's southern neighbourhood are also on the agenda.