Finland's EU Presidency: Newsletter 3/2006
17 Jul 2006, 10:20
GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS COUNCIL (GAERC) IN BRUSSELS ON 17 AND 18 JULY
The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Brussels on 17 July will discuss illegal immigration in connection to general affairs and the WTO negotiations, the relations with the Western Balkans and the situation in the Middle East, Iran, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection to the Union's external relations. During its Presidency, Finland will hold five GAERC meetings and they will be chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, or, when the Council is dealing with matters concerning trade and development, by Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, Paula Lehtomäki.
The open session of the Council meeting, to be held approximately at 10.00 Brussels local time (GMT+2), and the press conference, to be held approximately at 15.15 Brussels local time (GMT+2), can be viewed live at www.eu2006.fi.
AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES COUNCIL IN BRUSSELS ON TUESDAY 18 JULY
Tuesday's meeting will be the first in a series of five Agriculture and Fisheries Council meetings during Finland's six-month EU Presidency. During the meeting, EU Ministers of Agriculture will have an exchange of views on the reform of the wine sector. Voluntary modulation will also be on the agenda. Voluntary modulation allows Member States to introduce cuts in their direct subsidies to agriculture and transfer funds to the development of rural areas. The Council meeting will be chaired by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Juha Korkeaoja.
The open session of the Council meeting, to be held approximately at 11.15 Brussels local time (GMT+2), and the press conference, to be held approximately 18.30 Brussels local time (GMT+2), can be viewed live at www.eu2006.fi.
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL (JHA) IN BRUSSELS ON MONDAY 24 JULY
Monday's meeting will be the first in a series of three Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings during Finland's EU Presidency. The main issues on the agenda include the Commission's communications on the review of the Hague programme review, global approach to migration and management of migration flows. The meetings of the JHA Council will be chaired by Minister of Justice, Leena Luhtanen, and Minister of the Interior, Kari Rajamäki.
Open sessions of the Council meeting, to be held approximately 10.00 Brussel local time (GMT+2), and the press conference, time to be confirmed on the website, can be viewed live at www.eu2006.fi.
COMPETITIVENESS COUNCIL IN BRUSSEL ON MONDAY 24 JULY 2006
An extraordinary meeting of the Competitiveness Council will take place in Brussels on Monday, 24 July. The meeting will focus on the 7th Framework Programme for Research. The aim is to reach a political agreement on the programme. The meetings of the Competitiveness Council will be chaired by Minister of Trade and Industry, Mauri Pekkarinen.
The open session, that will take place at 11.00-13.00 Brussels local time (GMT+2), and the press conference, to be held after the meeting, can be viewed live at www.eu2006.fi.
THE OPEN SESSIONS OF EU COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE TO BE WEBCAST
The EU Member States agreed in June that the open sessions of the Council of Ministers' meetings will be transmitted live on the Internet. The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), that convened on 11 July, was the first Council meeting which webcast its open sessions in accordance with the June decision. In addition to the open sessions of the Council meetings, the Presidency website provides webcasts, for example, of the informal ministerial meetings and press conferences held in connection with European Council meetings.
Webcasts: www.eu2006.fi/webcasts/
PRESIDENCY MEETS THE PRESS
Finland's EU Presidency is to take reporters' questions live on TV and the web. Once a month EU correspondents in Brussels will have the chance to question Finnish Ministers in Helsinki on current affairs, live on EbS, Europe by Satellite. The question-and-answer sessions can be viewed by anyone with access to EbS-website, link can be found at the Presidency website. The programme is produced by Finland's EU Presidency, Europe by Satellite and YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation.
The first Presidency Meets the Press programme was transmitted on Thursday, 13 July 2006. The first guest was Minister for European Affairs Paula Lehtomäki.
Presidency Meets the Press: www.eu2006.fi/pmp/
EU2006.FI AT THE SERVICE OF THE MEDIA
WEBCASTS AND PHOTOS
The main press conferences and open Council sessions can be viewed live at eu2006.fi. A picture archive consisting of print quality photographs is also available for media representatives.
Webcasts: www.eu2006.fi/webcasts/
Photos: www.eu2006.fi/photos/
CONSPECTUS RERUM LATINUS
The next news package in Latin, 'Conspectus rerum latinus', will be issued on Friday, 21 July 2006.
Conspectus rerum latinus: www.eu2006.fi/newsletters/
The next newsletter will be issued on Monday, 24 July 2006.
