EU/GENERAL AFFAIRS & EXTERNAL RELATIONS COUNCIL: FINANCES, FOREIGN POLICY, DEFENCE AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES ON MINISTERS' PLATE.

General affairs: Budget and Summit.

The formal Council gathering will be preceded on the evening of May 22 by an informal foreign ministerial 'conclave' on the EU's 2007-2013 financial perspective. Discussions will be based on a revised 'negotiating box' presented by the Luxembourg EU Presidency. (For more details on the financial perspective negotiations, see separate article in this section.) According to Luxembourg's EU Ambassador Martine Schommer, the conclave will "end when it ends" and could run late into the night.

The General Affairs part of Foreign Ministers' discussions on May 23 will look at preparations for the June 16-17 European Council. Ministers will look at a draft 'annotated agenda' drawn up by the Luxembourg Presidency, and are expected to continue the preparations at their June 13/14 session. The main summit themes as it stands are expected to include:

- the 2007-2013 financial perspective;

- the EU Stability and Growth Pact, economic reform and sustainable development;

- justice and home affairs (notably terrorism);

- EU enlargement;

- External relations.

External relations.

In the External Relations part of the agenda, Foreign Ministers will take note of preparations for the 7th Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference due to take place on May 30-31 in Luxembourg. Over lunch, they are likely to discuss latest developments regarding the Middle East peace process, Iraq and Iran's contested nuclear intentions.

On Iraq, the Luxembourg Presidency is due to provide information about a planned June 22 international conference in Brussels. According to Ms Schommer, this will not be a donors' conference for pledging funds, but will be about aiming to "show the political support that the international community offers the new Iraqi authorities".

Ministers are also expected to discuss and adopt conclusions on Sudan and Uzbekistan, and touch on the peace/transition process in Burundi. Ministers are also due to take stock of the EU's action plan responding to the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, in the light of an information note from the Luxembourg Presidency.

Defence - ESDP and Congo launch.

EU Defence Ministers should hold their regular six-monthly review and adopt a set of conclusions on a range of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) questions such as military capabilities, rapid response/battle groups, the European Defence Agency and EU crisis management operations.

Ministers are expected to decide that...