GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS: SUMMIT PREPARATIONS AND IGC ON WEIGHTY AGENDA.

General Affairs.

The Council is due to approve on December 8 an annotated draft agenda for the December 12-13 European Council. The main items that the Summit is due to address (apart from what should be the concluding phase of the IGC) are: economic growth; strengthening the EU's Area of Freedom, Security and Justice; EU enlargement; and external relations, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). The Council will examine a draft multi-annual strategic programme for 2004-2006, drawn up by the six EU Presidencies concerned (Ireland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Austria and Finland) in consultation with the Commission, with a view to its approval by the European Council. The forthcoming Irish and Dutch Presidencies - which will take the EU chair in 2004 - will present a joint operational programme for organising the Council's work next year.

External Relations.

EU Foreign Ministers will turn to external relations matters on December 9. They will examine the latest situation in the Western Balkans and adopt a set of Conclusions. The latest developments concerning Iran, Iraq and the Middle East will be broached. The Council is expected to endorse a European Security Strategy, based on a document drawn up by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana called "A secure Europe in a better world". The paper seeks to identify Europe's strategic objectives and the policy implications. Elaborating on one element of this Strategy, the Council is also expected to endorse an EU strategy aimed at countering the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and to recommend its adoption by the December 12-13 European Council. EU Foreign Ministers are due to endorse a report from the Italian Presidency on ESDP, again with a view to its transmission to the European Council. The report sets out a mandate for the incoming Presidency for the further development of ESDP. On trade, the Council is expected to adopt conclusions endorsing the Commission's analysis and proposed approach in its Communication on "Reviving the Doha Development Agenda - the EU perspective", following the breakdown in the WTO negotiations in September in Cancun.

Miscellaneous.

The Council is expected to adopt or approve a whole series of items without further...