GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS COUNCIL: FOREIGN MINISTERS TO LAY GROUNDWORK FOR EU AND RUSSIA SUMMITS.

EU Summit.

Foreign Ministers are due to finalise draft Conclusions for the November 4-5 European Council, for which the main agenda items are:

- Economic issues: former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok will present his report on the "Lisbon" economic reform Strategy;

- Justice and home affairs (JHA): adoption of a new multi-annual agenda for the EU's Area of Freedom, Security and Justice;

- "Communicating Europe";

- EU enlargement: the European Commission will present policy documents regarding Bulgarian, Romanian, Croatian and Turkish applications to join the EU;

- External relations: Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is expected to be present, and conclusions should be adopted on Iran, Iraq, the Middle East and the Darfur crisis in Sudan.

Dutch Ambassador to the EU Thom de Bruijn told journalists on October 28 that there was broad agreement on the JHA programme. EU Foreign Ministers would be looking to resolve two issues: the timeframe for implementing a common asylum procedure; and moves to qualified majority voting in JHA.

Foreign Ministers will also discuss on November 2 the external relations points that will be on the Summit agenda. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana is due to present a strategy for supporting the Palestinian Authority with reforms, security, economy and elections. Conclusions are expected on Sudan (see Europe Information 2907) and Iraq. EU leaders are expected to outline a package of EU support for the latter at their Summit.

--

Dutch Prime Minister Balkenende was to consult fellow EU leaders on the ongoing controversy over the new Barroso Commission, when they met on October 29 in Rome to sign the new EU Constitutional Treaty. Mr de Bruijn said this meant Foreign Ministers were not expected to discuss the matter on November 2. And one EU diplomat told Europe Information that if there were a "good discussion" in Rome, there would be no need to deal with the issue at the November 4-5 Summit.

--

Russia - spaces or vacuums?

Foreign Ministers will also discuss preparations for the 14th EU-Russia Summit. If there have been concerns in the West about Russian 'backsliding' on democracy in cracking down on terrorism in the wake of September's Beslan school tragedy (see Europe Information 2896), there have also been positive developments recently in EU-Russia relations. The EU was delighted by Russian ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on limiting greenhouse gas emissions (see Europe Information 2907).

The Russian Duma also...