GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS COUNCIL: EU ENLARGEMENT QUESTIONS PROMINENT AT PRE-SUMMIT GATHERING.

General Affairs.

EU Foreign Ministers are due to work on draft Conclusions for the December 16-17 European Council in Brussels, including a key section on EU enlargement. Ministers will also hear a presentation of the draft "Operational Programme of the Council for 2005" drawn up by the incoming EU Presidencies from Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. The report covers the broad spectrum of issues which EU Member States will be called upon to address in the course of next year, under the following headings:

- the Lisbon economic reform agenda

- Common Agricultural Policy / Fisheries

- sustainable development

- freedom, security and justice: next steps

- future accessions

- enhancing global security and prosperity

- the Constitutional Treaty: preparing entry into force.

For the full work programme, see our website EISnet: www.eis.be > Advanced search > Reference= EURE;2920;106

External Relations.

Ministers are expected to address the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine in the light of recent developments, as well as the Iranian nuclear issue. These items are expected to be taken over lunch. The Commission will present the set of proposed ENP Action Plans that it issued on December 9 (see separate article in Section V). Ministers are also expected to discuss the situation in Africa's Great Lakes region. Conclusions on this subject are likely among other things to express concerns about multiple reports of military operations by Rwandan armed forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ministers will also look at recent developments in the crisis in the Darfur region of Western Sudan, with Conclusions.

Other items.

The Council is also expected to adopt the following...