Plassnik to attend EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on Monday
09.12.2005
Vienna, 9 December 2005 - On Monday, 12 December 2005 Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik will participate in the meeting of the European Union General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels.
The meeting will focus on the preparations for the forthcoming European Council on 15 and 16 December, where the main topic on the agenda will be the Financial Perspective for the period 2007-2013.
With regard to external relations the Foreign Ministers will be discussing the progress of the negotiations on the future status of Kosovo, the EU Strategy for Africa, the Commission's Progress Reports on the countries of the Western Balkans and the Commission's recommendation to award candidate status to FYROM (Macedonia), as well as the European Neighbourhood Policy. Further topics on the agenda include the situation in the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the status of the preparations for the forthcoming WTO negotiations in Hong Kong.
Foreign Minister Plassnik will also present the Council with the Annual Work Programme for 2006, which has been jointly elaborated by Austria and Finland.
Contact for further enquiries:
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Press Department
From Austria: 050 1150-3262, 4549, 4550
From abroad: ++43 50 1150-3262, 4549, 4550
Fax: 050 1159 213 or ++43 50 1159 213
abti3(at)bmaa.gv.at
