European Union - Clément Beaune’s participation in the informal meeting of European affairs ministers (video conference, 1 December 2020)

Clément Beaune, Minister of State for European Affairs, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is taking part today in the informal meeting of European affairs ministers via video conference. The German presidency invited the European affairs ministers of the Western Balkans to join this meeting.

The ministers will review progress on preparations for the “Conference on the Future of Europe.” The minister of state will reaffirm the importance of this conference in the context of an unprecedented crisis and will underscore our desire for it to be launched by the end of the year. In keeping with the conference, the ministers will have an opportunity to exchange views with a group of young Europeans to discuss the EU’s evolution over the next decade. Clément Beaune will stress the need to ensure that the conference maps out future prospects regarding issues of concern for these young ambassadors with respect to climate, youth, European democracy, digital issues and health, which are also priorities that France supports and defends in Brussels.

The ministers will also discuss European coordination in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the guidelines adopted during the video conference of the heads of state and government on October 29, the General Affairs Council will take stock of the implementation of European health measures to combat the pandemic. The minister of state will stress the need for coordination with respect to strategies for Covid-19 vaccination, testing and the alignment of quarantine periods, as well as on the collective vigilance measures that must be followed in Europe in order to avoid a resurgence in infections during the holiday season.