European Union - Jean-Yves Le Drian’s participation in the Foreign Affairs Council (Brussels, 20 January 2020)

Share

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will take part in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Brussels on January 20.

This FAC will provide an opportunity to discuss the following issues:

  • Sahel: The ministers will discuss the EU strategy on this region in order to strengthen the commitment of the EU and its member states. During the meeting, the minister will present the progress achieved at the summit in Pau on January 13, notably the plans, announced together with the Sahel countries, to launch a Coalition for the Sahel, inviting the EU to play its full role within it and reaffirming the central role of the Partnership for Stability and Security in the Sahel.
  • Middle East: In follow-up to the extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on January 10, the ministers will discuss initiatives that the EU could undertake in order to facilitate a de-escalation of tensions in the Gulf, notably in the area of maritime security, as well as the most recent developments related to the Iranian nuclear issue. They will reaffirm our attachment to the JCPOA and our joint efforts to preserve it.
  • Other current international issues: The ministers will discuss the situation in Libya one day after the summit in Berlin (January 19), which should foster the emergence of a political solution to the Libyan conflict and confirm European mobilization in support of this issue. The ministers will also address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the preservation of the internationally agreed parameters in this respect will be reaffirmed. They will also discuss the political situation in Venezuela and Bolivia.
  • Fight against climate change: In follow-up to the Green Deal presented by the European Commission on December 11 and given the leadership role that the EU intends to assume in this area, climate diplomacy will be central to the discussions during this session. We will lend our support to the mobilization of the European institutions and member states in order to increase the level of environmental ambition of the EU’s future external action instruments, to make trade policy a genuine tool for advancing climate diplomacy, and to secure stronger commitments from the main greenhouse gas-emitting countries.