European Union - Minister’s participation in the January 29, 2026, Foreign Affairs Council (January 30, 2026)

On Thursday, January 29, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot participated in the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The meeting gave the Minister the chance to talk about the importance of European unity at a time when the EU’s territorial integrity is under pressure. The Minister stressed that Europe’s position is clear and remains firm while refusing any sort of escalation.

Regarding Iran, on the initiative of France and its partners, the Foreign Affairs Council adopted sanctions against officials in the government, the Prosecutor’s office, the police force, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as against the entities responsible for internet censorship. The European Ministers came to a collective agreement on adding the IRGC to the EU list of terrorist organizations.

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, the Minister reaffirmed France’s desire to see the EU loan to Ukraine be paired with robust European preference criteria for military supplies. With Russia continuing to target Ukrainian infrastructure, the Minister insisted on the need to quickly adopt a 20th European sanctions package against Russia that is as powerful as the last packages.

Regarding Syria, the Minister recalled the mediation efforts that have been undertaken, in particular by France, in order to reach a ceasefire and the agreement that was announced this morning via much-needed negotiations between the Syrian authorities and our Kurdish partners.

Lastly, the Minister spoke with his counterparts about the humanitarian crises that are tearing apart Sudan and the Great Lakes region. He underscored, in keeping with the Paris Conference, that it is important for Europe to mobilize support for the mediators and the resolution of the current crisis.