Foreign Affairs Council, 6 March 2018

Summary:

A meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council was held on 6 March 2018. It focused on matters relating to Defence. The agenda includes the following items:

+ Adoption of a Decision formally establishing the list of projects to be developed under PESCO and a Recommendation on an implementation roadmap;

+ Discussion on EU-NATO cooperation;

+ Exchange of views on the broader aspects of security and defence cooperation, including consistency across ongoing EU defence initiatives, the European Defence Fund and progress on the proposed Regulation on the European Defence Industrial Development Programme.

+ Presentation of a draft proposal for a European peace facility;

+ Review of the EU CSDP missions and operations, focusing on training missions in the Central African Republic, Mali and Somalia.

Further information:

Ministers met for the first time in 'PESCO format', i.e. in the framework of the Permanent Structured Cooperation. This means that, although ministers from all member states were present, only those representing Member States participating in PESCO were involved in adopting legal acts.

Newyddion

EurActiv, 07.03.18: EU defence ministers hold ‘historic’ first meeting in PESCO format https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence-and-security/news/eu-ministers-hold-historic-first-meeting-in-pesco-format/

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