Det Europæiske Råd den 19. oktober og Det Europæiske Råd (artikel 50) den 20. oktober 2017 - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra mødet i Det Europæiske Råd 19/10-17

Europaudvalget 2017-18
Det Europæiske Råd 19-20/10-17 Bilag 10
Offentligt

European Council

Brussels, 19 October 2017

(OR. en)

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CO EUR 17

CONCL 5

COVER NOTE

From:

To:

Subject:

General Secretariat of the Council

Delegations

European Council meeting (19 October 2017)

–

Conclusions

Delegations will find attached the conclusions adopted by the European Council at the above

meeting.

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Det Europæiske Råd den 19. oktober og Det Europæiske Råd (artikel 50) den 20. oktober 2017 - Bilag 10: Konklusioner fra mødet i Det Europæiske Råd 19/10-17

Conclusions

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19 October 2017

At the start of the meeting, the Member of the European Council representing the Member State

holding the six-monthly Presidency of the Council provided an overview of progress on the

implementation of earlier European Council conclusions.

MIGRATION

The approach pursued by Member States and EU institutions to ensure full control of the

external borders is yielding results and must be consolidated. Overall, migratory flows are

being significantly reduced and the number of deaths at sea has decreased.

The European Council is determined to pursue its comprehensive, pragmatic and resolute

approach, and to apply it wherever necessary. This entails:



vigilance on all migration routes and readiness to react to any new trends;

a pragmatic, flexible and coordinated use of all available EU and Member States'

instruments;

support for Member States directly affected or involved, including through continued

support from EU agencies;

strong cooperation with international partners as well as with countries of origin, transit

and departure;

reduction of incentives for illegal migration through effective returns;

adequate financial and other resources.

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017

To consolidate and deepen this approach on all migration routes, the European Council

further calls for the following:



showing full commitment to our cooperation with Turkey on migration and to support

for the Western Balkans;

full and non-discriminatory implementation of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement

with all Member States;

ensuring significantly enhanced returns through actions at both EU and Member States

level, such as effective readmission agreements and arrangements; the European Border

and Coast Guard Agency should be further strengthened and play an increased role in

organising returns;



ensuring that CSDP missions and operations are fully staffed and that their mandates are

adapted as required to assist in the fight against traffickers and smugglers networks and

to help disrupting their business model; supporting the action of our partners of the

G5 Sahel;



applying voluntary resettlement schemes and developing them together with

international partners, in particular the UNHCR;

enhancing information and data sharing within the EU, between Member States,

JHA agencies, and CSDP missions and operations, as well as with international

partners; in this context, the European Council calls for the operational joint

investigation teams to be extended to relevant countries;



creating and applying the necessary leverage, by using all relevant EU policies,

instruments and tools, including development, trade and visa, to achieve measurable

results in terms of preventing illegal migration and returning irregular migrants.

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017

As concerns the Central Mediterranean route, the European Council:



recognises the significant contribution made by Italy on the Central Mediterranean

route;

calls for continued efforts by the EU and support for Member States to stem the flows

and increase returns, as well as to build strong cooperation with countries of origin,

transit and departure;



reiterates the importance of working with the Libyan authorities and all neighbours of

Libya to enhance border management capacity and underscores the urgency of

supporting the development of the local communities in Libya along the migratory

routes;



encourages and calls to support, also financially, UNHCR and IOM efforts in Libya, the

Sahel and the region, including to further facilitate voluntary returns and resettlement

and to improve reception conditions in cooperation with Libyan authorities so as to

ensure the humane treatment of migrants;



commits to ensuring sufficient and targeted funding, including through the North Africa

window of the EU Trust Fund for Africa, to underpin the necessary migration-related

actions in North Africa and finance all relevant projects in 2017 and beyond, with

timely disbursements. It tasks the Council, with the assistance of the Commission, to

undertake immediate operational follow-up to ensure delivery on this commitment

before the December European Council;



calls for increased efforts to rapidly establish a permanent EU presence in Libya, taking

account of the conditions on the ground.

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017

The European Council calls for close monitoring of the situation along the Eastern and

Western Mediterranean routes in light of recent increases in migration flows.

The European Council recalls that addressing the root causes of migration and providing

economic and social opportunities in the countries of transit and origin are part of its long-

term approach to migration. In this context, the European Council welcomes the recent launch

of the European Fund for Sustainable Development, which supports investment in African

and Neighbourhood countries. It also welcomes the implementation of the Economic

Resilience Initiative of the European Investment Bank (EIB), mobilising investments in the

Neighbourhood countries. It looks forward to discussing cooperation with African partners at

the upcoming African Union-European Union Summit.

The European Council reiterates its commitment to the Schengen system and expresses the

intention to get "Back to Schengen" as soon as possible while taking proportionate security

interests of Member States fully into account.

The European Council welcomes the progress achieved so far on the reform of the Common

European Asylum System and calls for further convergence towards an agreement which

strikes the right balance between responsibility and solidarity and ensures resilience to future

crises, in line with its June 2017 conclusions. The European Council will return to this matter

at its meeting in December, and will seek to reach a consensus during the first half of 2018.

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017

II.

DIGITAL EUROPE

The Tallinn Digital Summit on 29 September 2017 sent a strong message on the need for a

stronger and more coherent Digital Europe. Prime Minister Ratas's conclusions after the

Summit provide an excellent basis for further work at all levels.

10.

Digitalisation offers immense opportunities for innovation, growth and jobs, will contribute to

our global competitiveness, and enhance creative and cultural diversity. Seizing these

opportunities requires collectively tackling some of the challenges posed by the digital

transformation and reviewing policies affected by digitalisation. The European Council is

ready to do what it takes for Europe to go digital.

11.

To successfully build a Digital Europe, the EU needs in particular:



governments and public sectors that are fully brought into the digital age and lead by

example: e-government and the deployment of new technologies, accessibility, one-stop

government and the once-only principle, and a digitalised public sector are key to

transforming our societies and supporting the EU's four freedoms. The European

Council calls for implementing the Tallinn Ministerial Declaration on e-Government;

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Conclusions

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

a future-oriented regulatory framework: completing the Digital Single Market Strategy

in all its elements by the end of 2018 remains an essential task. Despite considerable

progress, work in this area needs to be accelerated in order to meet this deadline. To that

end, the additional TTE/Telecom Council on 24 October should discuss how to speed

up and prioritise the work on the Digital Single Market. Agreement between the co-

legislators on geo-blocking, audio-visual media services and parcel delivery should be

reached by the end of 2017. By June 2018, co-legislators should also agree on the free

flow of non-personal data proposal and the electronic communications code. The

European Council highlights the importance of ensuring adequate rules on data flows

with third countries in trade agreements, without prejudice to EU legislation.

Furthermore, negotiations on copyright and on the Digital Content Directive should be

pursued as a matter of priority. The European Council also underlines the necessity of

increased

transparency in platforms’ practices and uses;



a first rate infrastructure and communications network: this requires cooperation at the

EU level, inter alia with the aim of achieving world-class very high-speed fixed and

mobile networks (5G) all across the EU and increased coordinated availabilities of

spectrum by 2020 under consistent regulatory and economic conditions; this in turn

requires dedicating all necessary legislative resources, including a sufficient number of

trilogues, to reaching an agreement on the electronic communications code, including

the necessary provisions on spectrum;



a common approach to cybersecurity: the digital world requires trust, and trust can only

be achieved if we ensure more proactive security by design in all digital policies,

provide adequate security certification of products and services, and increase our

capacity to prevent, deter, detect and respond to cyberattacks. To that end, the

Commission's cybersecurity proposals should be developed in a holistic way, delivered

timely and examined without delay, on the basis of an action plan to be set up by the

Council;

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017



combating terrorism and online crime: efforts to this effect should be intensified as set

out by the European Council in its June 2017 conclusions. The European Council

welcomes the Commission's communication on Tackling Illegal Content Online and

reiterates its readiness to support appropriate measures at EU level, if necessary;



labour markets, training and education systems fit for the digital age: there is a need to

invest in digital skills, to empower and enable all Europeans;

a determined R&D and investment effort: to support new forms of entrepreneurship,

and stimulate and assist the digital transformation of industries and services. EU

instruments such as the EU Framework Programmes, including Horizon 2020, the

European Structural and Investment Funds and the European Fund for Strategic

Investments can help achieve this objective. The EU should also explore ways to set up

the appropriate structures and funding to support breakthrough innovation;



a sense of urgency to address emerging trends: this includes issues such as artificial

intelligence and blockchain technologies, while at the same time ensuring a high level

of data protection, digital rights and ethical standards. The European Council invites the

Commission to put forward a European approach to artificial intelligence by early 2018

and calls on the Commission to put forward the necessary initiatives for strengthening

the framework conditions with a view to enable the EU to explore new markets through

risk-based radical innovations and to reaffirm the leading role of its industry;

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017



an effective and fair taxation system fit for the digital era: it is important to ensure that

all companies pay their fair share of taxes and to ensure a global level-playing field in

line with the work currently underway at the OECD. The European Council invites the

Council to pursue its examination of the Commission communication on this issue and

looks forward to appropriate Commission proposals by early 2018.

12.

Our objective must be to create a more integrated Single Market and to deliver practical

benefits for European citizens and businesses. The European Council will closely follow

developments in this area and provide the necessary guidance. It calls on the institutions to

step up the legislative work, and on the Member States to implement the relevant EU

legislation and to take all the measures required within their sphere of competence so as to

shape the new digital era. The European Council will at its level address issues that cannot be

solved at the level of the Council.

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017

III. SECURITY AND DEFENCE

13.

The European Council recalls its June 2017 conclusions. It welcomes the significant progress

made by Member States in preparing a Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)

notification with a common list of commitments, and on PESCO governance. It encourages

those Member States in a position to do so to swiftly notify the Council and the High

Representative of their intentions to participate in PESCO. This would allow for the launching

of PESCO before the end of the year, with a view to swiftly implementing the commitments,

including the launching of first projects. The European Council welcomes the work done so

far by the co-legislators

on the Commission’s proposal for a European

Defence Industrial

Development Programme (EDIDP). It calls for an agreement within the Council by the end of

the year, with a view to concluding negotiations with the European Parliament as soon as

possible so as to have the first capability projects identified by the Member States financed

in 2019.

14.

The European Council encourages Member States to develop flexible and sound financing

mechanisms within the European Defence Fund, to allow for joint procurement of capabilities

and/or their joint maintenance and as a way of improving access to cutting-edge capabilities.

The objective is to deliver capabilities, ensure a competitive, innovative and balanced basis

for Europe’s defence industry across the EU, including by cross border cooperation and

participation of SMEs, and to contribute to greater European defence cooperation, by

exploiting synergies and mobilising EU support in addition to Member States’ financing.

European defence industrial development will also require EU support for SME and

intermediate (mid-cap) investments in the area of security and defence. It encourages the EIB

to examine further steps with a view to supporting investments in defence research and

development activities. It welcomes the launch of the trial run of the Coordinated Annual

Review on Defence (CARD) which should contribute to spur enhanced defence cooperation

among Member States.

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Conclusions

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19 October 2017

15.

The European Council highlights the need for PESCO, the European Defence Fund and

CARD to be mutually reinforcing so as to enhance defence cooperation among

Member States.

16.

The European Council will revert to the issue in December 2017 and assess the progress

achieved with regard to all aspects of the external security and defence agenda as set out in

December 2016.

IV. EXTERNAL RELATIONS

17.

18.

The European Council held a debate on relations with Turkey.

The European Council calls on DPRK to fully and unconditionally comply without delay with

its obligations under UN Security Council Resolutions and to abandon its nuclear and ballistic

missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. The recent behaviour of

the DPRK is unacceptable and poses a significant threat to the Korean peninsula and beyond.

The European Council stresses that lasting peace and denuclearisation of the Korean

peninsula must be achieved through peaceful means, through credible and meaningful

dialogue. The EU sanctions' regime towards DPRK was further reinforced by the EU

autonomous sanctions adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council on 16 October 2017. The

European Council will consider further responses in close consultation with partners and the

EU will continue to reach out to third countries urging the full implementation of

UN sanctions.

19.

The European Council reaffirms its full commitment to the Iran nuclear deal and endorses the

statement by the Foreign Affairs Council of 16 October 2017.

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