URU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 40: Spm. om, hvad ministeren kan oplyse om det afholdte EU-Rådsmøde om udvikling den 28. november 2016, til ministeren for udviklingssamarbejde

Udenrigsudvalget 2016-17
URU Alm.del
Offentligt

Council of the

European Union

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(OR. en)

PRESSE 63

PR CO 62

OUTCOME OF THE COUNCIL MEETING

3504th Council meeting

Foreign Affairs

Development

Brussels, 28 November 2016

President

Federica Mogherini

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security

Policy

PRESS

Rue de la Loi 175 B – 1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319 / 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 281 8026

[email protected] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/press

14969/16

URU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Endeligt svar på spørgsmål 40: Spm. om, hvad ministeren kan oplyse om det afholdte EU-Rådsmøde om udvikling den 28. november 2016, til ministeren for udviklingssamarbejde

28 November 2016

CONTENTS

ITEMS DEBATED

Revision of the European consensus on development ......................................................................... 3

EU-ACP relations post 2020 ................................................................................................................ 3

Migration and development ................................................................................................................. 4

Energy and development ...................................................................................................................... 4

OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

DEVELOPMENT

–

Results report on EU international cooperation and development .......................................................................... 9

Mainstreaming digital solutions and technologies in EU development policy ........................................................ 9

EU common position ............................................................................................................................................... 9

European Court of Auditors Special Report No 15/2016 ...................................................................................... 10

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

–

Relations with Georgia .......................................................................................................................................... 10

COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY

–

EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta .......................................................................................................................... 10

ENERGY

–

Union for the Mediterranean ministerial meeting on Energy ................................................................................ 10



Where declarations, conclusions or resolutions have been formally adopted by the Council, this is indicated

in the heading for the item concerned and the text is placed between quotation marks.

 

Documents for which references are given in the text are available on the Council's internet site

(http://www.consilium.europa.eu).

 

Acts adopted with statements for the Council minutes which may be released to the public are indicated by

an asterisk; these statements are available on the Council's internet site or may be obtained from the Press

Office.

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ITEMS DEBATED

Revision of the European consensus on development

The Council discussed the revision of the European consensus on development, on the basis of a

proposal from the European Commission. The communication, presented on 22 November 2016,

provides a new framework for development cooperation for the EU and its member states and

aligns it with the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

During the debate, ministers insisted on the integration of aspects such as the root causes of

migration or gender equality into the new consensus. They also underlined the importance of

strengthening the links between development and humanitarian aid. Ministers also stressed the need

for strong cooperation with civil society and private actors.

The new consensus will follow the spirit of the current European consensus on development (2005)

but will be adapted to the changed global environment. As before, it is expected to be adopted as a

joint statement by the Council and the representatives of the member states meeting within the

Council, the European Parliament, and the European Commission.

European Commission communication on a new European Consensus on development

EU-ACP relations post-2020

Ministers had an exchange of views on future relations between the EU and the African, Caribbean

and Pacific (ACP) countries, in view of the expiry of the Cotonou Agreement in 2020.

The discussion took place on the basis of a joint communication from the European Commission

and High Representative Federica Mogherini, adopted on 22 November 2016. It was an orientation

discussion, based on the options proposed in the joint communication, which focused on three main

aspects: the structure of the future relationship, the nature of the possible agreement, and the

geographical coverage.

Communication on a renewed partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries

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Migration and development

Ministers discussed the follow-up to the Valletta summit one year after it was held and in view of

the upcoming meeting of senior officials in Valletta that is scheduled to take place on 8-9 February

2017.

The High Representative updated ministers on the progress made in the establishment of the

framework of partnership approach and the country specific compacts, with a focus on the

development aspects. Ministers welcomed the progress achieved so far. They also discussed

progressive broadening of the geographical scope of the ongoing work to other partner countries.

This discussion will feed into the preparations for the European Council of 15-16 December.

Finding solutions to migratory pressures

Energy and development

The Council adopted conclusions on energy and development.

The Council recalls its conclusions of 20 July 2015 on EU Energy Diplomacy which

underlined the need to ensure coherence between EU foreign and energy policies. The

Council further recalls the Energy Union strategy and calls for Europe to become the world

leader in renewable energy, including research, innovation and technologies. The Council

underlines that the EU's development policy and actions in the energy sector are a

fundamental part of a revitalised European energy and climate diplomacy. The Council

underlines the importance of policy coherence for sustainable development and the need to

strengthen linkages between development, energy, climate, environment, water, and food

and nutrition security, as well as research and innovation policies.

The Council recognises that access to energy is crucial for eradicating poverty and for

delivering on the 2030 Agenda and achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs),

notably SDG7 on access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, and

SDG13 on climate action. The Council stresses that energy is also comprehensively linked

to the achievement of all other SDGs. The Council reaffirms the EU and its Member

States’ commitment to assist partner countries in providing energy access to 500 million

people by 2030 and stresses the importance of decentralised renewable energy in reaching

universal access to energy.

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In line with the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy and the related Council

conclusions of 17 October 2016 , the EU stands ready to support neighbouring countries

and all relevant development partners around the world in their energy transition efforts,

which are essential for building resilience. The Council acknowledges that lack of or

uneven access to energy is part of the root causes of irregular migration.

The Council stresses the need for an EU strategic approach for cooperation and

development in energy, with three interlinked objectives: i) of addressing the lack of

energy access; ii) of increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy generation to

achieve a sustainable balance between energy production and consumption; and iii) of

contributing to the global fight against climate change in line with the Paris Agreement and

the related Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) presented by the Parties.

The Council welcomes the recent EU ratification of the COP21 Paris Agreement, which

enabled its entry into force, confirming the EU’s readiness to be at the core of the

transition of the global economy towards a climate-neutral future, resource efficient and

low-carbon societies. It further supports the promotion of affordable, sustainable and safe

access to energy and energy services as essential elements for sustainable economic growth

as well as for stability and security across the world. The Council recalls that cleaner and

more sustainable energy production and consumption will be central for delivering on the

EU commitment to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and

removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century.

The Council further encourages the EU and its Member States to promote partnerships and

structured political dialogue on sustainable energy with their neighbours and all relevant

development partners, including the private sector, drawing on the EU Energy Diplomacy

and EU Climate Diplomacy Action Plans, and in order to promote win-win solutions and

mutually beneficial cooperation, including on innovation. The EU underlines the

importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships such as the Sustainable Energy for All

(SE4All) initiative for delivering on SDG 7. Policy dialogue and joint activities should

notably be reinforced in the framework of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, in view of the

2017 Africa-EU Summit and within the Africa EU Energy Partnership in particular.

Similarly, the EU should continue its efforts in the context of the CELAC-EU Action Plan,

the Joint Caribbean-EU Partnership Strategy, the Joint Declarations concluded with several

African partner countries and Pacific states, and the partnerships for renewable energy

supported in all these countries through the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), as

well as its work with key partners such as the US, in support of sustainable energy.

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The Council supports the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) launched by African

Heads of State at COP21 and led by the African Union. It welcomes progress made on the

AREI’s governance at the 28th Summit of the African Union in Kigali and on

implementing commitments made by partners of the AREI at COP21 to mobilise 10 billion

US dollars cumulatively from 2015 to 2020.

The Council recognises that unlocking Africa's energy potential in a sustainable manner

and interconnecting Europe and Africa across the Mediterranean implies further increasing

the generation capacity, developing cross-border interconnections and energy transit across

Africa and between Africa and the EU, greater energy efficiency, mutually beneficial

technology transfer, as well as off-grid sustainable energy systems and adequate

technology to reduce rural-urban divide in electricity access, including supply through

solar systems for rural households. It also recognises the need to develop existing and new

energy connectivity across Europe and Asia. In that context, the Council acknowledges the

transitional role that gas can play in meeting energy demands for particular countries and

their sustainable energy transformation towards renewable energies and increased energy

efficiency.

The Council recognises that the use of traditional biomass for cooking dominates the

energy balance, in particular in sub Saharan Africa, and has major impact on health and

wellbeing, especially for women and girls. Therefore the Council stresses the importance

of promoting clean cooking solutions.

The Council supports efforts to make international energy institutions more representative

and inclusive of emerging and developing economies, to support regional and multilateral

initiatives, and to promote stable, sustainable and market based energy systems. The

European Union moreover supports strengthening appropriate frameworks for the energy

sector that are conducive to trade and investment all around the world and in particular in

African countries and regional organisations. Platforms and policy processes, supported,

inter alia, by technical assistance facilities, aiming at enabling conducive environments to

investments in the sustainable energy sector, should be reinforced and mainstreamed with

an emphasis on existing platforms and instruments for coordination. To this end, the EU

knowhow and expertise, at Union, country and local levels, will be shared to the benefit of

the consumers and people both in Europe and in the partner countries. The Council

recognises the importance of the EU Energy Initiative as a forum for exchange amongst the

EU and its Member States in order to promote the coherence of the European energy

development cooperation.

10.

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11.

The Council stresses the importance of ownership in partner countries of reinforced

governance for meeting the needs in sustainable energy and for promoting an appropriate

and transparent regulatory framework for the energy sector. The Council further stresses

the importance of an enabling environment to overcome market distortions, financing

obstacles and regulatory barriers that impede private sector engagement, including micro,

small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The Council also underlines the need to address

and develop opportunities that the sustainable energy sector brings to the MSMEs. The

Council recalls the need to gradually eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies that are

incompatible with sustainable development, including for fossil fuels, and to promote

solutions that are resource efficient, climate-smart and contribute more effectively to

poverty eradication. The Council recognises the importance of technical assistance for

reforming energy policy and institutional and legal frameworks.

As investments needed to achieve universal access to sustainable energy are estimated to

be almost EUR 1 trillion up to 2030 , the Council underlines the need to crowd in

additional funds, including with the involvement of the private sector and the use of

innovative financing and project development initiatives and instruments such as ElectriFI,

the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme (RECP), and the Regional

Investment Facilities, as well as through the guarantee fund proposed as part of the

External Investment Plan. Private sector engagement should be further enhanced with

regard to the financing of sustainable energy infrastructures and the related creation of

green jobs. The EU will work together with its partners in the framework of existing

initiatives as listed in May 2016 by the Africa EU Energy Partnership, such as the African

Renewable Energy Initiative, notably to build on existing programmes, identify priority

projects and programmes, and in fulfilment of the Joint Declaration between the European

Union, the European Investment Bank and the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) on

reinforced cooperation in the field of sustainable energy, as well as in the framework of the

continued and broadened EU-New Zealand energy partnership for the Pacific.

The Council emphasises the key contribution of women in the energy value chains, in

particular in promoting renewable energies and increasing access to energy and energy

services. The Council stresses the need to further support the empowerment of women,

girls and youth, and their involvement in the energy sector, including through women

entrepreneurship, education and vocational training. In this context, the Council underlines

the importance of increasing women’s access to sustainable energy services in line with the

EU Gender Action Plan.

12.

13.

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14.

Civil society organisations and local authorities also have an important role to play as

critical partners in a bottom-up transition to a global low-carbon economy and society

through adequate planning and investment, where energy efficiency should be enshrined in

education syllabuses and vocational training curricula.

The Council recognises the enabling role of digital technologies in facilitating the

management of electricity and electricity consumption, and supports the use of digital

solutions in promoting education for energy efficiency.

The Council further stresses the importance of raising awareness and of communicating

results of EU cooperation and development in energy both to European and to partner

countries’ to mobilise and involve citizens towards this goal. It therefore calls on the

Commission to ensure proper linkages with the EU Results Framework and to report in the

framework of the Annual Report on the EU’s development and external assistance policies

and their implementation. To this end, the Council stresses the need for the Commission

and Member States to work towards the harmonisation of definitions, indicators and

methodologies for the monitoring of global progress towards the achievement of SDG 7.

15.

16.

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OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

DEVELOPMENT

Results report on EU international cooperation and development

The Council adopted conclusions on the first results report on EU international cooperation and

development. The report is a significant step forward in strengthening the focus on performance and

results in EU international cooperation and development.

Read the

full text of the conclusions

Mainstreaming digital solutions and technologies in EU development policy

The Council adopted conclusions on mainstreaming digital solutions and technologies in EU

development policy.

Digitalisation needs to be properly mainstreamed across all policy areas, including the EU’s

development and foreign policies, whilst cyber challenges must be addressed and the promotion and

protection of human rights must be ensured, with particular attention being paid to freedom of

expression online.

Read the

full text of the conclusions

EU common position

The Council adopted conclusions on the EU common position for the second high level meeting of

the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), which will take place in

Nairobi, from 29 November until 1 December 2016 (14684/16).

The development effectiveness agenda and the global partnership for effective development

cooperation (GPEDC) mark a shift from aid to development effectiveness, moving from a focus on

official development assistance (ODA) flows to broader development partnerships and actors. It

will constitute a major contribution to implementation of the 2030 Agenda in developing countries.

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European Court of Auditors Special Report No 15/2016

The Council adopted conclusions on the European Court of Auditors special report No 15/2016 'Did

the Commission effectively manage the Humanitarian aid provided to populations affected by

conflicts in the African Great Lakes Region?'

The Court deems the Commission's management of humanitarian aid in the African Great Lakes

Region during the period 2011-2015 to have been generally effective. According to the report, most

of the projects delivered satisfactory results in a difficult working environment characterised by

security constraints and challenging logistics.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Relations with Georgia

The Council approved the EU position for the third meeting of the Association Council with

Georgia, which will take place on 2 December 2016.

COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY

EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta

The Council extended the mandate of the operation until 31 December 2018. The Council allocated

to the operation a budget of € 11.064 million from the so-called common costs from the next two

years.

ENERGY

Union for the Mediterranean ministerial meeting on Energy

The Council approved the position of the EU and its member states on the draft declaration of the

Union for the Mediterranean ministerial meeting on Energy that will take place in Rome, on the 1

December 2016.

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The declaration emphasises the massive potential of the region in terms of energy efficiency to save

energy, create jobs, save money for citizens and industry, and reduce carbon emissions in a cost

effective way.

It also reiterates the importance of building strong energy cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean

Region through a shared vision and common priorities.

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