Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2020-21
UPN Alm.del Bilag 120
Offentligt
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Council of the
European Union
5579/21
(OR. en)
PROVISIONAL VERSION
PRESSE 1
PR CO 1
EN
OUTCOME OF THE COUNCIL MEETING
3784th Council meeting
Foreign Affairs
Brussels, 25 January 2021
President
Josep Borrell
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy
PRESS
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 B
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1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 281 8026
[email protected] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/press
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
25 January 2021
CONTENTS
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ITEMS DEBATED
Current affairs ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Climate and energy diplomacy ............................................................................................................ 5
Other business ...................................................................................................................................... 6
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Japan ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6
UK ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................................. 6
OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
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Coordinated Maritime Presences ............................................................................................................................. 7
Venezuela ................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy ................................. 7
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Armenia ................. 8
HOME AFFAIRS
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Europol - deputy executive director ........................................................................................................................ 8
ECONOMIC AND MONETARY AFFAIRS
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2021 Alert Mechanism Report
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Council conclusions ............................................................................................ 8
Draft Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area
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approval ............................................. 9
Delegated acts in the field of financial services
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non-objection .......................................................................... 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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PROVISIONAL VERSION
ENERGY
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25 January 2021
Decommissioning nuclear facilities and radioactive waste ................................................................................... 10
Ignalina power plant (Lithuania) ........................................................................................................................... 11
Ecodesign .............................................................................................................................................................. 11
TRANSPORT
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Rail passengers’ rights
........................................................................................................................................... 12
Aviation safety ...................................................................................................................................................... 12
Euro-Mediterranean aviation agreement ............................................................................................................... 12
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
ITEMS DEBATED
Current affairs
25 January 2021
High Representative Borrell briefed ministers on Russia and the events around the detention of
Alexey Navalny. The Council condemned the mass detentions and police brutality over the
weekend and called on Russia to immediately release Mr Navalny and all those detained. In this
context the High Representative informed the Council about his upcoming visit to Moscow.
Ministers were then informed the EU strategy for sharing COVID-19 vaccines with EU's partners.
The Council also touched on relations with the United States, and the work the EU intends to
undergo with the new US administration on key global issues
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from climate change to Iran and the
JCPOA to cooperation in multilateral fora.
Ministers then discussed all aspects of the relations with Turkey as identified in the December
Council Conclusions, including sanctions, and reaffirmed the importance of engaging with Turkey
in order to advance in and consolidate paths of dialogue and cooperation.
The case of Giulio Regeni was also raised. The High Representative stressed that this was a serious
matter for the entire EU, and continued to call on Egypt to fully cooperate with the Italian
authorities, for accountability and for justice to be served.
The Council briefly discussed the situation of migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the
situation in the Horn of Africa and the Tigray region.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
Climate and energy diplomacy
25 January 2021
The Council exchanged views on climate and energy diplomacy, with a focus on promoting the
external dimension of the European Green Deal.
During the discussion ministers stressed the need to engage with Africa and key importance of 2021
on the way to a successful COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The High
Representative emphasised that accelerating climate action and managing the energy transition is
and will remain at the core of the EU foreign and security policy.
The Council adopted conclusions on this topic.
Council adopts conclusions on climate and energy diplomacy, press release
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
Other business
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Japan
25 January 2021
The Council held a discussion with the Foreign Minister of Japan, Toshimitsu Motegi. They
discussed their approaches to the Indo-Pacific, and agreed that enhanced EU engagement in the
region, as well as enhanced cooperation with Japan and other like-minded partners on issues of
common interest and concern would be beneficial. In this context, Japan and the EU expressed their
shared interest in advancing cooperation in areas such as connectivity, maritime security,
environment and climate change, trade and investment, digital issues, and promoting
multilateralism and upholding the international rules-based order.The High Representative Josep
Borrell confirmed the EU’s interest in developing its own approach to the Indo-Pacific
region,
expressing appreciation
for Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Strategy.
EU ministers and minister Motegi shared their serious concerns regarding the situation in Hong
Kong and agreed to continue their close coordination in response to the imposition of the National
Security Law by Beijing.
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UK
During an informal lunch, ministers discussed EU-UK cooperation in matters of common foreign,
security and defence policy. The High Representative stressed that the EU stands ready to engage
with the UK on major global issues
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be it climate change or by working together on the global
response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Conclusions
The Council adopted conclusions on Venezuela and the pilot case for the Coordinated Maritime
Presences concept in the Gulf of Guinea.
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Venezuela: Council adopts conclusions on the outcome of the legislative elections
Gulf of Guinea: Council conclusions launching the pilot case for the Coordinated Maritime
Presences concept
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Coordinated Maritime Presences
25 January 2021
The Council today approved conclusions (5387/21) which give effect to the launching of a pilot
project in the Gulf of Guinea as part of the EU Coordinated Maritime Presence (CMP) concept.
The purpose of the CMP is to foster European operational engagement while ensuring synergy with
Member States' actions in maritime strategic areas. The pilot case in the Gulf of Guinea, due to be
implemented until January 2022, would represent an opportunity to test the EU capacity of
coordinating military action in strategic maritime environments.
For more details, see
press release
Venezuela
The Council approved conclusions (5582/21) relating to the political situation in Venezuela,
especially in light of the parliamentary elections of 6 December, which awarded Nicolas Maduro
total control of the legislature.
For more details, see
press release
Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy
The Council approved the Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy following the
Conference for the promotion of sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean region, on
2 February 2021.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
25 January 2021
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Republic of
Armenia
The Council approved the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Comprehensive and Enhanced
Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community
and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part.
HOME AFFAIRS
Europol - deputy executive director
The Council selected Jean-Philippe Lecouffe as a Deputy Executive Director of Europol.
According to the Europol regulation, before appointment, the candidate selected by the Council
may be invited to appear before the competent committee of the European Parliament, who shall
subsequently give a non-binding opinion. The General Secretariat of the Council will now inform
the European Parliament that the competent committee can proceed to the hearing foreseen in the
regulation.
ECONOMIC AND MONETARY AFFAIRS
2021 Alert Mechanism Report
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Council conclusions
The Council approved conclusions on the 2021 Alert Mechanism Report (5605/21).
The report marks the starting point of the annual macroeconomic imbalances procedure. It identifies
12 member states for which in-depth reviews need to be prepared to identify and assess the severity
of possible macroeconomic imbalances
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Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,
Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden. These member states were already identified as
having imbalances or excessive imbalances in February 2020. The new reviews will help to assess
progress in correcting those imbalances.
Overall, the report concludes that the COVID-19 crisis aggravated a number of existing
macroeconomic imbalances in member states and is posing new risks. This highlights the need to
make the best use of available EU support measures.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
25 January 2021
Draft Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area
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approval
The Council approved the draft Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area
(14356/20).
In the context of the current crisis, the 2021 euro area recommendation focuses on short-term
measures to support the recovery and ensure the proper functioning of the EMU. The
recommendation places a strong emphasis on the use of the Recovery and Resilience Facility,
providing policy guidance on priorities that member states should include in their Recovery and
Resilience Plans. It calls on member states, including through their Recovery and Resilience Plans,
to:
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ensure a policy stance which supports the recovery;
further improve convergence, resilience and sustainable and inclusive growth;
strengthen national institutional frameworks;
ensure macro-financial stability; and
complete the EMU and strengthening the international role of the euro.
The recommendation will now be transmitted to the European Council in March for endorsement,
prior to formal adoption by the Council.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
Delegated acts in the field of financial services
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non-objection
The Council decided not to object to the following Commission regulations:
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25 January 2021
Commission Delegated Regulation amending technical standards laid down in Delegated
Regulation (EU) 2016/2251 as regards to the timing of when certain risk management
procedures will start to apply for the purpose of the exchange of collateral (14319/20)
Commission Delegated Regulation amending regulatory technical standards laid down in
Delegated Regulations (EU) 2015/2205, (EU) 2016/592 and (EU) 2016/1178 as regards the
date at which the clearing obligation takes effect for certain types of contracts (14320/20)
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The regulations are delegated acts pursuant to article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
EU. They can now be published and enter into force, unless the European Parliament objects.
ENERGY
Decommissioning nuclear facilities and radioactive waste
The Council adopted a Regulation establishing a dedicated financial programme for
decommissioning of nuclear facilities and management of radioactive waste, and repealing Council
Regulation (Euratom) No 1368/2013.
The Regulation establishes the dedicated financial programme for the decommissioning of nuclear
facilities and management of radioactive waste for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December
2027. It supports Bulgaria and Slovakia to safely decommission units of their nuclear reactors, and
the implementation of the decommissioning process and management of radioactive waste of the
Commission's nuclear installations at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) sites. The Regulation lays
down the objectives of the Programme, its budget for the period from 1 January 2021 to
31 December 2027, the methods of implementation and the forms of Union funding (5161/21;
12566/20).
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
Ignalina power plant (Lithuania)
25 January 2021
The Council adopted a Council Regulation establishing the nuclear decommissioning assistance
programme of the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania and repealing Regulation (EU) No
1369/2013.
The Regulation establishes the assistance programme for the period from 1 January 2021 to
31 December 2027 and lays down the objectives of the Programme, its budget for the period from
1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027, the methods of implementation and the forms of Union
funding (5162/21;
12569/20)
Ecodesign
The Council decided not to oppose the adoption of Commission Regulation (EU) …/… of XXX
amending Regulations (EU) 2019/424, (EU) 2019/1781, (EU) 2019/2019, (EU) 2019/2020, (EU)
2019/2021, (EU) 2019/2022, (EU) 2019/2023 and (EU) 2019/2024 with regard to ecodesign
requirements for servers and data storage products, electric motors and variable speed drives,
refrigerating appliances, light sources and separate control gears, electronic displays, household
dishwashers, household washing machines and household washer-dryers and refrigerating
appliances with a direct sales function.
The Commission Regulation is subject to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This means that
now that the Council has given its consent, the Commission may adopt the regulation, unless the
European Parliament objects (5057/21;13766/20 +
ADD 1).
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
TRANSPORT
Rail passengers’ rights
25 January 2021
The Council adopted its position at first reading on a regulation
on rail passengers’ rights and
obligations (5206/21;
12262/20
+
ADD 1).
For more details, see
press release
Aviation safety
The Council adopted a decision on the conclusion of the agreement on civil aviation safety between
the EU and Japan (5037/21;
9292/20; 15260/19).
Euro-Mediterranean aviation agreement
The Council adopted a decision on the EU position to be taken within the Joint Committee
established by the Euro-Mediterranean aviation agreement between the EU and Morocco
(14026/20;
14008/20; 14010/20).
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