Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2020-21
UPN Alm.del Bilag 150
Offentligt
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Council of the
European Union
6295/21
(OR. en)
PROVISIONAL VERSION
PRESSE 2
PR CO 2
EN
OUTCOME OF THE COUNCIL MEETING
3785th Council meeting
Foreign Affairs
Brussels, 22 February 2021
President
Josep Borrell
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy
PRESS
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 B – 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
22 February 2021
CONTENTS
1
ITEMS DEBATED
Current Affairs ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Russia ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Hong Kong ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Other business ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 6
OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
–
Council Decision and Implementing Regulation concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation
in Venezuela ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
Charter of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure: EU's endorsement ................................................... 7
Extension of the mandate of various EU Special representatives ............................................................................ 7
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EMPLOYMENT
–
Key messages on Council recommendation on long-term unemployment .............................................................. 7
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
–
UN congress on crime prevention and criminal justice ........................................................................................... 8
1
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
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
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22 February 2021
Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank................................................................................................... 8
list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions .................................................................................................................. 9
Taxation of energy products and electricity - Netherlands ...................................................................................... 9
VAT - Derogation - Estonia .................................................................................................................................. 10
EU-Switzerland Joint Committee - EU position.................................................................................................... 10
AGRICULTURE
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Rural development allocations for 2021 ................................................................................................................ 10
Prolongation of supporting measures for the wine sector due to COVID-19 ........................................................ 10
FISHERIES
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EU position at meetings of the Parties to the Port State Measures Agreement ..................................................... 11
TRANSPORT
–
International road transport: introduction of the smart tachograph version 2 ........................................................ 11
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
ITEMS DEBATED
Current Affairs
22 February 2021
High Representative Borrell briefed ministers on
Myanmar
and the EU's response to the Military
coup of 1st February, and the Council adopted conclusions on this issue.
Ministers reached a
political agreement to apply sanctions,
targeting the military responsible for
the coup and their economic interests. It was also decided that all direct financial support from EU
development assistance to the country's government’s reform programmes would be withheld. At
the same time, it was agreed that the EU would continue to support civil society, and provide basic
services to the people of Myanmar.
Myanmar/Burma: Council adopts conclusions
Ministers exchanged views on the report of the Finnish minister of Foreign Affairs, who visited
Sudan and
Ethiopia
on 7-10 February on behalf of the High Representative. Ministers agreed that
full and immediate humanitarian access to Tigray
was urgently needed. They also agreed that it
was necessary to investigate allegations of human rights violations, end ethnic violence and
discrimination, and guarantee the respect of international humanitarian law.
The Council also discussed the situation with
Iran,
and the worrying recent developments in the
nuclear field. The need to bring back
full implementation of the JCPOA,
both as regards nuclear
commitments and when it comes to sanctions lifting, was consistently highlighted.
The High Representative debriefed the Council on the
G5 Sahel Summit
which took place in Chad
on 16 February, which he joined by video-conference together with President of the European
Council Charles Michel.
The High Representative briefly referred to the joint communication on "Renewed
partnership
with the Southern Neighbourhood",
the one on "Strengthening
the EU’s contribution to rules-
based multilateralism",
which lays out the EU's expectations and ambitions for the multilateral
system.
Finally, the High Representative raised the issue of further deterioration of situation in
Belarus
and
the ongoing crackdown against human right defenders, civil society and journalists. He said that the
EU would
consider the adoption of further sanctions,
and that it would support the Belarusian
people in its legitimate request for democracy, by supporting the civil society and by punishing
those who deny them the fundamental rights.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
Russia
22 February 2021
The Council held a comprehensive and strategic discussion on EU-Russia relations.
During the debate a shared assessment emerged that Russia was
drifting
towards an authoritarian
state and
away from Europe.
Ministers restated their unity of intent, and discussed how relations
with Russia could develop within the framework of the five guiding principles and focused on:
pushing back
on infringements of international law and human rights,
containing
disinformation
and cyberattacks, but also
engaging
on issues of interest to the EU.
In view of the latest developments, ministers
agreed
to proceed with work on future
restrictive
measures
in response to
serious violations of human rights.
They also agreed to increase support for all those engaged in the country in defending the political
and civil freedoms.
Hong Kong
The Council was informed about the deteriorating situation and agreed on a set of
short and
longer-term actions,
in addition to the initial response package adopted last July.
Immediate measures include
increased support to civil society,
stepping up
coordination with
like-minded partners,
and
outreach
to relevant authorities.
The Council also addressed the impact of the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong on the broader
relations with
China.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
22 February 2021
Other business
Video Conference with US State Secretary Antony Blinken
The Council exchanged views via video conference with the new US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken on the substantive agenda for EU-US cooperation on key global, foreign and security
policy issues.
This was first high-level interaction between the EU and the new US administration, a month from
its taking office. The discussion showed the parties' intention not only to deepen the EU-US
partnership, but also their intention to form a
joint global leadership
in fighting the pandemic and
dealing with recovery, mitigating climate change and ensuring the promotion of democratic values.
The discussion touched on international opportunities and challenges such as relations with China
and Russia, Iran and security and defence.
Conclusions
The Council adopted conclusions on:
Myanmar/Burma, a human-rights-based post-COVID-19
recovery,
and
EU priorities in UN human rights fora in 2021.
–
–
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Myanmar/Burma: Council adopts conclusions
COVID-19: Council adopts conclusions on human rights-based recovery
Human rights: Council adopts conclusions on EU priorities in UN human rights fora in
2021
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
OTHER ITEMS APPROVED
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
22 February 2021
Council Decision and Implementing Regulation concerning restrictive measures in view of the
situation in Venezuela
For more details, see
press release.
Charter of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure: EU's endorsement
The Council endorsed the Charter of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) on
behalf of the EU, and authorised the Commission to convey the EU's endorsement of the Charter
and its request to become a member of the CDRI to the co-chairs of the Governing Council of the
CDRI.
Extension of the mandate of various EU Special representatives
The Council extended the mandates of five EU Special Representatives for: Human Rights,
the Sahel, Central Asia the Middle East Peace Process, and the South Caucasus and the Crisis in
Georgia.
EMPLOYMENT
Key messages on Council recommendation on long-term unemployment
The Council endorsed the key messages from the Employment and the Social Protection
Committees on the implementation of the Council recommendation of 15 February 2016 on the
integration of the long-term unemployed. The Employment Committee conducted a third review of
the Council recommendation. The review explored the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on long-term
unemployed people, and the responses delivered by employment and social services for the
provision of integrated services. The main objectives were to showcase how member states have
been tackling the challenges that long-term unemployed faced during the initial stages of the
economic crisis and measures put in place to prevent increases in long-term unemployment as well
as possible pathways to recovery (5623/21 +
ADD 1).
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
22 February 2021
UN congress on crime prevention and criminal justice
The Council approved the opening statement to be delivered by Commissioner Ylva Johansson on
behalf of the EU and the member states at the 14th UN congress on crime prevention and criminal
justice, which will take place in March 2021.
Cabo Verde - visa facilitation
The Council adopted a decision to sign an agreement between the EU and Cabo Verde amending
the existing agreement on facilitating the issue of short-stay visas. It also decided to forward the
draft decision on the conclusion of the agreement to the European Parliament for its consent
(5033/21,
5035/21, 5034/21).
The amendments to the agreement would reduce visa fees, extend the categories of persons who can
apply for multiple entry visas and simplify the documentation to be presented as proof of the
purpose of the journey.
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank
The Council appointed Frank Elderson as Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European
Central Bank for a period of five years (5630/21).
The Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board is chosen from among the members of the Executive
Board of the ECB. Mr Elderson was appointed as a member of the ECB's Executive Board on 10
December 2020.
Mr Elderson will succeed Yves Mersch, whose term of office as the Vice-Chair of the Supervisory
Board ended on 14 December 2020.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
22 February 2021
list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions
The Council adopted conclusions on the revised EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax
purposes, deciding to add Dominica to the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions (Annex I of the
conclusions) and to remove Barbados from that list (6329/21).
The changes to the list take into consideration the ratings recently released by OECD Global Forum
for Transparency and Exchange of Information (Global Forum) as regards exchange of information
on request. For the purposes of the list, the EU requires jurisdictions to be at least ‘largely
compliant’ with the international standard on transparency and exchange of information on request
(EOIR).
Dominica has been included in the EU list as it received a ‘partially compliant’ rating from the
Global Forum and has not yet resolved this issue.
Barbados was added to the EU list in October 2020 after it received a ‘partially compliant’ rating
from the Global Forum. It has now been granted a supplementary review by the Global Forum and
has therefore been moved to a state-of-play document (Annex II of the Council conclusions)
pending the outcome of this review.
The Council also endorsed various other changes to the state-of-play document included in Annex
II of the conclusions.
Read the
press release
Taxation of energy products and electricity - Netherlands
The Council adopted a decision allowing the Netherlands to continue to apply a reduced rate of
taxation to electricity supplied to charging stations used directly for charging electric vehicles,
provided that the minimum levels of taxation laid down in Directive 2003/96/EC are respected
(5826/21). The authorisation does not cover charging stations for the exchange of batteries for
electric vehicles.
The Council decision will apply until 1 January 2025, unless the Council will adopt general rules on
tax advantages for electricity supplied to electric vehicles which will become applicable before that
date.
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
22 February 2021
VAT - Derogation - Estonia
The Council adopted a decision extending until 31 December 2024 a derogation allowing Estonia to
exempt from VAT taxable persons whose annual turnover is no higher than €
40 000
(5739/21).
EU-Switzerland Joint Committee - EU position
The Council adopted a decision on the EU position in the EU-Switzerland Joint Committee as
regards amendment of Chapter III and Annexes I and II of the Agreement between the European
Community and the Swiss Confederation on the simplification of inspections and formalities in
respect of the carriage of goods and on customs security measures (5657/21 + 5658/21).
AGRICULTURE
Rural development allocations for 2021
The Council decided not to object a Commission delegated regulation as regards the amounts of
EU's support for rural development in the year 2021. The aim of the delegated regulation is to take
aboard the notified member states' decisions as regards the allocations for year 2021. The regulation
is a delegated act pursuant to article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. It can now
enter into force, unless the European Parliament objects (5895/21,
5423/21
+
ADD1).
Prolongation of supporting measures for the wine sector due to COVID-19
The Council decided not to object a Commission delegated regulation as regards prolonging several
supporting measures for the wine sector, impacted by the COVID0-19 pandemic. Urgent temporary
measures to address the situation in the wine sector have already been taken through several
regulations which temporarily allow, among others, distillation of wine in case of crisis, aid to crisis
storage of wine, increase of the Union support to measures of support programmes in the wine
sector and increased flexibility in implementing some of these measures. Despite these exceptional
measures, the market has not regained its balance. To provide further relief to the wine sector, it is
therefore necessary to prolong several of these measures for the duration of financial year 2021.
The regulation is a delegated act pursuant to article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
It can now enter into force, unless the European Parliament objects (5946/21,
5702/21).
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PROVISIONAL VERSION
FISHERIES
22 February 2021
EU position at meetings of the Parties to the Port State Measures Agreement
The Council adopted a decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the EU at meetings of the
Parties to the Port State Measures Agreement to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and
unregulated fishing (5306/21 + ADD 1,
5296/21, 5410/21).
TRANSPORT
International road transport: introduction of the smart tachograph version 2
The Council adopted a decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the EU in the Group of
experts on the European agreement concerning the work of crews of vehicles engaged in
international road transport (AETR) and in the Working party on road transport of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (6048/21, 5673/21;
5700/21).
The position relates to the introduction of the second version of the smart tachograph.
The next meetings of these UNECE bodies will take place on 22 February 2021 and in October
2021.
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