Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2022-23 (1. samling)
UPN Alm.del Bilag 9
Offentligt
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European Council
Brussels, 21 October 2022
(OR. en)
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CONCL 6
NOTE
From:
To:
Subject:
General Secretariat of the Council
Delegations
European Council meeting (20 and 21 October 2022)
– Conclusions
Delegations will find attached the conclusions adopted by the European Council at the above
meeting.
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
I.
UKRAINE/RUSSIA
Russia’s escalating aggression
1.
The European Council addressed Russia’s escalating war of aggression against Ukraine,
which is putting European and global peace and security at risk. The European Council is
determined to counter disinformation aimed at negating our collective efforts to defend the
sovereignty of Ukraine and rules-based international order. It reiterates that Russia bears the
sole responsibility for the current energy and economic crises.
2.
The European Council condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent indiscriminate
Russian missile and drone attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure in
Kyiv and across Ukraine. It likewise condemns Russia’s actions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia
nuclear power plant and underlines the European Union’s support to the International Atomic
Energy Agency’s efforts to maintain the safety, security and safeguards of the facility.
3.
Recalling the statement of 30 September 2022, and in line with the UN General Assembly
Resolution of 12 October 2022, the European Council reiterates its unequivocal condemnation
and firm rejection of the illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk,
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. As in the case of Crimea and Sevastopol, the European
Union will never recognise this illegal annexation. Russia’s unilateral decisions deliberately
violate the UN Charter and blatantly disregard the rules-based international order. Russia has
no legitimate basis for any action on the territory of Ukraine.
4.
The European Council reaffirms its full support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity. In accordance with the UN Charter and international law, Ukraine is
exercising its inherent right of self-defence against the Russian aggression. It has the right to
liberate and regain full control of all occupied territories within its internationally recognised
borders.
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
5.
The European Council demands that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally
withdraw all of its military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally
recognised borders, as the UN General Assembly demanded, and that Russia stop all hybrid
attacks against Ukraine.
6.
War crimes committed against Ukrainians, of which there is growing evidence, and the
continuous destruction of civilian infrastructure are a gross violation of international law. The
European Union reiterates its firm commitment to holding Russia, and all perpetrators and
accomplices, to account, and its strong support for the investigations by the Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court. The European Council acknowledges Ukraine’s efforts to secure
accountability, including for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. It invites the High
Representative and the Commission to explore options so that full accountability can be
ensured.
7.
The European Union has further reinforced its restrictive measures against Russia and stands
ready to continue to do so. The European Council stresses the importance of ensuring
effective implementation, preventing circumvention and its facilitation, and calls on all
countries to align with EU sanctions. Efforts in this regard should be stepped up. The
European Council discussed how to further increase collective pressure on Russia to end its
war of aggression.
8.
The European Council stresses the importance of united EU practices on visa issuance in
relation to Russian applicants, and welcomes the European Commission’s updated guidelines.
9.
The European Union will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. It will continue to provide
strong political, military and financial support to Ukraine, including for its liquidity needs,
and step up its humanitarian response, in particular for winter preparedness. The decision to
conduct an EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine was adopted by the
Council, as well as the recent decision to further increase the European Peace Facility
assistance measures in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The European Council
commends the work on the ground of the civilian EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine.
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
10.
The European Council calls for the timely provision of the remaining EUR 3 billion in macro-
financial assistance for Ukraine. It invites the Commission to present, and the Council to work
on, a more structural solution for providing assistance to Ukraine. The full potential of the
Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with
Ukraine should be used to ease its access to the Single Market.
11.
The European Union is determined to support Ukraine’s relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction, together with international partners and financial institutions. Ahead of the
International Expert Conference in Berlin on 25 October 2022, the European Council
discussed the governance and financing of these efforts, including reforms. Furthermore,
recalling its conclusions of 30-31 May 2022, the European Council invites the Commission to
present options in line with EU and international law aimed at using frozen assets to support
Ukraine’s reconstruction.
12.
Ukraine has stated its readiness for a just peace, which should include respect for its territorial
integrity and sovereignty as protected by the UN Charter; safeguarding Ukraine’s ability to
defend itself in the future; ensuring its recovery and reconstruction, including exploring
avenues to do so with funds from Russia; and pursuing accountability for Russian crimes
committed during the war.
13.
The European Council calls on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of
aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing
support to the Russian military. The Belarusian regime must fully abide by its obligations
under international law. The European Union remains ready to move quickly with further
sanctions against Belarus.
14.
The European Council also strongly condemns the military support to Russia’s war of
aggression provided by the Iranian authorities, which must stop. In this regard, the European
Council welcomes the EU sanctions adopted on 20 October 2022.
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
Food security
15.
Russia, by weaponising food in its war against Ukraine, is solely responsible for the global
food security crisis it has provoked. Russia’s war of aggression has triggered disruptions of
agricultural production, supply chains and trade that have driven world food and fertiliser
prices to unprecedented levels. The EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes have made possible the
export of significant volumes of Ukrainian crops, agricultural products and fertilisers to the
countries most in need. The European Union will continue to improve the efficiency of all the
Solidarity Lanes. The European Council supports the call by the United Nations Secretary-
General for the extension of the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative beyond its current period
ending in November. EU sanctions against Russia do not prohibit the export of agricultural or
food products between third countries and Russia.
II.
16.
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
The European Council strongly condemns the acts of sabotage against critical infrastructure,
such as those against the Nord Stream pipelines. The European Union will meet any
deliberate disruption of critical infrastructure or other hybrid actions with a united and
determined response. The European Council calls on the Member States to take urgent and
effective measures, and to cooperate with each other, the Commission and other relevant
actors, with a view to enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure. Work should be taken
forward quickly on the proposal for a Council recommendation on a coordinated approach by
the Union to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure, including the early
implementation of the revised Directive on security of network and information systems
(NIS 2 Directive) and the Directive on the resilience of critical entities.
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
III. ENERGY AND ECONOMY
17.
In the face of Russia’s weaponisation of energy, the European Union will remain united to
protect its citizens and businesses and take the necessary measures as a matter of urgency.
18.
The European Council has agreed that in light of the ongoing crisis, efforts to reduce demand,
to ensure security of supply, to avoid rationing, and to lower energy prices for households and
businesses across the Union need to be accelerated and intensified, and the integrity of the
Single Market has to be preserved.
The European Council calls on the Council and the Commission to urgently submit concrete
decisions on the following additional measures, as well as on the Commission proposals,
having assessed their impact notably on existing contracts, including the non-affectation of
long-term contracts, and taking into account the different energy mixes and national
circumstances:
a)
voluntary joint purchasing of gas, except for binding demand aggregation for a volume
equivalent to 15% of storage filling needs, according to national needs, and the speeding
up of negotiations with reliable partners to seek mutually beneficial partnerships by
exploiting the Union’s collective market weight and making full use of the EU Energy
Platform, which is open also for the Western Balkans and the three associated Eastern
Partners;
b)
a new complementary benchmark by early 2023 that more accurately reflects conditions
on the gas market;
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
c)
a temporary dynamic price corridor on natural gas transactions to immediately limit
episodes of excessive gas prices, taking into account the safeguards set out in Article
23(2) of the draft Council Regulation proposed on 18 October 2022;
d)
a temporary EU framework to cap the price of gas in electricity generation, including a
cost and benefit analysis, without modifying the merit order, while preventing
increasing gas consumption, addressing the financing and distributional impacts and its
impact on flows beyond the EU’s borders;
e)
improvements to the functioning of energy markets to increase market transparency,
alleviate liquidity stress and eliminate factors that amplify the volatility of gas prices,
while ensuring the preservation of financial stability;
f)
fast-tracking of the simplification of permitting procedures in order to accelerate the
rollout of renewables and grids including with emergency measures on the basis of
Article 122 TFEU;
g)
energy solidarity measures in case of gas supply disruptions at national, regional or
Union level, in the absence of bilateral solidarity agreements;
h)
increased efforts to save energy;
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
i)
mobilising relevant tools at national and EU level. At the same time, the immediate
priority is to protect households and businesses, in particular the most vulnerable in our
societies. Preserving the Union’s global competitiveness is also key. All relevant tools
at national and EU level should be mobilised to enhance the resilience of our
economies, while preserving Europe’s global competitiveness and maintaining the level
playing field and the integrity of the Single Market. The European Council is committed
to close coordination of policy responses. It stresses the importance of close
coordination and of common European level solutions, where appropriate, and is
committed to achieving our policy objectives in a united manner. The Council will
continue to closely monitor economic developments and is committed to further
reinforce our coordination, in order to deliver a determined and agile policy response.
19.
The European Council reiterates the need to step up investments in energy efficiency, future-
proof energy infrastructure, including interconnections, storage, and innovative renewable
technologies.
20.
The European Council invites the Commission to speed up work on the structural reform of
the electricity market, including an impact assessment, and calls for further progress towards a
full Energy Union serving the dual objective of European energy sovereignty and climate
neutrality.
21.
The European Council remains seized of the matter.
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Conclusions – 20 and 21 October 2022
IV.
22.
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
The European Council held a strategic discussion on the European Union’s relations with
China.
23.
It also discussed preparations for the upcoming EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit on
14 December 2022. The summit will be an opportunity to further deepen the European
Union’s Strategic Partnership with ASEAN and to underline our shared attachment to
international law and internationally agreed norms and standards, as well as to emphasise the
importance of common interests that bind our two regions in a longstanding partnership.
24.
The European Council took stock of preparations for the 2022 United Nations Climate
Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh (COP27) and for the 15th Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on Biological Diversity (Part Two) in Montreal. In the face of increasingly
intense and frequent extreme weather events, including heatwaves, wildfires and floods, and
unprecedented biodiversity loss across the globe, it stressed the extreme urgency of
strengthening the global response to the climate emergency and to the biodiversity crisis. In
order to keep the 1.5 °C objective within reach, the European Council calls on all Parties, in
particular major economies, to revisit and strengthen their nationally determined contributions
in time for COP27. The European Council also calls for the adoption of an ambitious,
comprehensive and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework to halt and
reverse biodiversity loss.
25.
The European Council condemns the unjustifiable and unacceptable use of force by the
Iranian authorities against peaceful protestors, in particular against women, and welcomes the
EU restrictive measures adopted on 17 October 2022 against the perpetrators of these serious
human rights violations. It calls on Iran to immediately stop the violent crackdown against
peaceful protestors and release those detained, in full respect of their civil and political rights.
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