Minister Delegate for European Affairs, George Ciamba, to chair the General Affairs Council meeting (Luxemburg, June 18, 2019)

Met dank overgenomen van Roemeens voorzitterschap Europese Unie 1e helft 2019 (Roemeens voorzitterschap) i, gepubliceerd op maandag 17 juni 2019.

Minister for European Affairs George Ciamba will be chairing the meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC), the last during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council, on Tuesday, March 18, 2019 in Luxemburg. As customary, Minister Ciamba will symbolically hand over the chairmanship of the General Affairs Council to his Finnish counterpart. During the almost six months of mandate, the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, through the format of the General Affairs Council, approved files of significant importance for the citizens.

The items on the agenda will include topical issues such as the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027. The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union aimed at continuing negotiations on the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework, with a view to facilitating the draft of a revised version of the negotiation document as the basis for an exchange of opinions during the European Council in June. During tomorrow’s meeting, the Romanian Presidency will present a revised negotiation document/negobox, which should act as the basis for later decision at the European leadership level, this autumn. During its mandate, the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union achieved the conclusion of negotiations on the 10 sectoral proposals related to the Multiannual Financial Framework.

The General Affairs Council will also discuss the Enlargement package and the Stabilisation and Association process, one of the subjects that the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council has intensely worked on ever since taking over its mandate, considering that the consolidation of the European Union’s regional role is of strategic importance.

During the General Affairs Council meeting in Luxemburg, the ministers will make the necessary preparations for the European Council in June 20-21, 2019. According to practice, the GAC agenda also features debates on the European Semester.