Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) (Development) - Montesquieu Instituut

Foreign Affairs Council (9.30)

The Council, chaired by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, will discuss the latest developments concerning the Middle East peace process, Iran and Syria.

The Council will also examine the situation in Mali and may adopt conclusions on some of these issues.

Over lunch, the Council will take stock of developments in the Eastern Neighbourhood, following the parliamentary elections of 23 September in Belarus and 1 October in Georgia.

A background briefing will be held in the Council press room in Brussels on Thursday 11 October at 17.00. A press conference will take place at the end of the meeting.

Development items (15.00)

Ministers for development, meeting in the framework of the Foreign Affairs Council, chaired by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, will discuss progress in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and preparations for the post-2015 development agenda, striving to ensure coherence and complementarity with the Rio + 20 follow-up. The EU remains committed to pursuing the MDGs and achieving the target of Official Development Assistance (ODA) of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015, while seeking also to modernise its future development policy through a differentiated approach.

The Council will also have an orientation debate on the basis of the joint EEAS-Commission communication "EU support for sustainable change in transition societies", which sets out a number of concrete measures to improve the way in which the EU supports countries in transition to achieve successful and sustainable transformations, building on its own experiences.

The Council is also expected to adopt, without debate, conclusions on:

the 2012 annual report on the European Union’s Development and External Assistance Policies and their Implementation in 2011;

Financing for Development.

A background briefing will take place in the Council Lipsius room in Brussels, Friday 12 October at 10.00. A press conference is expected to be held at the end of the meeting.

A presidency briefing, agenda and background note will be published on the Council website closer to the date of the meeting.