EUGAC meets in Luxembourg on Tuesday

The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday to prepare for the European Council meeting on 15–16 October, hold their annual rule of law dialogue, and hear a report on the progress of the negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom.

Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen will represent Finland at the meeting, said a government press release.

“The rule of law is an essential cornerstone of modern democracy, and the Euroipean Commission’s new Rule of Law Report is an important element in the EU’s rule of law toolbox……,” said Tuppurainen.

“I am happy that we will now be able to discuss it at the GAC for the first time. This is one of the things we also worked on during the Finnish Presidency,” she added.

The GAC will also discuss the draft conclusions for the October European Council meeting. The topics on the agenda of the October European Council meeting are the relationship between the EU and the United Kingdom, climate change, external relations, and the fight against COVID-19. In Finland’s view, it is important that decisions on raising the EU’s 2030 climate target be made as soon as possible so that the EU can report its increased target to the UN by the end of the year.

A further aim of the meeting is to adopt a European Council recommendation on a coordinated approach to restrictions on free movement due to the COVID-19 crisis. Finland supports the objective of coordinating the actions of the member states and providing clear information on them at the EU level. It is important to ensure that the EU’s actions do not restrict the possibility for a member state to impose more stringent restrictions than other member states, if this is necessary in order to safeguard the functioning of public health and the society.

In the General Affairs Council (GAC), the EU member states are primarily represented by their foreign ministers. The tasks of the GAC include preparations for the European Council meetings. The GAC is also responsible for a number of cross-cutting policy areas, including negotiations on the multiannual financial framework and EU enlargement. Questions relating to the rule of law are also an established part of the GAC’s agenda.