European Union

Plenary sessions : Economic disintegration and violence in Libya are worsening its fragility and enabling extremist organisations to flourish there, warned MEPs in Wednesday’s debate with Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders, representing the EU foreign policy chief. Spillovers from Libya’s conflicts are also destabilising the Sahel region, they add. In a resolution voted on Thursday, MEPs urge the EU and international community to be ready to support Libyans’ efforts to implement the Libyan Political Agreement.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Economic disintegration and violence in Libya are worsening its fragility and enabling extremist organisations to flourish there, warned MEPs in Wednesday’s debate with Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders, representing the EU foreign policy chief. Spillovers from Libya’s conflicts are also destabilising the Sahel region, they add. In a resolution voted on Thursday, MEPs urge the EU and international community to be ready to support Libyans’ efforts to implement the Libyan Political Agreement.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 16 December 2015, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2015/2359[1] implementing Council Decision 2013/255/CFSP.

The Decision amends the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures as set out in Annex I to Decision 2013/255/CFSP.

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia* and Albania*, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this Declaration.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

 [1] Published on 17.12.2015 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L 331, p. 26.

* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

Plenary sessions : Parliament condemns the unprecedented levels of human rights abuses perpetrated against Crimean Tatars, calls on the Bahrain to grant Mohammed Ramadan a royal pardon or to commute his death sentence, and for the immediate safe release of the five missing book publishers in Hong Kong, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament condemns the unprecedented levels of human rights abuses perpetrated against Crimean Tatars, calls on the Bahrain to grant Mohammed Ramadan a royal pardon or to commute his death sentence, and for the immediate safe release of the five missing book publishers in Hong Kong, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 21 December 2015, the Council adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/2431[1]. The Council Decision extends existing measures until 31 July 2016.

The Candidate Countries Montenegro* and Albania*, and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine align themselves with this Declaration.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

 [1] Published on 22.12.2015 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L 334, p. 22.

* Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/LOGO_Syria_Conf_FOR_NEWSROOM_thumb_169_1454412485_1454412305_129_97shar_c1.jpg

Donald TUSK, President of the European Council, attends the conference on the Syria crisis in London, co-hosted by the UK, Germany, Kuwait, Norway and the United Nations, on 4 February 2016.

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Plenary sessions : The start of EU accession negotiations with Serbia and the progress made in normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo was welcomed by MEPs in two resolutions passed on Thursday. They also stressed that these relations would be helped if all EU member states were to recognise Kosovo.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The start of EU accession negotiations with Serbia and the progress made in normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo was welcomed by MEPs in two resolutions passed on Thursday. They also stressed that these relations would be helped if all EU member states were to recognise Kosovo.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 29 October 2015, the Council adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1957[1] amending Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP.

The Decision extends the existing measures until 29 February 2016 and at the same time suspends the measures for 170 persons and 3 entities designated under Decision 2012/642/CFSP until 29 February 2016. The Decision also amends the list of persons and entities as set out in Annex to Decision 2012/642/CFSP.

The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this Declaration.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

 [1] Published on 30.10.2015 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L 284, p. 149.

* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

We are here today to forge a common response to the biggest humanitarian challenge of our time: the Syrian refugee crisis. Refugees have had little choice but to flee their country. Many of them have lost everything. And now after so many years of conflict, people have lost hope. We have a moral duty to bring their hope back.

Syria's neighbours have shown tremendous efforts in accommodating over 4.6 million refugees. The international community recognizes that countries like Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey are providing a global public good in assisting refugees. We are all here because this public good has to be financed by the global community. We have to support Syria's neighbours in accommodating refugees.

Since the start of the conflict the European Union has spent 5 billion euros helping to manage this crisis. Last year, the European Union exceeded its commitment to give an additional 1 billion euros to the region. We now stand ready to offer more help.

I am pleased to announce that the European Union and its member states will commit more than 3 billion euros to respond to the needs of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for 2016. Looking beyond that, from 2017 onwards, the EU and Member States intend to maintain this level of financing.

On top of this pledge, the EU's bank will also play its part. The European Investment Bank plans to lend around 12.5 billion euros to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt over the next five years. This could be stepped up to a possible total of 23 billion euros for the whole of the Middle East and North Africa. President Hoyer from EIB will present the details later today.

I will continue to convince my G7 and G20 partners to step up our global efforts.