EU foreign ministers will meet in the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss Iran, North Korea and Myanmar. They will also discuss EU cooperation with Turkey on regional issues. This ministerial discussion will feed into the European Council meeting on Oct. 19-20.
The General Affairs Council will gather on Tuesday in Brussels. EU ministers will discuss the draft conclusions of the European Council meeting on Oct. 19-20. The Council, in an EU 27 format, will discuss the state of play of Brexit negotiations after five rounds of talks with the EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier, who will brief ministers on progress made so far.
-EU Leaders Summit
EU leaders will meet in Brussels for the European Council Summit on Thursday and Friday. Heads of the 28 EU member states, the European Council President and the President of the European Commission will discuss migration, defense, foreign affairs and digitalization.
The European Council defines the EU's overall political direction and priorities by adopting 'conclusions' during meetings that identify issues of concern and actions to take.
The European Council will take stock of the measures taken to control illegal migration flows on all routes. Heads of state will also resume discussions on permanent structured cooperation on defense. In addition, EU leaders will review specific foreign policy issues, including relations with Turkey. The European Council, in an EU 27 format, will review the latest developments in the Brexit negotiations following the United Kingdom's notification of its intention to leave the EU.
-Last week
The fifth round of Brexit negotiations ended in Brussels last week. Discussions continued on citizen rights, a financial settlement and Irish border issues. According to the EU side, negotiations reached a “deadlock”’ and not enough progress was made in discussions to move to the next stage, which involves future relationships.
Eurogroup member states gathered in Luxembourg last week where ministers exchanged views on the possible future roles and tasks of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble attended his last Eurogroup meeting.
The European Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of Abertis by Atlantia, both leading companies in toll road and infrastructure management. The Commission concluded that the merged entity would continue to face effective competition in the relevant markets.
The European Commission called for the completion of all parts of the Banking Union by 2018.
The European Council adopted a new scheme called WiFi4EU in which EU will sponsor free wireless internet access points in town halls, libraries, parks and other public places.
The Council adopted a revised regulation concerning measures to safeguard the security of gas supply. The general purpose of the regulation is to reinforce the EU’s energy security, reducing its dependency on others for energy supplies and enabling it to deal more quickly and efficiently with any gas supply crises.
The Council approved a new system for resolving double taxation disputes between member states. The directive strengthens the mechanisms used to resolve disputes that arise from the interpretation of agreements on the elimination of double taxation.
The EU strengthened its restrictive measures against North Korea. New sanctions include a ban on the sale of natural gas liquids to North Korea, and on the importation of its textiles. The new measures also include limitations on the sale of refined petroleum products and crude oil to the country.
Twenty member states confirm the creation of a European Public Prosecutor's Office. The EPPO will be in charge of investigating, prosecuting and bringing to justice the perpetrators of offenses against the Union's financial interests.
