The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council will meet on Monday in Brussels to begin current affairs discussions and review pressing issues on the international agenda. The Foreign ministers will specifically address the situation in Venezuela, Libya, Iran’s nuclear agreement and the U.S. decision to discontinue the waiver on title 3 of the Helms-Burton Act on Cuba - a previously suspended section of the U.S. trade embargoÌýon Cuba.Ìý
An Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday will bring together EU foreign ministers and their counterparts from the six Eastern Partnership countries:Ìý Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The ministers are expected to highlight the importance of the Eastern Partnership as 2019 marks its 10th anniversary. The Eastern Partnership is a specific Eastern dimension to the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) through which the EU works with its southern and eastern neighbors to achieve the closest possible political association and the greatest possible degree of economic integration.Ìý
The EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council will gather in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform package.Ìý
The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council (Defense) meeting will take place in Brussels on Tuesday. Foreign ministers and defense ministers will hold discussions on the Sahel with their counterparts of the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger). The Defense ministers will take stock of progress made on the permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) - the part of the EU security and defense policy (CSDP) in which 25 of the 28 national armed forces pursue structural integration. In particular, they will discuss the implementation of the 34 PESCO projects and the Council is expected to adopt its recommendation of the first annual report on PESCO implementation. Additionally, defense ministers will exchange views on EU-NATO cooperation focusing on collaboration to counter hybrid threats.
The 21st annual meeting of the EU-Japan Business Round Table will take place in Brussels on Wednesday. Senior representatives of the EU and Japanese authorities will take part in discussions on climate, the digital economy, Brexit and investments.Ìý
The Eurogroup will meet in Brussels on Thursday when finance ministers will exchange views on the economic situation of the Euro area and will discuss the main policy challenges on the basis of the Commission forecast.Ìý
The Foreign Affairs Council (Development) will gather in Brussels on Thursday. Development ministers will debate climate change and exchange views on youth and development. They will also discuss the future of the financial architecture for sustainable development.
The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) will meet Brussels on Friday. Ministers will hold a debate on digital taxation in the international context.Ìý The Council presidency and the Commission will present the main outcomes of the G20, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank spring meetings and finalize preparations for the June G20 meeting in Japan. The Council will try to reach a political agreement on a set of new excise duty rules applicable in the EU regime. Ministers will exchange views on the way forward for the legislative work in the field of the Economic and Monetary Union.
ÌýFurthermore, the EU-Tunisia Association Council will convene in Brussels on Friday.