The President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, today briefed the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament (AFET) on Monday’s Council meeting and the activities accomplished during the Slovenian Presidency.
Minister Rupel’s address was divided into two parts; the first part was devoted to the Council meeting on Monday, focusing particularly on the ministers’ discussion of the implications of the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in the Irish referendum. He also spoke on other topics, including the Western Balkans and the hotbeds of crisis in Africa. This was Minister Rupel’s last address to the Committee prior to the conclusion of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency. Therefore, particular attention was devoted to the report on the Slovenian Presidency, in which Minister Rupel highlighted the concern for stability in the Western Balkans and the agreement on the mandate for the commencement of negotiations on a new partnership and cooperation agreement between the EU and the Russian Federation.
