Preparations for the Belgian EU Presidency: Olivier Chastel listens to what his European counterparts have to say
On Monday, 10 May 2010, State Secretary for European Affairs Olivier Chastel attended a meeting with ministers and secretaries of state responsible for European affairs. Various topics were raised at the meeting, including the European External Action Service (EEAS), the citizen’s initiative and the financial crisis. The political situation in Belgium was also discussed in the course of proceedings, as was the impact of the crisis on the Belgian Presidency.
On the sidelines of the General Affairs Council, the secretary of state continued his round of talks with counterparts from the 26 other EU Member States.
Having already met his respective Slovenian and Portuguese counterparts, Samuel Zbogar and Pedro Manuel Carqueijeiro, in April, this time around Olivier Chastel met Finnish State Secretary for European Affairs Amélie von Zweigbergk, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitri Droutsas, Irish Deputy Foreign Minister Dirk Roche and Finnish European Affairs Minister Astrid Thors. This Tuesday, Olivier Chastel will also meet his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Mazuru.
Olivier Chastel stressed to his European colleagues that Belgium’s preparations for the EU Presidency were continuing according to plan. “Our work will continue, even under agovernment of current affairs, we will press ahead with our programme. By the end of June we will have an ambitious programme”, he said.
The topics discussed at these meetings included the application of the Lisbon Treaty, the prospective EU budget, the future of European economic policy with the EU 2020 strategy, the social dimension and employment, the Stockholm Programme (security, justice, immigration and asylum), climate- and energy-related and environmental issues and questions about the EU’s enlargement to include Iceland the Balkan States and Turkey. State Secretary for European Affairs Olivier Chastel said he wanted not only to gauge the various expectations and feelings regarding the issues that had been raised, but also to ascertain whether any other topics or matters falling outside the scope of those issues already covered were felt to be of particular importance during the latter half of 2010.
Olivier Chastel said: “Conducting the Presidency during the second half of the year will constitute a challenge, coming as it does at a pivotal moment of institutional transition for the EU. Belgium will do all it can to ensure that the EU’s institutions work smoothly once the changes rung in by the Lisbon Treaty have been introduced”.
“Belgium will take charge of the Presidency either under the current government in charge of current affairs, or under a new government”, Olivier Chastel said at the end of each encounter.