On the agenda of the next Foreign Affairs Council (FAC)

(BRUSSELS2) Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia and (possibly) Afghanistan/Pakistan, Yemen and Ukraine are on the agenda of the first Foreign Affairs Council of the year, on 25 January, also the first to be chaired by the High Representative for EU Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton. A political dialogue with Serbia is scheduled for the next day, January 26 (as well as with Cape Verde and the OSCE).

For the rest, in its traditional agenda of the Councils of Ministers, submitted at the beginning of each semester to European diplomats, the Spanish Presidency of the EU has not planned anything! And for good reason: the agenda is now set by the High Representative. We are waiting for it to resume the half-yearly, or even multi-monthly, programming. Five other meetings are scheduled: February 22, March 22, April 26, May 10 (jumbo council with Defense Ministers), June 14.

On the enlargement side, the Spanish presidency, which "keeps control", has planned: a first intergovernmental conference on Iceland's accession on February 23, an association and stabilization council with Croatia on March 23, a association with Turkey on May 11, as well as an intergovernmental conference on Iceland, Turkey, Croatia and even Fyrom (Macedonia) on June 15. These meetings take place on the sidelines of the General Affairs Council which normally brings together thes ministers for European affairs.

Also to be noted: the adoption of conclusions on the integrated maritime policy - an important subject - scheduled for 22 February.