Kosovo-debat centraal bij EU-conferentie (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - After a ceremonial signing of the new Lisbon treaty, EU leaders are meeting for an unusually short end-of-the-year summit, set to be dominated by talks on Kosovo, globalisation and a brand new 'visionary' body to study Europe's future challenges.
Unlike previous top level meetings, today's gathering only has a few issues on the agenda, with diplomats expecting that the pre-cooked summit conclusions will not have to be altered too much at the end of the summit.
But the wording on Kosovo - easily the trickiest subject on the table - may become a key signal on where the EU stands on the breakaway Serbian province, which is expected to declare independence early next year.
The debate on Kosovo is scheduled for a joint lunch of leaders and foreign ministers and is expected to mainly focus on the details of the bloc's deployment of its security and civilian mission in the south Serbian province.
The operation, with up to 1,800 policemen, judges and prosecutors, is seen as a way to assist Pristina to gradually taking over from the international community in administering the two million Kosovars, especially in the case of an outbreak of violence.
But when the foreign ministers debated the statement on the EU's readiness to deploy the mission earlier this week, the Netherlands expressed concerns over whether it is legal. EU member states are planning to use the UN 1244 resolution as a basis for their action.
Adopted in 1999, this resolution authorised international civil and military presence in Kosovo, then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, placing it under interim UN administration.
Europe is trying to use the same resolution to authorise a partial shift of power from the UN to EU authorities enabling them to provide an initial supervision of the soon-to-be declared independent Kosovo, but Dutch representatives have signalled it may not be completely in line with international law and procedures.
"As the country which hosts several international courts, their approach on the matter is strictly legalistic," one diplomat commented, adding that The Hague also disagreed with too strong promises to both Serbia and Kosovo on their future EU membership.
Meanwhile some EU countries are against independence that is not recognised by the UN. Cyprus is strongly against a slowly emerging EU plan on how to "coordinate" the declaration of independence by Kosovar Albanians. Other sceptical states include Romania, Slovakia, Greece and Spain.
'Reflecting' on future, again
Today's summit is also expected to give the green light to a "reflection group" on Europe's long-term future challenges and name the chair of the nine to twelve new body.
It is the brainchild of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who made the setting up of such a group a condition for Paris letting Turkey proceed with its EU accession negotiations.
But following opposition by both the European Commission and several member states, its mandate has been strongly watered down and it is not meant to discuss future enlargement or the borders of Europe.
Instead, the group of former top politicians and successful businessmen should study issues such as migration, the fight against terrorism, social and economic challenges, climate change but also relations with countries outside EU borders.
Ireland has been the country that has been very careful over the exact wording of the reflection group's mandate.
It is desperate to avoid any signs that the EU is thinking about further reform as it prepares - probably as the only member state - to have a referendum on the new Lisbon Treaty.
Finally, the summit is also expected to sign off a declaration on globalisation, drafted by the UK, which highlights the positive aspects of the phenomenon.
Also, mainly as a result of recent events in Italy involving Romanian migrants, the summit conclusions will, for the first time ever, include a line about the Roma minority. It will say that the problems the Roma encounter in some member states is a European problem and should be tackled as such.