Two extraordinary Councils this week

Met dank overgenomen van Kroatisch voorzitterschap Europese Unie 1e helft 2020 (Kroatisch voorzitterschap) i, gepubliceerd op dinsdag 3 maart 2020.

Due to the recent developments in Syria and ongoing humanitarian crisis which has escalated tensions in the region two extraordinary Councils will be held this week: Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 4 March and Foreign Affairs Council in Zagreb on 6 March.

JHA Council

Croatian Presidency has decided to convene an extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council on 4 March to address the situation at Greece's and Bulgaria's borders with Turkey. The Council will be held in Brussels.

On 3 March, Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Davor Božinović will visit the land border between Greece and Turkey. They will be a part of the delegation alongside with Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis i, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen i, President of the European Council Charles Michel i and President of the European Parliament David Sassoli i. The visit is organised in order to gain a better understanding of the overall situation at the border and to find a common European response.

FAC

Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council will be held in Zagreb on 6 March. EU foreign affairs ministers will exchange views on recent developments in Syria, focusing specifically on the ongoing renewed fighting in and around Idlib. The Council will discuss how to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis and de-escalate tensions in the region, with a view to paving the way for a political solution. Ministers may also touch on the related external aspects of migration.

Meanwhile, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič i will travel to Ankara from Tuesday, 3 March to Wednesday, 4 March 2020. They will meet with high-level interlocutors of the Turkish authorities. The visits take place ahead of the informal meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers (Gymnich) and the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council chaired by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell i in Zagreb later this week, on 5 and 6 March.