Czech Presidency aims to finalise Treaty proposal to Ireland by June

Efforts are being directed towards finalising the Lisbon Treaty proposal to Ireland by June, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said.

Speaking at the end of the General Affairs Council (GAC) held yesterday in Prague between the Foreign Ministers of EU states, Dr Borg said that immediately following the EP elections at the beginning of June, the Czech Presidency would hold negotiations on the nomination of the next Commission, and in particular, possible candidates for its president.

The GAC agenda, the Foreign Minister said, revolved around three main issues, namely the question of energy security in view of the current conflict over contractual obligations between Russia and Ukraine, transatlantic relations and institutional issues.

The EU urged Russia and Ukraine to respect their obligations as supplier and transit country respectively, and return supplies to the normal levels.

The meeting also included a working lunch dealing with transatlantic relations. Participants agreed on the need to establish good relations between the EU and the new US administration.

Three key areas of cooperation where identified, namely economic and financial cooperation in preparation for the G20 Summit in April, climate-energy with focus on energy security in preparation for the Summit in Copenhagen in December, and cooperation on foreign-policy problems, including the Middle-East, Afghanistan and Iran.