Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs;
Credit: MAEE
On Tuesday, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, participated in a video conference of European Union ministers responsible for European affairs.
The video conference was an opportunity for Minister Jean Asselborn and his counterparts to have an in-depth discussion within the framework of the annual rule of law dialogue, particularly with regard to the specific situation in certain member states. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister welcomed this new component of the annual rule of law dialogue, which creates a "discussion forum in which we can address deficiencies in our respective systems and learn from each other".
The European affairs ministers then discussed the preparations for the meeting of the European Council on 10 and 11 December 2020. As part of this discussion, they exchanged views on issues related to COVID-19, climate change, security and the fight against terrorism, trade and external relations.
The question of EU enlargement and the state of play of the accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania were also on the agenda. Minister Jean Asselborn noted: "Whilst the road to membership may be long and difficult and all the countries in the region still have a lot to do, the Western Balkans are part of Europe and a future membership would represent a win-win solution for all". Regarding negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania in particular, he spoke in favour of the rapid organisation of the first intergovernmental conferences with the two governments.
The video conference was also an opportunity for the ministers to discuss the fight against anti-Semitism.
The German Presidency of the Council briefed the ministers on the negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the period 2021-27 as well as the recovery plan, for which discussions are currently blocked at Council level.
Finally, the current and future Presidency of the Council of the EU presented a roadmap for the European Semester 2021, while the European Commission presented its work programme for the year 2021.
