Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs;
Credit: MAEE
On Tuesday 8 December 2020, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, participated in the videoconference of the European Union's General Affairs Council (GAC).
The ministers for European affairs prepared the meeting of the European Council on 10 and 11 December 2020. They exchanged views on the coordination of the measures taken to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, including those related to free movement in the EU.
The ministers also addressed the issue of climate change with a view to agreeing on a new EU emissions reduction target. Minister Jean Asselborn recalled that "the endorsement of the EU's climate objective for 2030, raised to a minimum of -55%, is a priority for Luxembourg for this European Council", before adding that "the Union must assume global leadership in the fight against climate change".
Subsequently, the ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom on their future relations after the end of the Brexit transition period, on 31 December 2020.
The Presidency of the Council of the EU briefed the ministers on the interinstitutional agreement on the legislative programming of the EU for 2021 and beyond. The European Commission then presented its new action plan for European democracy, a subject which will be further explored under the incoming Portuguese presidency in the first half of 2021.
