EU General Affairs Council to discuss preparations for European Council and EU enlargement

The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 17 December. In their meeting, the ministers will continue preparations for the upcoming European Council and approve conclusions on EU enlargement. Finland’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Jori Arvonen, will represent Finland at the meeting.

The GAC will continue preparations for the European Council on 19 December, which will focus on Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the EU’s role in the world, preparedness for crises and migration issues.

Finland considers it important that the EU continue its strong, effective and united response to Russia’s military attacks in Ukraine. The EU must continue and increase its political, financial and military support to Ukraine along with its humanitarian assistance.

The EU must promote peace, stability and the protection of civilians in the Middle East through all its actions. Finland will continue to work actively to deepen the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and EU cooperation on defence and to strengthen the global role of the EU. Finland considers it especially important to improve the preparedness of the EU and work towards a comprehensive approach to crisis response in line with the European Council conclusions of March 2024. Finland is also determined to promote solutions that would prevent external actors from using migration as a tool for exerting influence on the Union.

The ministers will hold a discussion on the future of Europe from the point of view of competitiveness. In Finland’s view, the EU’s strategic competitiveness should be based on further developing the Union’s strengths and implementing market-based solutions. A well-functioning single market with free movement and an effective state aid and competition policy play a key role in promoting predictability and ensuring a favourable investment environment.

The GAC will also approve conclusions on EU enlargement. Finland advocates for a credible enlargement policy based on EU membership criteria, with special emphasis on the importance of democratic institutions and rule of law reforms. The applicant countries’ alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy is now more important than ever. 
On the theme of enlargement, the seventeenth ministerial meeting of the Accession Conference will be held with Montenegro in the evening of 16 December and the third ministerial meeting of the Accession Conference will be held with Albania in the morning of 17 December.

The GAC will also discuss EU-UK and EU-Switzerland relations.

In the General Affairs Council (GAC), the EU Member States are primarily represented by their ministers for European affairs. The tasks of the GAC include preparations for the European Council meetings. The GAC is also responsible for a number of cross-cutting policy areas, including negotiations on the multiannual financial framework and EU enlargement. Questions related to the rule of law are also an established part of the GAC’s agenda.

Inquiries: Heli Siivola, Senior Specialist for EU Affairs, tel. +358 50 576 7745, Prime Minister’s Office and Johanna Kaprio-Papageorgiou, Press Counsellor (media interviews), tel. +32 470 20 61 52, Finland’s Permanent Representation to the EU