Ekaterina Zaharieva to participate in a Foreign Affairs Council meeting
22 January 2018 Diplomatic Calendar
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva will take part in a Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Brussels on 22 January 2018. The meeting will be preceded by an informal breakfast with European Investment Bank (EIB) President Werner Hoyer, focusing on the establishment of a Development Branch within the EIB.
The roundtable will start with an exchange of views on pressing issues on the international agenda. Foreign ministers will discuss the future of the EU partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP). The Cotonou Agreement, which currently frames the partnership, is due to expire in 2020. The debate will focus on the mandate provided by the European Commission for negotiations on a Post-Cotonou Agreement, and this issue will also be considered at an informal FAC/Development meeting in February 2018.
The Council will review the current situation in Libya, also in the context of a trilateral meeting of the joint AU-EU-UN taskforce in Brussels on 14 December 2017.
The top diplomats of the Twenty-Eight will discuss the latest developments concerning the Middle East Peace Process. The foreign
Ministers and High Representative Federica Mogherini will have an informal lunch with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Peace Process, bilateral relations and regional cooperation will top the agenda.
The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on the EU strategy for Iraq, on Zimbabwe, on the EU integrated approach to external conflicts and crises and on EU priorities for cooperation with the Council of Europe.