General Affairs Council, 17-18/11/2015, 17-18 November 2015

Main Results

The Council began preparations for the meeting of the European Council to take place on 17-18 December 2015 on the basis of an annotated draft agenda. "Today we started preparing for the next European Council by looking at the six issues which European leaders will be invited to address. These are the fight against terrorism following the attacks in Paris; migration, on which heads of state and government will assess progress in implementing decisions already taken; the Presidents' report on completing Economic and Monetary Union; the completion of the single market; the UK plans for a referendum; and relations with Russia and the situation in Ukraine", said Jean Asselborn, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg and President of the Council.

The launch of the political dialogue on the rule of law was one of the priorities of the Luxembourg presidency. I'm glad that the incoming Netherlands presidency is committed to follow up these efforts and to build on the exchange of views held today. Jean Asselborn, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg

Ministers held their first annual rule of law dialogue which was established in December 2014. They exchanged views on their experiences of challenges in this area and of how best to respond. Ministers also specifically addressed the issue of the rule of law in the digital era. "The launch of the political dialogue on the rule of law was one of the priorities of the Luxembourg presidency", said Jean Asselborn, adding: "I'm glad that the incoming Netherlands presidency is committed to follow up these efforts and to build on the exchange of views held today."

Ministers also took stock of the ongoing discussions on an agreement between the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission intended to improve the way the EU legislates. One of the main aims of the interinstitutional agreement on better regulation is to ensure that EU legislation and policies achieve their objectives at minimum cost. The aim of the three institutions is to reach agreement by the end of the year.

Cohesion policy

The presidency invited ministers in charge of cohesion policy to a meeting of the General Affairs Council dedicated to the following issues:

Cohesion policy is one of the main ways in which the EU can contribute to a green economy. Camille Gira, Secretary of State of Luxembourg

In the view of the UN climate conference in Paris in December the Council adopted conclusions. These cover the contribution from cohesion policy and more generally from European structural and investment funds 2014-2020 to support the shift towards a low-carbon economy. "Cohesion policy is one of the main ways in which the EU can contribute to a green economy. Over the period 2014-2020 European structural and investment funds will be providing €110 billion for climate-related measures, of which €45 billion is set to support the shift towards a low-carbon economy", said Camille Gira, Secretary of State for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure of Luxembourg and President of the Council.

The Council adopted conclusions taking stock of 25 years experience since the establishment of European territorial cooperation, known as Interreg and its contribution to cohesion policy. It also discussed the added value of Interreg for cultural and institutional learning across the borders.

It also adopted conclusions setting out the priorities and expectations of member states regarding the simplification of the European structural and investment funds, which is a permanent challenge for beneficiaries and all bodies involved in programme management and control.

• Outcome of the Council meeting