General Affairs Council 21 February: The earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and preparations for the European Council on 23-24 February

On Tuesday 21 February, EU ministers convened for the General Affairs Council (GAC) meeting in Brussels. As chair of the Council, Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs Jessika Roswall briefed ministers on follow-up to the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and highlighted the massive humanitarian needs on the ground and gave an overview of the coordination efforts within the EU’s integrated political crisis response (IPCR) mechanism.

The Presidency together with the Commission will hold a Donors’ Conference in March to mobilise funds from the international community in support for the people of Türkiye and Syria.

“The earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria have left behind horrible destruction. We need to use all the tools at our disposal to ensure that help gets to the people in need. The Donors’ Conference will help raise resources in support of the early recovery and relief in the affected areas.”

Jessika Roswall, Minister for EU Affairs of Sweden

The Council started preparations for the European Council meeting on 23-24 March 2023 by discussing an annotated draft agenda.

At its meeting in March, the European Council will address Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in all its dimensions and the EU’s continued support to Ukraine and its people.

EU leaders will also address competitiveness, single market and the economy. They will discuss Europe’s long-term strategy to boost competitiveness and productivity, and how to make the EU’s economic, industrial and technological base fit for the green and digital transitions. They will also hold a strategic discussion on EU trade policy and address the reform of the EU economic governance framework, as well as the 2023 European Semester.

The European Council will also take stock of progress in the implementation of its conclusions on energy. The Presidency and the Commission will inform EU leaders on progress in the implementation of the recent conclusions on migration.