BRUSSELS, June 12, (KUNA): The 20th Joint Ministerial Council between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to take place in Luxembourg on Monday has a wide-ranging agenda aimed at consolidating and strengthening relations between the two regional blocs.
“The agenda is the traditional one. We are not moving away from it. We will discuss EU-GCC relations reflecting on what we have done throughout the year and looking forward to greater cooperation,” Al-Mulla told the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, in an interview. She noted that a meeting of high officials from the 27-member European bloc and the six-member GCC last February reached agreement on boosting cooperation between the two sides.
“We identified the sectors,” she said adding that on energy “ we already have advanced talks.” Al-Mulla explained that the EU and GCC have formed a separate forum on energy which met in Kuwait on 2 June. On the issue of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Al-Mulla said consultations are continuing.
“ We continue our cooperation and consultations despite that we have not concluded the FTA. It is not a hurdle,” she said.
FTA talks between the EU and GCC which had been going on for the last two decades are reportedly on hold now.
Commenting on the future of EU-GCC relations, Al-Mulla said she hoped “they will be better.” “We should be patient to give them some time to put their house in order,” said the Kuwaiti ambassador. Al-Mulla pointed out that the EU’s new external action service will not be in place until September.
“If you don’t have access to decision making in the EU that becomes a bit problematic,”added Al-Mulla. The EU’s new foreign service has been created under the Lisbon Treaty aimed at boosting the EU’s role on the international scene. For the first time, the EU-GCC ministerial meeting will be presided by the new EU high representative for foreign and security policy Catherine Ashton.
The GGC side will be led by Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah as Kuwait holds the current rotating presidency of the GCC which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Meanwhile, EU sources told KUNA that the EU-GCC meeting on Monday will endorse a three year Action Plan (2010-2013) to strengthen economic and political ties and cooperation between the two blocs.