Austrian Foreign Minister Schallenberg at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels
The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union met in Brussels. The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and the planned sixth sanctions package against Russia in response to it were central topics.
The war in Ukraine was the main topic at the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union / Picture: © Lukasz Kobus/European Union, 2022
The main focus of the debate on May 16, 2022, was the current Russian aggression and the next planned (sixth) package of sanctions in order to try to stop the conflict.
Foreign Ministers of Canada (Mélanie Joly), Ukraine (Dmytro Kuleba) and Austria (Alexander Schallenberg) have agreed that the current war in Ukraine could have an effect on the Western Balkan Region.
The foreign ministers of this region have had an informal meeting on the sidelines of the Council, to consult with their colleagues regarding this situation.
The main focus of the Ministers was to emphasize the unity of the European Union regarding the current situation between Russia and Ukraine. As part of the sanction package, an oil embargo was mentioned, but for this measure to be effective, unity of the Ministers is required.
On the behalf of the Slavkov format (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Minister Schallenberg emphasized the importance of negotiation progress regarding the visa liberalization for Kosovo and the integration of Northern Macedonia into the European Union.
This conference will be continued in the following days, but the main topics are not expected to change.
The EU priorities are clear: Avoiding the spread of the already bloody conflict in Ukraine, being that the Western Balkan Region is still considered an area of dispute between the EU and Russia.
BMEIA Federal Ministry for Europe Integration and Foreign Affairs