EU Member States agree on measures to mitigate effects of food and oil price increase

On 19 and 20 June a meeting of the European Council took place in Brussels, where the Latvian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins.  

As to the future of the Lisbon Treaty, EU Member States agreed that more time is needed to analyse the situation after the Irish referendum. The European Council stressed the necessity for the ratification process in Member States to continue and agreed that the European Council should return to this issue at its meeting in October. EU leaders underlined the importance in the meantime of continuing to deliver concrete results in the various policy areas of concern to EU citizens.   

The Foreign Minister gained the support of other Member States for the objective to agree on the need to ensure fair competition among all farmers in the EU. This principle should be put into place when considering the future advance of the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

In debating the surge in food and oil prices, EU leaders welcomed the intention of the European Commission to come up with a number of measures to mitigate the impact of the price rise both in the EU and internationally. The Member States requested the European Commission to examine and, by October, to put forward its proposals on possible tax policy measures in order to moderate the situation that has arisen following the surge in oil product prices.    

The Foreign Minister voiced his satisfaction on the firm support approved by the European Council for the objective: to ensure a full and mutual visa-free travel regime with the U.S. for all EU citizens as soon as possible. The European Council also backed the proposal to enhance the European Neighbourhood Policy by establishing an Eastern partnership and asking the European Commission to draw up concrete proposals by spring 2009. 

The European Council approved the principle that, when decisions are to be made on the location of new EU agencies, preference shall be given to those Member States, which have joined the EU starting from 2004 and in which no EU agencies have been established.

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