Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić 17 October 2017 in Luxembourg attended a meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC). The Council discussed draft conclusions for a European Council meeting in Brussels (19 and 20 October 2017) on migration, digital Europe, security and defence, and foreign affairs. Pejčinović Burić underlined the need to keep watch on all migration routes, continue with the EU-Turkey cooperation regarding migration, and support Western Balkan countries. She applauded the conclusions of the Digital Summit in Tallinn, adding it was necessary to raise the level of digital skills in response to the challenges of the digital age. With regard to security and defence, Pejčinović Burić said the establishment of the Permanent Structured Cooperation was an important step in building a stronger and more efficient common security and defence policy. As for the foreign policy, she said that Turkey was an important regional partner and that the EU approach to Turkey must be comprehensive and balanced, taking into account all of the factors.
The ministers also discussed the rule of law, with emphasis on media pluralism and the rule of law in the digital age, underscoring freedom of expression, press freedom and pluralism as important preconditions for the development of democracy and the rule of law. They highlighted the problem of false news and pointed out the challenges for the media in the digital age. Pejčinović Burić said that the digital age and modern media necessitated adapting and developing new skills by people of all ages. The ministers condemned yesterday’s murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, saying freedom of expression and press freedom were the foundations of European democracies.
At a working lunch with the European Commission’s Vice President Andrus Ansip, the ministers discussed the Commission’s proposals on cybernetic security.
Later in the day, in the Article 50 format, the ministers reviewed the current status of the Brexit talks and discussed draft conclusions for the upcoming European Council meeting (Article 50). On the sidelines of GAC, the ministers held political consultations about relocating the European Medicines Agency and European Banking Authority from the UK.