The last meeting of the General Affairs Council of the EU before the summer break was held in Brussels on 22 July. The issues tackled included: the negotiations on enlargement with the first wave of ten candidate countries, and the question of refugees and displaced persons in the western Balkans (over 1 million of them). The Council expressed its concern about the humanitarian situation in South Africa (130 million euros were allocated for food and emergency aid) and in Zimbabwe, currently riven by a profound social and political crisis. The conclusions also devote attention to the world summit on sustainable development due to be held in Johannesburg in late August (cf. reports on pp.8-10). The Council adopted a document presenting the position of the EU delegation and the six “major challenges” on which the summit’s agenda ought to concentrate. They include the eradication of poverty, the promotion of social development and healthcare, and globalization at the service of sustainable development.
