On 6 February 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, took part in the meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels, which examined the priorities of the Swedish Presidency and made preparations for the special European Council on 9-10 February. A discussion was also held on the state of play of relations between the EU and the United Kingdom.
At the meeting, Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed support for the draft conclusions of the special European Council on 9-10 February. The Minister reiterated his position that all possible support ought to be rendered to Ukraine. The EU should continue its political, economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia. The EU should also speak with one voice to ensure accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine by means of setting up an ad hoc international tribunal as well as supporting the establishment of an international centre for investigation into the crime of aggression in order to collect, document and preserve evidence. A unified EU approach should be developed concerning the confiscation of Russia’s frozen assets and channelling them towards the reconstruction of Ukraine.
An exchange of views was held about the Communication on a Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age put forward by the European Commission on 1 February. The European Commission presents the plan as the EU’s possible response to challenges in the field of economy and competitiveness, and an opportunity to secure the EU’s lead on the path to climate neutrality. The Minister recognised that the Green Deal Industrial Plan proposed by the Commission was worth considering, while not being perfect. For instance, concrete steps are only proposed in the field of simplification of State aid rules. Therefore, a more balanced and targeted approach should be ensured.
The Latvian Foreign Minister informed the Council about the hybrid warfare waged by the Belarusian regime against Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, and he called for the modernisation of the EU’s migration policy and for fighting migration as an element of hybrid warfare. In light of that, cooperation with both countries of origin and of transit of migrants is equally important in order to continue fighting the root causes of migration, migrant smuggling and instrumentalisation of migrants, as well as to improve cooperation concerning their return.