By Xinhua
Brussels : The year-end European Union (EU) summit concluded here Friday after the leaders agreed on the principle of sending a civilian mission to Kosovo and the declaration on globalization.
“We took a political decision to send an ESDP (European Security and Defense Policy) mission to Kosovo. This is the clearest signal the EU could possibly give that Europe intends to lead on Kosovo and the future of the region,” Jose Socrates, prime minister of Portugal whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters after the one-day summit.
The mission will include 1,800 police, prosecutors and civil administrators.
The EU will also be ready to assist economic and political development through a clear European perspective, in line with the European perspective of the region, according to conclusions reached at the summit.
The EU leaders “did not discuss” Kosovo independence, and the issue of Kosovo’s future status would be discussed at the U.N. Security Council at the present, said Socrates.
Kosovo has vowed to declare independence before next May after negotiations with Serbia failed to break the impasse over the status of the province by Dec. 10.
The EU is still divided over whether to recognize the independence of Kosovo. Cyprus, notably, is firmly opposed to Kosovo independence.
Greece, Slovakia, Spain and Romania have all expressed concern about the possible repercussions for separatist movements elsewhere in Europe.
The EU leaders agreed that the troika-facilitated negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo “have been exhausted.”
They agreed that the status quo in Kosovo is “unsustainable,” stressing the need to move forward toward a Kosovo settlement which is essential for regional stability.
Meanwhile, Socrates said the EU was willing to accelerate Serbia’s process toward candidate status of the EU and its membership if Serbia could meet conditions set for the country, including full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Serbia and the EU have initialed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), a first practical step toward EU membership, and are yet to finalize the document.
During the one-day summit, the EU leaders also approved the so-called declaration on globalization, which sets out the EU’s common position on global issues.
In the declaration, the EU leaders said the bloc should work to enhance member states’ capacity to compete in a globalized world and increase the EU’s collective ability to pursue its interest and values in the world.
They pledged to deliver the EU’s promises on climate change and energy and show global leadership in these fields, and promised that the EU would continue striving for a balanced and global agreement in the Doha development Agenda.
Meanwhile, the leaders agreed on the creation of a “reflection group,” an independent think-tank of high-profile Europeans proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the challenges that the EU will face between 2020 and 2030 and analyze how they might be addressed.
The group shall conduct its reflections within the framework set out in the Lisbon Treaty. It shall therefore not discuss institutional matters, according to conclusions reached at the summit.
The group will be chaired by former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez, assisted by two deputies, former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the former chief executive officer of Finnish electronics giant Nokia, Jorma Ollila.
It shall present its report to the EU summit in June 2010.
Friday’s summit also discussed issues including migration, the EU’s planned Galileo satellite navigation system, climate change and the impacts of the soon-to-be-enlarged Schengen zone.
The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia are set to join the border-free Schengen zone on Dec. 21, this year.
On migration, the meeting acknowledged that migration can have a significant impact on growth potential and employment growth, labor market, productivity, competitiveness and public finances.
The leaders agreed that an effective immigration policy should be considered in the light of skills shortages and labor market requirements. In the meantime, they called for concerted and effective measures to combat illegal immigration and better coordination between migration and integration policies.
The EU summit and the European Parliament will strive to reach agreement by the end of 2008 at the latest on the proposals on sanctions against employers of illegally staying third country nationals.
On Iran, the summit reaffirmed its deep concern at the Gulf state’s nuclear program and underlined that the acquisition by Iran of a nuclear military capability would be unacceptable.
The summit deplored that Iran had still not complied with its international obligations as reiterated in relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities in order to restore confidence in the entirely peaceful nature of its program.
It called upon Iran to provide full, clear and credible answers to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve all questions concerning Iran’s nuclear activities.
It reaffirmed its full and unequivocal support for efforts to find a negotiated long-term solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
On Mideast issues, the EU summit expressed full support for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians launched at the Annapolis Conference.
Meanwhile, it expressed its great concern about the situation in Lebanon, urging all parties concerned to endeavor to respect the Lebanese constitutional process.