E. Venizelos: This is the first General Affairs Council under the Greek Presidency. It is a great opportunity for us to present not only the priorities of the Greek Presidency but also our first efforts and steps towards the implementation of the priorities.
The second item is a first approach of deliberation on the next European Council, the Spring European Council, on economy, growth, job creation, industrial competitiveness.
Another point is the preparation of the EU-Africa Summit. This is a very challenging priority for the European Union.
And the most critical point of this session is the discussion on the genetically modified maize. This is a very critical item not only for environmental issues but also for institutional issues because we must implement the treaty and also clarify the field of responsibilities in the Council and the European Commission.
February 11, 2014