At a meeting on March 22 2010, the EU’s foreign affairs ministers will begin to prepare a common stance for the International Donors’ Conference on Haiti, which will
take place on March 31 in New York and at which the prime minister of Haiti is expected to present his government’s reconstruction plan.

The 27 EU member states expect to adopt conclusions which reiterate their willingness to contribute with a package to support reconstruction, the Spanish presidency of the EU said in a statement.

The representatives of Europe’s governments will also discuss the situation in Chile and will receive information from the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Kristalina Georgieva, about her visit to the Latin American country after the earthquake.

The ministers will appoint Lithania's former foreign minister Vyguadas Usackas, as special envoy to Afghanistan. Subsequently, the ministers will address the situation in Afghanistan. Hewill also hold the office of Head of the EU Delegation in Afghanistan once he assumes the post.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the ministers will have a working lunch with the representative of the Quartet on the Middle East, Tony Blair, at which Ashton will give a briefing on the results of her tour around the region this past week.

The member states will also examine the diplomatic dispute between Libya and Switzerland, following the Swiss government’s decision to refuse to grant visas to various Libyan citizens, as well as the different diplomatic efforts which Spain and other countries, such as Italy and France, are making to resolve the conflict.

They will also address the situation in the Ukraine after the election of the country’s new president, as well as the process of reforms which Moldava must carry out to move closer to the European Union. Both countries are members of the Eastern Partnership, initiated last year to strengthen the EU’s relationship with various Eastern European countries.

The Foreign Affairs Council will hold an afternoon meeting with the General Affairs Council, chaired by the Spanish minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, to examine the future EU External Action Service (EAS).

Before the end of the month, Ashton hopes to present the legislative proposal to bring about the creation of the EAS. Both Ashton and the rotating Presidency of the
EU hope to keep to the planned schedule for making the SAE a reality by the end of April at the latest, once the approval of the 27 member states and the European Parliament has been obtained, the statement said.

After the morning meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations and a joint meeting with the General Affairs Council members, the ministers of Foreign Affairs will work on preparing for the European Council meeting of March 25 and 26.

Discussions by the heads of state and government will focus primarily on the "Europe 2020" Strategy for sustainable growth and employment over the next decade and the position to be adopted at the November summit meeting in Cancun to bring about global CO2 emissions cuts.

The European leaders may also discuss the economic situation in Greece and the preparatory work done by the European Commission to set up a European mechanism to help the Greek authorities.

They will discuss this issue if it is considered necessary by the permanent President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, but it will not be included in the preliminary work being done by the ministers.

The meeting of the European diplomatic heads will end with a working dinner with Van Rompuy.

The European Union and Croatia will hold a meeting of the Council of Associations, chaired by the Spanish secretary of state for the EU, Diego López Garrido, on March 22.

The parties will analyse progress made to date by Zagreb on Croatia's EU candidate country status, but no new chapters are planned for negotiation.

Afterwards, the EU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which brings together the six countries in the Horn of Africa - Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda - will discuss the conflicts in Somalia and Sudan and the role of the EU in both countries, at a ministerial meeting held as part of the political talks held by the parties every year.

The meeting, being held at the request of Ashton, will be chaired by the Spanish secretary of state for foreign affairs, Ángel Lossada.