The European Council elected Donald Tusk as President of the European Council and appointed Federica Moghereini as High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. EU member states’ leaders discussed the economy,the situation in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq, Gaza as well as the outbreak of Ebola virus.

“The European Council elected Donald Tusk as President of the European Council for the period from 1 December 2014 to 31 May 2017… The European Council appointed, with the agreement of the President-elect of the Commission, Federica Mogherini as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the period from the end of the current term of office of the Commission until 31 October 2019,” the Council said in conclusions.

The Council will appoint new European Commission  “following a vote of consent by the European Parliament on the President, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the other members of the Commission as a body.”

Discussing the situation in Ukraine, the European Council “condemned the increasing inflows of fighters and weapons from the territory of the Russian Federation into Eastern Ukraine as well as the aggression by Russian armed forces on Ukrainian soil. It calls upon the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw all its military assets and forces from Ukraine.”

The Council “remains engaged in the monitoring and assessment of the restrictive  measures adopted by the European Union and stands ready to take significant further steps, in light of the evolution of the situation on the ground,” it said in the conclusions.

The Council requested the Commission to urgently undertake preparatory work, jointly with the EEAS, and present proposals for consideration within a week, including a provision on the basis of which every person and institution dealing with the separatist groups in the Donbass will be listed.

Factsheet on EU-Ukraine relations Updated on the 29 August 2014: http://www.eeas.europa.eu/statements/docs/2014/140514_02_en.pdf

Regarding the situation in Iraq and Syria, the European Council said it was “extremely dismayed by the deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation… as a result of the occupation of parts of their territory by the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)’.”

“The European Council is appalled by and firmly condemns the indiscriminate killings and human rights violations perpetrated by this and other terrorist organisations, in particular against Christian and other religious and ethnic minorities who should be part of a new, democratic Iraq and the most vulnerable groups. Those responsible for such crimes shall be held to account,” read the conclusions.

The European Council urged all Iraqi leaders to form “a truly inclusive government as a first political response to the present crisis.”

Believing that the creation of an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria and the Islamist-extremist export of terrorism on which it is based, is a direct threat to the security of the European countries, the Council expressed determination of the EU “to contribute to countering the threat posed by ISIL and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, as called for by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2170.”

Discussing the issue of Gaza, the European Council welcomed the cease-fire agreement reached under the auspices of the Egyptian authorities and urged both parties “to fully respect it and to continue negotiations leading to a fundamental improvement of the living conditions for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip through the lifting of the Gaza closure regime, and to ending the threat to Israel posed by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza.”

The European Council strongly condemned the escalation of fighting in Libya, especially attacks against residential areas, public institutions, facilities and critical infrastructure and called upon all parties in Libya to accept an immediate cease-fire, to put an end to the suffering of the population, and to engage constructively in an inclusive political dialogue.

Finally, the European Council expressed concern about the crisis caused by the Ebola virus in Africa, and stressed the importance of the international community as a whole providing substantial coordinated support to the countries of the region, to NGOs and to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help them tackle the disease as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

The European Council’s conclusions:

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/144538.pdf