The General Affairs Council, under the Swedish chairmanship, at its meeting in Luxemburg, has adopted the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Thus, one of the Swedish Presidency's top priorities is brought to a successful conclusion. The ministers also prepared for the summit between the EU heads of state and government on 29–30 October.

The General Affairs Council has met in Luxemburg in order to make preparations for the upcoming EU Summit , and it adopted conclusions on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. In particular, the conclusions stress the Baltic Sea's marine environment and the importance of increased competitiveness in the region. Adopting Baltic Sea Strategy was one ot the Presidency's main priorities, together with economic recovery, the approval of Lisbon Treaty and the fight against climate change.

The Baltic Sea Strategy has four main aims:

• The Baltic Sea region shall become cleaner.
• The Baltic Sea region shall become more dynamic and prosperous.
• The Baltic Sea region shall become more accessible and attractive.
• Security and safety in the region shall be improved.

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is a macro-regional strategy that will facilitate cooperation between the countries around the Baltic, making cooperation more effective without it costing any more. The European Council is expected to welcome the strategy when it meets later in the week.

The hope is that the strategy can be used as a model, and that other regions within the EU will be able to work in a similar way.

As part of the preparations ahead of the European Council meeting on 29–30 October, the ministers discussed the issue of climate change, concerning the EU’s negotiating mandate ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on 7–18 December