The 2959th Council meeting on Agriculture and Fisheries held in Brussels on 7 September 2009 took note of the Commission communication on the situation on the dairy market in 2009 and had an exchange of views on the matter framed by a Presidency questionnaire. Most delegations welcomed the in-depth analysis carried out by the EC but had difficulties to agree on which measures would be best suited to solve the current difficulties. Several delegations indicated that the measures proposed were insufficient to solve the crisis. However, the outcome of the health check was not put into question.

The European Commission has earmarked a further €53.475 million, through a series of financing decisions, for expanded humanitarian aid to vulnerable people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Mauritania. The funds are channelled through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) under the responsibility of Karel De Gucht, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid.

For the first time, EU Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potočnik will pay an official visit to the African Union and Kenya. From 7 to 9 September, he will hold high-level political meetings and will visit EU-supported research centres in Nairobi (Kenya) and in Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia). This visit takes place in the framework of the Science & Technology Partnership established between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) in December 2007.