Description
The EU Council Presidency
A rotating presidency
What is the Council Presidency and how does it work?
The Presidency of the Council rotates among the EU Member States every 6 months. During this six-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at all levels of the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU's work in the Council.
Three presidencies working together
Member states holding the presidency work closely together in groups of three, called 'trios'. This system was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The trios sets long-term goals and prepares a common agenda that determines the main themes and issues to be addressed by the Council over an 18-month period. Based on this agenda, each of the three countries prepares its own more detailed six-month programme.
The current trio consists of the presidencies of the Czech Republic, Sweden and Spain.
What does it mean to hold the presidency of the EU Council?
The system of rotating presidencies dates back to the beginning of European integration. Every six months a Member State becomes President of the EU Council and helps to ensure the smooth running of the EU legislative process.
The priorities of the Spanish semester
As of 1 July 2023, Spain took over the presidency at a time of great challenges for the Member States and the EU as a whole. The Spanish Presidency has set four priorities for its six-month term.
Re-industrialising the EU and ensuring its open strategic autonomy
The international openness of the last seven decades has mostly benefited the EU and enabled it to achieve levels of economic growth and social welfare that would have been unattainable under protectionism. However, this openness has also facilitated the relocation of industries in strategic sectors, thus making the EU overly dependent on third countries in areas such as energy, health, digital technologies and food. The geopolitical, technological and environmental changes currently underway offer us the opportunity to reverse this trend and attract new companies and jobs to European soil and reduce our vulnerabilities abroad.
To achieve this, the Spanish Presidency will work on two fronts. On the one hand, it will promote those dossiers that favour the development of strategic industries and technologies in Europe, the expansion and diversification of its trade relations and the strengthening of its supply chains, with a focus on Latin America and the EU-CELAC Summit. On the other, it will propose a forward-looking and comprehensive strategy to ensure the EU's economic security and global leadership by 2030, giving continuity and depth to the work of the European institutions and the roadmap agreed in Versailles by the 27 Member States.
Advancing the green transition and environmental adaptation
For Europeans, curbing climate change and environmental degradation is not only a legal and moral obligation, it is also a huge opportunity. If we get it right, the green transition will allow us to drastically reduce our dependence on energy and raw materials, lower our electricity bills, make our companies more competitive and create almost a million jobs in this decade alone.
The Spanish Presidency will do everything possible to facilitate this transition. We will promote a reform of the electricity market aimed at accelerating the spread of renewable energies, reducing electricity prices and improving system stability. We will work to accelerate Fit for 55 legislative dossiers, such as the Gas and Hydrogen Package and energy efficiency regulations. In addition, we will promote measures to reduce waste and microplastics, sustainable product design and the generation of green fuels. All this, so that the EU continues to lead the global fight against climate change and does so by creating wealth and new opportunities throughout its territory.
Promoting greater social and economic justice
In the future, it will not be enough to grow Europe's GDP. It will be necessary to ensure that the wealth generated benefits all citizens and serves to improve their opportunities and living standards. We need a more competitive economy, but also a fairer and more caring one.
Accordingly, the Spanish presidency will support the establishment of minimum and common rules on corporate taxation in all member states and fight tax evasion by large multinationals, which costs the EU 1.5 GDP points per year, the same amount it spends on housing and environmental protection. We will also work for a proper revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and for a proper reform of tax rules to overcome austerity, increase transparency and combine sustainability of public finances with proper financing of green and digital transitions. Finally, we will push for the extension of labour rights in different areas and for vulnerable groups such as children, women who suffer violence and people with disabilities.
Strengthening European unity
In a world of uncertainty and increasing geopolitical tensions, the EU must remain united. That is why the Member States must continue to make progress in integration and develop instruments that enable them to face the great challenges of our time together.
To this end, the Spanish Presidency will support a further deepening of the internal market, the completion of the banking union and the capital markets union, the consolidation and improvement of common instruments such as the NextGenerationEU funds, a more efficient and coordinated management of migration and asylum processes and coordinated support to Ukraine and other neighbouring states. We will also work for the development of our common identity and values and to foster a new phase in the development of the European project.
More info on the Spanish Presidency: https://spanish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/
Curious to know more about what it means to hold the EU Council Presidency?
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/presidency-council-eu/
Source and image: Council of the EU