Trio Council presidency publishes the eighteen-month agenda

The new trio Council presidency of France, the Czech Republic and Sweden, announced on 14 December 2021 the long-term goals and topics in a joint agenda for the next eighteen months of their presidency, from 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2023. On the basis of this agenda, each of the three Member States will prepare its own detailed agenda for its six-month Council presidency.

Main topics of the agenda

On the one hand, the general priority topics of the joint agenda are the protection of EU citizens and their fundamental freedoms. Special focus is on respecting and protecting European values, as well as strengthening the Schengen area and the common asylum and migration policy. On the other, the focus is on promoting a new European growth and investment model, based on environmentally compatible and sustainable growth, as well as on strengthening Europe's industrial and digital sovereignty. Another core topic is building a greener, more socially fair Europe that better protects the health of EU citizens. Last but not least, focus is also on a globally oriented Europe that takes a leading international role, promotes multilateralism, and enters into new relationships with its partners while sharing a vision common to the 27 EU Member States with regard to strategic threats.

Strengthening Social Europe

The main aim is to pave the way for the further implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights as the trio attaches great importance to strengthening the European social model. In addition, the trio will advocate for fair wages, decent jobs, minimum income provisions and social dialogue, thus promoting the development of the social economy and guaranteeing the integration of disadvantaged populations into the labour market. Another focus is also on managing the effects of demographic change. Furthermore, the trio Council presidency is determined to improve working conditions, safety and health at work, especially in the digital economy and for platform workers.

Special attention to the healthcare sector

The trio Council presidency aims to strengthen a "single health approach" at the European level to ensure health protection in the EU. Negotiations on the European Health Union package, as well as the proposal to establish a European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) are to be concluded and implementation is to be supported. Access to medicines will be ensured through a more robust drug supply chain and updating of pharmaceutical legislation. Health policy is to be strengthened through measures to prevent disease and promote a healthy environment. The focus is particularly on the implementation of the European beating cancer plan. The Council presidency will also address the European Commission's proposal for the creation of a European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the fight against antimicrobial resistance by means of an action plan.

The projects that can be implemented within the next year and a half remains to be seen. On 1 January 2022, France assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union. You can find the agenda of the French Council Presidency here.