Priorities during the European Presidencies

The Czech presidency of the Council of the EU will have to cope not only with the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine but also with the lingering economic consequences of this war. The fact that Europe has not yet fully recovered from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic only makes the challenge greater.

In the second half of 2021, Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU. One of the Slovenian presidency’s key priorities focuses on the EU’s preparedness for and resilience to crises – particularly in the areas of pandemics and health, but also of cybersecurity. The EESC is looking forward to working closely with the Slovenian Presidency, especially since our priorities are closely aligned: the EESC is also focusing on recovery, on fair, green and digital transitions, and on defending the rule of law.

The German Presidency should pave the way to a European recovery that invests in a care strategy

In the second half of 2020, Germany will assume the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The German Presidency comes at a time when the European Union is facing unprecedented challenges. While its programme and organisational possibilities are heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, there is widespread demand and political energy to depart from business-as-usual modus operandi and embrace change.

In the second half of 2019, Finland will hold for the third time the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This is a crucial period when the EU faces many environmental, economic, social and societal challenges, including the still-ongoing Brexit process and threats from populist forces in the Member States.

Main priorities of the Finnish Presidency include sustainable growth, protection of the rule of law, security policy and climate policy. All of these go hand in hand with the priorities of the EESC and form a good basis for future cooperation.