The European Ministers for European Affairs held a first exchange of views on Tuesday 19 February in Brussels on the steps towards a successful transition to a sustainable Europe by 2030 based on the ideas set out at the end of January by the European Commission (see EUROPE 12194, 12190).
“This is an important document that deserves our full attention and a response from the Council”, said George Ciamba, Romania's Minister Delegate for European Affairs, at the end of the ‘General Affairs’ Council meeting.
According to him, “it is important to set out the steps needed to implement the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development” as well as for the 17 SDGs, and “we must take into account the global impact of EU policies”. The Romanian Presidency of the Council will continue to work on this issue.
According to the first Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, “a consensus has emerged that the scenarios the commission has put on the table constitute a good basis for further discussion and convergence of views”, in preparation for the Sibiu European Summit on the future of the EU and beyond during the next parliamentary term. “Ministers understood that we need to make this transformation to a sustainable future and that the ones who do this the fastest also do it at the lowest costs and the highest benefit”, he said. Ministers also stressed the need for coherent action at the national, regional and global levels. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)