Respect for values, including the rule of law, the fight against climate change and encouragement for an innovative economy that guarantees the well-being of working people, will be the main priorities for Finland's third Presidency of the Council of the European Union since its accession in 1995, during the second half of 2019.
On Wednesday, 26 June, during a debate organised by the European Policy Centre, Marja Rislakki, Finland’s Permanent Representative to the EU, said that “stability, democracy and the European Union’s fundamental values must be protected”. Alluding to her experience as her country's ambassador to China, she advocated “unity” amongst Europeans in order to defend their values.
In the autumn, Member States will be invited to review the regular dialogue on the rule of law and the incoming Presidency believes that this will be a good time to take stock of the EU's “toolbox” for upholding democratic principles in the Member States and detecting any potential slippage in advance.
Discussions on the legislative proposal to make the granting of EU funds conditional on respect for the rule of law will continue in the Council of the EU alongside the negotiations on the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF); Finland has undertaken to produce figures in the negotiating box for the October EU summit.
Another major priority for Finland is the fight against climate change. Appearing before the European Parliament, former Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä argued for an increase in the CO2 emission reduction target for 2020 (compared with 1990) and for a binding target of at least 55% to be set for 2030 (see EUROPE 12184/8). Finland is aligned with the twenty-four Member States who are in favour of setting a target of 2050 for climate neutrality at EU level (see EUROPE 12279/2).
The climate issue should be integrated into all European sectoral policies, said Mrs Rislakki. With regard to the climate neutrality target, the Finnish authorities will work bilaterally with countries that are still reluctant to accept it in order to find a solution for a socially just transition.
“We think the advantages are much greater than the disadvantages”, said the ambassador. Finland will use the budget usually set aside for gifts to offset environmental costs and would also like to promote the use of videoconferencing for the Council of the EU’s technical meetings.
The incoming Finnish Presidency believes that investing in climate-friendly technologies is compatible with the target of encouraging an innovative and labour-friendly economy. It also particularly advocates ending “the silo approach” and approaching the economic issue as an issue that cuts across a number of areas, encompassing innovation, the deepening of the internal market, including services, the promotion of rules-based international trade in response to the rise of protectionism, the transition to climate neutrality, and respect for workers' well-being.
Mrs Rislakki advocated a genuine European lifelong learning strategy, saying that “you cannot separate them: when people are doing well, the economy does well”.
The Finnish ambassador also stressed the importance of moving the citizen protection agenda forward at all levels. “People want to feel secure”, she said. This means physical security as well as economic security. With Russia as a neighbour, Finland attaches great importance to detecting “hybrid threats” and developing joint capacities to deal with them.
With regard to Foreign Affairs, the incoming Presidency would also like to continue the debate on the introduction of qualified majority voting in the Council of the EU on certain issues, although it is aware that no decision will be reached within the next 6 months. As for the enlargement of the EU to include the countries of the Western Balkans, Mrs Rislakki stressed that the Council of the EU will have to reach a decision by October on potentially opening EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. Finland would welcome this.
Adopted by the Finnish government and presented on Wednesday to the National Parliament, the programme of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU for the second half of 2019 can be found on the following page: http://bit.ly/2X0WiYB (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)