The Croatian Presidency of the EU Council intends to put the islands in the spotlight over the next 6 months, according to its programme.
Croatia had already announced (see EUROPE 12352/10) that it would focus on island policy during its Presidency. Indeed, the country comprises an archipelago of more than a thousand islands in the Adriatic Sea and is a member of the Federation of Small European Islands, along with Denmark, Scotland, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Sweden.
Thus, the Presidency will focus on energy transition for the islands and seek the adoption of the long-term strategic framework for the EU islands provided for in the 2017 Valletta Political Declaration on Clean Energy for EU Islands. Within the framework of the Energy Union and the Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC) initiative, the Presidency “will strive to define regional needs in the transition to clean energy and offer specific solutions for individual regions”.
Structural Funds for 2021-2027
The Croatian Presidency will continue the work done by the preceding Finnish Presidency with the intention of concluding negotiations on the cohesion policy “package” for 2021-2027. However, the Presidency’s ambition could be thwarted by the European Parliament’s announcement that it would freeze all interinstitutional negotiations with the EU Council on texts directly linked to the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (see EUROPE 12395/3). An announcement that would affect 45 legislative proposals, according to the Presidency’s calculations.
In parallel with the legislative component, the Presidency wants to strengthen the visibility of cohesion policy by organising a number of “formal and informal” events. Croatia will also continue to implement the ‘Three Seas Initiative’, a platform launched in 2015 that includes the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea States. An annual business forum was launched in 2018, also involving US and Western Balkan companies.
Macro-regional strategies
As a Member State of two EU macro-regional strategies, for the Danube region and for the Adriatic and Ionian region, Croatia will focus achieving their objectives as well as on complementarity with cohesion policy, it states in its programme. In addition, until November 2020, Croatia will hold the Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and will work on the smooth implementation of the funding.
Just Transition Fund. No mention is made in the Croatian programme of one of the flagship initiatives planned by the new European Commission, namely the Just Transition Fund (see EUROPE 12386/13).
A General Affairs Council (GAC) dedicated to cohesion policy is scheduled for 26 May in Brussels. According to the Presidency’s programme, it is hoped that there will be a general approach for the Regulation establishing a cross-border mechanism. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)