On Thursday 10 June, Slovenian Ambassador to the EU Iztok Jarc presented the various issues that the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be working on starting 1 July.
For this “transitional presidency, when it comes to returning to normalisation”, the agenda will be “very demanding”, the ambassador warned during an event organised by the EPC.
Slovenia’s priorities include resilience and post-Covid economic recovery. Mr Jarc explained that special emphasis will be given, particularly in July, to plans for recovery and resilience. He promised that the Presidency would do its utmost to facilitate the process of adopting the plans in the EU Council and implementing them as quickly as possible.
The Presidency also wants to prepare the EU for possible new crises. He mentioned the European Health Union and the strengthening of the EU’s capacity to ensure the availability of vaccines, medicines and medical equipment.
The Presidency will work, as well, on the legislative package presented by the Commission in November (see EUROPE 12600/24), in order to better equip the EU against possible new health crises. It will ensure the continuation of discussions on the future of the European Medicines Agency (see EUROPE 12733A25), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) (see EUROPE 12718/3) and on cross-border threats (see EUROPE 12722/27). In addition, its work will also focus on the new Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
“We are waiting for the Commission’s proposal on HERA. We want, as a Presidency and as a Member State, to have an ambitious institution, which includes development and research capacities and production infrastructures at EU level, in coordination with Member States and stakeholders, to facilitate production and non-profit public activities, where necessary”, explained Mr Jarc.
The Presidency also intends to address digital transitions - in particular the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act and artificial intelligence - and the green transition. On this point, the Presidency is expected to tackle the ‘Fit for 55’ package that the Commission intends to present in mid-July.
In terms of internal security and justice, the Presidency will look at the future of Schengen, but also at migration. “We are going to focus on the open files where we can see that we are close to a compromise”, the ambassador explained, citing the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and the Eurodac database. The Presidency also wants to emphasise the external dimension of the issue.
In the area of financial services, Slovenia intends to work on the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing , cryptocurrency, Solvency II and Basel III standards. Once the Commission’s proposals are presented, the Presidency will work on the digital tax and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
In total, according to the ambassador, Slovenia will have to work on about 150 files. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant, with Agathe Cherki and the editorial staff)