The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, acknowledged, on Wednesday 30 November, that the consequences of the war in Ukraine would once again be at the heart of the EU Council Presidency when his country takes over on 1 January.
“There is no doubt that the consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine will remain a key issue during our presidency, unfortunately”, he explained at a press conference with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on the occasion of a visit to the conference of European Parliament political group leaders in Stockholm. “It is not possible to exaggerate the importance of this issue”, said the Swedish leader, who has been in office for only a few weeks.
Mr Kristersson explained that he and Ms Metsola agreed that Ukraine should be supported and that the important European unity on this issue needs to be maintained.
In addition to Ukraine, the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council will focus on the ongoing energy crisis, accelerating the green transition and strengthening the EU’s competitiveness in a period of economic stagnation, added the Prime Minister. “It is very important to defend the fundamental principles of the EU. The Rule of law has always been and will always be of great importance to Sweden”, added Mr Kristersson, saying that his country would continue the work on Article 7 in the EU Council.
According to the Prime Minister, during his country’s Presidency of the EU Council, there will be a lot of legislative work and a large number of proposals that will be the subject of final negotiations between the EU Council and the European Parliament. “We will try to advance these negotiations as far as possible”, he promised.
Ms Metsola, welcoming the Swedish programme, also highlighted the need to make progress on the Pact on Migration and Asylum. She said that during their meeting, the theme of gender equality had been highlighted. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)