The Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, presented his country’s priorities to the European Parliament on Wednesday 14 December, as Sweden takes over the Presidency of the EU Council from 1 January to 30 June 2023.
Sweden highlights four priorities: - EU security, the Presidency’s “primary task”, and unity; - competitiveness, which “also means resilience”; - the ecological and energy transition (see other news); - democratic values and the rule of law, “our foundation”.
The war in Ukraine and its economic, energy, migration and food consequences will be at the heart of this third Swedish Presidency.
“European economies are severely affected by Russia’s war as well as the ongoing manipulation of energy supply (...). While decisive action has been taken, it is imperative that we stay firm in our transition to the green economy and safeguard the basis of our economic model for long-term growth”, summarises the Presidency’s programme. It warns that: “Our unity and readiness to act remain key to EU security, resilience and prosperity”.
See the prime minister’s speech: https://aeur.eu/f/4p4
See the Presidency’s programme: https://aeur.eu/f/4p5 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)