The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU informed Member States on Wednesday 11 January about the progress it intends to make in forthcoming technical groups on the internal aspects of migration, including the regulation on asylum and migration management, in which it will have to translate into legislative amendments the work of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council on the balance between solidarity and responsibility.
The Presidency, which has taken up the gradual approach to the Pact begun under the French Presidency of the EU Council, also returned to the various mandates adopted at the end of the year on the former texts of the 2016 ‘Asylum Package’ and to the start of the trilogues on Eurodac (see EUROPE 13088/6). It also recalled its availability to start the trilogues on the ‘screening’ regulation as soon as the European Parliament has adopted its mandate.
A more extensive, but non-controversial, discussion took place on the external dimension of migration and in particular MOCADEM, the tool designed under the French Presidency of the EU Council, which aims to improve coordination between the different actors involved in relations with third countries. The Swedish Presidency intends to improve this arrangement and make it even more operational, a source reported. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)