On Tuesday 30 May, the General Affairs Council will be marked by two public hearings on respect for the rule of law in Poland and Hungary under the procedure known as ‘Article 7’.
Rule of law. Poland and Hungary have not been heard from since November (see EUROPE 13066/1) and February 2022 (see 12896/20) respectively. During this sixth exercise, the aim will be to discuss the situation regarding the independence of the judiciary and media freedom in the two countries, on the basis of the grievances established both by the Commission, with regard to Poland in its decision to activate the ‘Article 7’ procedure at the end of 2017, and by the European Parliament in its 2018 decision to activate it against Hungary.
The two countries should also take stock of their discussions with the Commission on the release of funds allocated to their respective national recovery plans or from the European budget, a diplomatic source said on Friday 26 May. While progress has been made, for example in the case of Hungary, the stage of disbursing funds has not yet been reached.
For its part, the European Parliament, meeting in mini plenary session, will vote on a new resolution on 1 June on the infringement of fundamental rights in Hungary and the freezing of European funds. The resolution could even ask the Council of the EU to stop Budapest’s turn at the six-monthly Presidency for the second half of 2024.
“I would be very surprised if the ministers discussed this request from the European Parliament”, added this diplomatic source, as the rotation of presidencies is provided for in the Treaties. “I don’t think there is the slightest desire to deviate from it”, said the source, pointing out that the role of the rotating Presidency of the EU Council is not to promote the interests of one country, but to seek compromises between the EU27.
“From a legal point of view, the question does not arise”, commented another diplomatic source. And adding “on the substance, any Member State holding the rotating Presidency must examine the proposals on the EU Council table and conduct the negotiations impartially. This is one of the keys to a successful Presidency”.
Only the UK’s Presidency of the EU Council, in the second half of 2017, was removed by mutual agreement due to Brexit (see EUROPE 11598/17).
European Council. On Tuesday, the ministers will also begin preparations for the European summit on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 June, which promises to be particularly busy.
The Heads of State or Government will take stock of the EU’s support for Ukraine in the face of Russian military aggression, in particular aid for military equipment and reconstruction of the country. A few days after the London conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine on 21 and 22 June, they will discuss the possible mobilisation of frozen Russian assets (€200 billion from the Central Bank of Russia and €24.1 billion in assets belonging to oligarchs) in the EU on the basis of a report by the ad hoc group of international experts, which will identify several options.
The question of the opening of EU accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova will not be formally raised until the end of 2023, although the Commission is expected to deliver an oral report on the issue shortly before the summit.
The NATO summit on 11 and 12 July in Vilnius will also be discussed in the presence of its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
On the economic front, the EU27 will continue discussions on European competitiveness, and in particular on how to stimulate the growth of the ‘net-zero emissions’ industry in the face of competition from the US and China. The bilateral relationship with China, focused on reducing economic and geopolitical risks, will be discussed in this context after the Commission has presented its communication on economic security (see EUROPE 13188/2).
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, could present the EU27 with her ideas for revising the multiannual financial framework, including the creation of a European sovereignty fund. On this point, the European leaders are not expected to have an in-depth discussion, unlike the one they will have on the revision of European fiscal rules, which is on the agenda for the Ecofin Council on Friday 16 June (see EUROPE 13172/16).
A Euro Summit has not yet been decided on at this stage.
The EU27 will also be kept informed of progress on the European Pact on Migration and Asylum. Some delegations would like to discuss the external dimension of migration.
Lastly, the European Council is due to discuss the EU/CELAC summit on 17 and 18 July in Brussels and, in particular, trade relations with Latin American partners at a time when the Member States are struggling to find a common language on the EU/Mercosur trade agreement.
The political crisis in Tunisia should also be mentioned.
EU electoral law. According to a third diplomat, an update on the reform of EU electoral law will be given at the General Affairs Council, but no discussion will take place on Tuesday. This reform, which the European Parliament is calling for with a view to setting up a European electoral constituency, is highly unlikely to be completed by the time of the European elections in June 2024 (see EUROPE 13045/13).
See the annotated agenda of the European Council: https://aeur.eu/f/73y (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic and Mathieu Bion)