The Council of the EU adopted its negotiating position with the European Parliament (trilogue) on the regulation creating the Single Market Emergency Instrument (‘SMEI’) on Wednesday 7 June. All but two Member States supported the latest proposal from the Swedish Presidency of the Council, which significantly restricts the scope of the instrument (see EUROPE 13195/7).
“The SMEI will equip us with the tools we need to anticipate, prevent and deal with future crises”, said Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Trade, Johan Forssell.
The instrument must be able to compensate for the disruptions that can occur during certain crises, as was the case during the Covid-19 crisis. But the Member States want to limit its scope of action, which is not without disappointment for the European Commission.
One of the major changes made by the Council concerns the removal of the Commission’s power to require the EU-27 to establish strategic reserves and to share information about them. The possibility of placing priority orders with economic operators in times of crisis has also been withdrawn.
For its part, the European Parliament is still discussing amendments to the text and is not expected to adopt its position until the autumn. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)