On Friday 8 December, the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, and the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, presented the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will begin on 1 January 2024, the thirteenth time that Belgium has held the Presidency.
“We have the EU in our DNA”, said Mr De Croo, pointing out that his country is home to the headquarters of numerous European institutions and bodies. He cited the three priorities set: - to “protect our citizens” through the defence of democracy and fundamental values, the protection of the EU’s borders and the defence of the European social model; - to “strengthen our economies in a sustainable way” by boosting the competitiveness of European businesses on a global level while steering the economy towards a more sustainable model; - “to prepare Europe for our common future” by reflecting on the political priorities of the 2024-2029 legislative cycle as well as considering how to reform the EU and ensure its effectiveness in the event of enlargement to more than thirty member countries.
See the website of the Belgian Presidency of the Council: https://aeur.eu/f/a2e
See the full programme for the next Belgian Presidency: https://aeur.eu/f/a2m (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)