At the General Affairs Council on Tuesday 25 February, European ministers will meet to prepare for the European Council on 20-21 March and discuss the European Commission’s legislative work programme for 2025, including the simplification of existing legislation.
European summits in March. While the morning’s discussions will initially be devoted to preparing for the European Council at the end of March, the ministers could informally discuss the extraordinary summit on defence and the situation in Ukraine of 6 March, just announced by President of the European Council António Costa (see other news).
The summit on 20-21 March will also place continued EU support for Ukraine at the top of its agenda. At this General Affairs Council, ministers will discuss a provisional agenda that European leaders will adopt, also including discussions on the latest developments in the Middle East, the competitiveness of the European Union, as well as the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and new Own Resources.
This preparatory work will continue at the next General Affairs Council on 18 March. To see the provisional agenda for the summit on 20 and 21 March: https://aeur.eu/f/fmm
Commission work programme. The second part of the General Affairs Council meeting will be devoted to the Commission’s work programme for 2025, unveiled on 12 February (see EUROPE 13578/2).
This is the first ministerial-level discussion in response to this programme, which comprises 51 new initiatives, including 18 legislative proposals and 11 proposals devoted to simplification. More broadly, the ministers will discuss the multiannual programme for 2025-2029.
The aim of these initial discussions is to identify policy areas and themes which, from the Council’s point of view, should be included in the joint conclusions on policy priorities for 2025-2029. In addition, a joint declaration on legislative priorities for 2025 will be approved by the General Affairs Council on 18 March and will be signed on the sidelines of the European Council on 20 and 21 March.
Regarding the Commission’s simplification agenda, which was the subject of a separate communication (see EUROPE 13578/1), the EU Council will analyse the ‘omnibus’ texts (devoted to simplifying existing legislation) within a single working party.
“Streamlining legislation through only one working party will make it possible to conduct legislative work more quickly and more effectively“, explained a European source.
The working party is also expected to consider other Commission proposals on simplification, to be examined “on a case-by-case basis” by the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU, the same source said.
Other topics
The day’s two sessions will be interspersed with a working lunch on the “Future of Europe“’s progress report, consisting of a discussion on “values”, and more broadly on the substantive work and necessary reforms that the EU must put in place in a "pre-enlargement" context.
Other topics include the presentation by the Polish presidency of the EU Council of a preliminary summary of discussions held at the informal meeting of ministers for European Affairs on 17 and 18 February in Warsaw (see EUROPE 13582/20).
The Hungarian delegation will also present an ‘Any Other Business’ item regarding the issue of transparency in EU funding of NGOs (see EUROPE 13580/12).
To see the General Affairs Council’s agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/fml (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)