The European Affairs Ministers, who met at the General Affairs Council (GAC) on Tuesday 25 February, welcomed the European Commission’s forthcoming initiatives to simplify existing legislation; eight of them, however, expressed their dismay that the directive on equal treatment was one of the 37 texts to be abandoned by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13578/2).
Sweden, Portugal, Ireland, Estonia, France, Belgium, Slovenia and Malta all expressed surprise at the decision. Sweden regarded it as “important legislation to prevent discrimination in favour of all EU citizens”. Estonia, similarly, said it was necessary so that it could “fill this gap in the arsenal of European legislation”.
A move towards “more dynamic” legislation. The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, told Agence Europe that the Commission had been forced to make a choice in favour of simplification. Regarding the Equal Treatment Directive, she explained that “it must be more than 17 years since any agreement was reached (...) We are not against it. We are just trying to make our legislation more dynamic”.
She also told ministers that their request would be shared with the College of Commissioners “and we will see if we can do something”.
France and Belgium also insisted on the need to revise the directive on the taxation of tobacco products so that they could move more quickly to combat smoking, something which is not included in the Commission’s work programme.
Simplification shock. Generally speaking, the majority of Member States welcomed the first ‘omnibus’ packages aimed at simplifying a number of legislative texts, including the CSDDD and CSRD directives, as well as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
While Italy called for “a true simplification shock” and even pondered on “the possibility of a legislative pause”, Belgium warned against “falling into deregulation”. They also emphasised the complementary nature of green policies and the ‘Clean Industrial Deal’ with regard to competitiveness, which must preserve the EU’s objectives and instruments.
Prioritising of defence and security. For the majority of ministers, EU defence and security remain top priorities for the coming years. Many said they were looking forward to the Commission’s White Paper on defence and security, due to be published on 19 March, and the ‘EU Preparedness Union Strategy’, due on 26 March.
The Polish Minister for the European Union, Adam Szłapka, stressed at a press conference that support for Ukraine also remained a priority for the EU Council (see other news). “We will not forget Ukraine and we will continue to provide support until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace can be found”, he declared.
Continuation of migration policies. Other priorities mentioned by a large number of ministers were the continuation of the enlargement policy (notably in respect of Ukraine and Moldova) as well as the migration policy, including the implementation of the ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’ and the revision of the directive on returns.
A number of countries, including Slovenia and Greece, also welcomed the forthcoming presentation of a ‘Mediterranean Pact’, which should make it possible to develop a security strategy for the region and which, according to Croatia, should also alleviate migratory pressure.
Portugal, France and Italy, however, expressed their regrets that EU-Africa relations were not taken into account in the Commission’s programme, despite being considered essential in the context of enlargement, the diversification of the EU’s relations, and the management of migration.
The ministers also discussed the need to ensure a “rigorous” post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) that can respond to the challenges and threats facing the Union. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)