On Tuesday 16 September, the European Affairs ministers of the EU Member States will hold a further so-called ‘horizontal’ discussion on the state of the rule of law in the EU.
This discussion will be based on the European Commission’s recent annual report, which introduces, for the first time, a ‘single market’ dimension and the possible impact of rule of law violations on its functioning.
Ministers will also have a debate on the state of the rule of law in a number of EU candidate countries, in the presence of the relevant ministers from Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro.
The Danish Presidency of the EU Council will continue its work under ‘Article 7 TEU’ procedures and will hold a further hearing on the rule of law in Hungary on Tuesday 21 October. A so-called ‘country-by-country’ discussion will also be held in November.
Legislative Programme 2026. The General Affairs Council will also be informed of the Commission’s political priorities for 2026 and the legislative initiatives it intends to present, following on from Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address on Wednesday 10 September in Strasbourg (see EUROPE 13706/1).
See the Commission’s letter of intent: https://aeur.eu/f/icn
EUCO. Ministers will begin preparations for the European Council on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October.
While it is too early to set a detailed agenda, a number of issues are bound to be on the agenda for the meeting of the EU heads of state or government: - support for Ukraine; - the EU ‘roadmap’ for the defence sector; - the Middle East; - the climate pathway.
In the meantime, an extraordinary European summit will be held in Copenhagen on Wednesday 1 October.
Enlargement. It should be noted that, on Tuesday, in the margins of the General Affairs Council, an Intergovernmental Conference will be held to take forward the EU’s accession negotiations with Albania. The negotiating chapter devoted to the green agenda and sustainable connectivity (‘cluster 4’) is therefore expected to be opened. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic and Mathieu Bion)