As you know, individual Member States of the European Union take turns in presiding over the EU Council. This is one of the most important tools a Member State has in order to influence daily functioning, long-term goals and external visibility of the EU. The term of the presidency lasts six months, and the Member States carry it out on the basis of the principle of equality and rotation. The schedule of the presidencies is set long time in advance for all Member States, given that holding the EU presidency is one of the obligations for all EU members. The presidency defines the agenda and priorities of the Council of the EU, especially the speed and intensity of negotiating individual legislative proposals.
As of the first of this month of July, the country exercising this task is the Czech Republic. The priorities of the EU during this period were defined as follows:
- Managing the refugee crisis and Ukraine’s post-war recovery
- Energy security
- Strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities and cyberspace security
- Strategic resilience of the European economy
- Resilience of democratic institution
Regarding the 4th priority, the Czech Republic wishes to work in order for the availability of strategic raw materials and components to be secured for European firms. Particular emphasis will be placed on the security of IT supply chains. The Czech Presidency will work on accelerating the process of concluding trade agreements with democratic states and on deepening transatlantic cooperation in the framework of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) with a focus on strategic cooperation, including joint measures for supply chain resilience.
For the Czech Presidency, accelerating the digitalisation and automation of European industry is also essential, enabling the expansion of competitive production in the EU, with a particular emphasis on strategic sectors. At the same time, the Presidency feels that there is a need to support the development of the skills of Europeans to adapt to changing circumstances, which is a prerequisite for the global competitiveness of the EU. Support through EU investment policies, in particular cohesion policy, will play a crucial role in all these areas.
It is clear that the war in Ukraine has persuaded the EU leaders to make sure that from now on the Union will be less dependent from external services and row products, and that European firms will be given priority. This might cause problems to non EU-originated firms animated by Eureka-level professionals who are active within the Single Market. On the other hand, the Presidency’s plan to support the development of skills could benefit our sector… Your feedback is very welcome!