Agency News
The Belgian Presidency (BPEU) has done what it set out to do:
Finalising the legislative agenda: In each of the overarching priorities of the BPEU, landmark results have been booked. Responding to crises: Supporting Ukraine in response to Russia’s full-scale war, acting on the EU’s commitment regarding Peace in the Middle East, protecting electoral processes from external threats, and addressing European farmers’ urgent concerns. Preparing Europe’s future: Through its Presidency Progress Report on the Future of Europe and the Presidency Stocktacking Note on Competitiveness, the BPEU has worked toward meeting the triple challenge of retaining and improving the EU’s internal functioning and capacity to act, while adapting to a new geopolitical reality, and preparing for enlargement. Belgium will ensure a smooth transition to the Hungarian Presidency, which will take over on 1 July.
The Belgian Presidency (BPEU) was tasked with a triple objective. First, it sought to finalise as many legislative files as possible before the dissolution of the European Parliament. Second, the Presidency responded to ongoing crises. Third, it worked to prepare the EU’s future.
Driving forward legislative work
From the start of its term, the BPEU has wasted no time in driving forward the EU’s political and legislative agenda. In addition to finalising agreements brokered under previous Presidencies such as the Migration and Asylum Pact, the European Media Freedom Act, and the AI Act, we were able to reach political agreement on 74 additional files in each of our overarching Presidency priorities, and are on track to close around 30 general approaches at Council level. This has exceeded even ambitious expectations, showcasing the Belgian ‘culture of compromise.’
The legislative work was oriented around six priorities.
1.Defending the rule of law, democracy, and unity:
The BPEU strengthened the rule of law through the organisation of two country-specific dialogues on rule of law, as well as an informal meeting of ministers of European Affairs, during which all ten partners with an EU perspective were invited to exchange on ways to strengthen the rule of law in the enlargement process. The BPEU also helped shape the format of an upcoming rule of law dialogue with candidate countries.
The BPEU took forward the EU’s enlargement process by obtaining Council approval of the Negotiating Frameworks for Ukraine and Moldova, and organising Intergovernmental Conferences with regard to Ukraine, Moldova and Montenegro.
The BPEU promoted the empowerment and inclusion of citizens through an extensive citizen participation programme, including the organisation of a beEU citizen panel.
2.Strengthening the EU’s competitiveness:
The BPEU updated the EU’s economic governance and kept the EU’s long-term budget funded while providing additional support to Ukraine through the agreement regarding the review of the Union’s economic governance and the revision of the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027.
The BPEU enhanced the EU’s long-term competitiveness through deals on the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) and the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), as well as further steps towards the completion of the Capital Markets Union.
The BPEU improved the EU’s digital competitiveness through the Cyber Solidarity Act, the Gigabit Infrastructure Act, and the Directive on the use of digital tools in company law. The BPEU boosted circular business models through agreements on the Right to Repair Directive and the revised Construction Products Regulation.
3.Pursuing the green and just transition:
The BPEU made progress on the European Green Deal by striking deals to adopt stricter air quality standards, ensure that all packaging sold in Europe is recyclable by 2030, reduce emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, manage Europe’s airspace in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way, and enact more sustainable urban wastewater treatment policies across Europe.
The BPEU worked to bring Europe’s energy policy further in line with the Paris Agreement by obtaining approval for the EU and Euratom to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, while allowing Member States who wish to do so, to remain party to the Treaty and continue the work needed to modernise it.
4.Reinforcing our social and health agenda:
The BPEU enhanced the level of social protection by finding agreements on the improvement of working conditions for online platform workers, corporate sustainability due diligence requirements for companies and the ban on products made with forced labour from the Union market. The BPEU continued efforts to strengthen health systems across the Union by finalising legislative work on the European Health Data Space as well as on quality and safety standards regarding substances of human origin.
5.Protecting people and borders:
The BPEU advanced the reform in the area of migration by kickstarting the processes that will enable the implementation of the Asylum and Migration Pact over the next two years, and adopting the Schengen Border Code. The BPEU continued the EU’s efforts to protect citizens through deals to prevent and combat violence against women, human trafficking, and online child sexual abuse, as well as to support and protect the victims of crime. The BPEU took forward the fight against corruption and drug crimes through the adoption of the Anti-Money Laundering package and the launch of the European Ports Alliance.
6.Promoting a global Europe:
The BPEU enhanced Europe’s defence and preparedness and bolstered its open strategic autonomy in trade matters by enhancing EU trade relationships with the US (cf. Trade & Technology Council), Japan (cf. protocol on privacy and free data flows), Angola (cf. Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement) and Kenya (cf. Economic Partnership Agreement); as well as through EU coordination within the World Trade Organisation (cf. WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference). It also worked to improve the EU’s economic security by bringing together various workstreams into a Presidency Progress Report and identifying areas for further work to strengthen the EU’s approach.
The BPEU worked to strengthen the EU’s international partnerships by taking forward the midterm evaluation of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, taking stock of the Global Gateway Strategy’s implementation, and enhancing African health sovereignty, including by organising an EU-AU ministerial summit in Brussels as well as a Team Europe mission to Addis Ababa. The Presidency also brokered an agreement on the Western Balkan Facility, which enables additional EU funding for the region as part of the new Growth Plan. It ensured that the Sahel and Sudan were high on the Council’s agenda, and made headway on implementing the EU strategy for the Great Lakes.
Responding to crises
The BPEU responded to ongoing challenges and crises, including Russia’s full-scale ware in Ukraine, the war in Israël & Gaza, the protection of electoral processes from undue interference, and the urgent concerns of European farmers.
The BPEU reaffirmed its unwavering support to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression through:
oAgreements on the Ukraine Facility, the Ukraine Assistance Fund, the extension of autonomous trade measures on Ukrainian exports, and the transfer of contributions on profits made from immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine;
The imposition of the 13th and the preparation of the 14th sanctions package against Russia; and
The facilitation of progress on Ukraine’s accession process. The BPEU worked to counteract further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East by finding common ground for (re-)engagement with UNRWA, launching an EU military operation contributing to maritime security in the Red Sea, and adopting sanctions against members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as well as against violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
The BPEU responded to the conflict in Eastern DRC through work on restrictive individual measures against those supporting, fuelling or profiting from the conflict.
The BPEU took action to protect Europe’s democratic processes against external threats by starting the work on the Defence of Democracy Package and activating the Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) mechanism.
The BPEU responded to European farmers’ distress and helped realise a more just transition in the agricultural sector by successfully working to revise and simplify the Common Agricultural Policy.
Preparing Europe’s future
The BPEU fuelled the discussions in preparation of the next EU Strategic Agenda with informal Councils and other events dedicated to different future-oriented topics. These will lay the foundations for a thriving EU in the second half of this crucial decade.
To help make the EU future-proof, the BPEU prepared a Progress Report on the Future of Europe to inform the European Council Conclusions on a Roadmap for future work on internal reforms. In this effort, it took into account the triple challenge of retaining and improving the EU’s internal functioning and capacity to act, while adapting to a new geopolitical reality, and preparing for enlargement. Broad agreement emerged that reforms should focus on values, policies, budget and governance. In this context, the Belgian Presidency underlined the importance of strategic foresight.
As part of these reflections and to boost the Union’s competitiveness, secure its economic resilience and achieve the full potential of the Single Market, the Presidency also presented also a Stocktaking Note on Competitiveness. This report outlines the progress made in all competitiveness-related policy fields by the Belgian Presidency, and previewed further work needed to bolster European competitiveness in the future, with a focus on the Single Market and the Union’s governance and finances.
Closing remarks
At the start of the Presidency, our commitment was to deliver, and honour the reputation of the famous Belgian compromise. It is safe to say that we have kept our promise in terms of brokering agreements. We kept our promise of “protecting, strengthening and preparing” the EU with an eye to the immediate present, as well as the long-term future.
Belgium will ensure a smooth transition to the Hungarian Presidency, which will take over on 1 July. We hope to see final adoption under its Presidency of some files on which political agreement was reached in the last few months, including the Listing Act, the Platform Work Directive, the Forced Labour Ban and the European Health Data Space, among others.
