COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION latest

PRESS European Council      29/6/2018  Remarks by President Donald Tusk on the European Council meetings of 28-29 June 2018 Good afternoon. We have just finished a long European Council with the following outcomes. As regards our deal on migration, it is far too early to talk about a success. We have managed to reach an agreement in the European Council. But this is in fact the easiest part of the task, compared to what awaits us on the ground, when we start implementing it. As for the text of our compromise, the leaders accepted three proposals I put forward, that is disembarkation platforms outside Europe, a dedicated budgetary tool in the next MFF to combat illegal migration, as well as boosting EU support for the Libyan Coast Guard. On top of that, we have sent a clear message to all vessels, including those of NGOs, operating in the Mediterranean, that they must respect the law and must not obstruct the operation of the Libyan Coast Guard. This demonstrates our clear and univocal support for the actions of the Maltese authorities. Another part of the compromise is the Franco-Italian proposal of controlled centres on EU territory, in countries that are willing to build them. All the measures in the context of these centres, including relocation and resettlement, will be taken on a voluntary basis. Last but not least, we agreed to launch the next tranche of financing for Turkey and to transfer 500 million euros of development money to the EU Trust Fund for Africa. Moving on to this morning's proceedings. The Euro Summit agreed, as promised in December, to progress on the completion of the Banking Union and to strengthen the European Stability Mechanism, including by providing the backstop to the single resolution fund. This reform of the EMU will strengthen the euro, and as a result, also our Union. In turbulent times, this is welcome news for all Europeans. On Brexit. The EU27 has taken note of what has been achieved so far. However, there is a great deal of work ahead, and the most difficult tasks are still unresolved. If we want to reach a deal in October we need quick progress. This is the last call to lay the cards on the table. Before concluding, let me thank my good friend, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, for the outstanding and effective Bulgarian Presidency. You and your team have done a truly remarkable job. Including on the Sofia Summit, which was a historic moment in terms of our relations with the Western Balkans. Thank you very much, Boyko. Council of the European Union      29/6/2018  Facility for refugees in Turkey: member states agree details of additional funding On 29 June 2018, the 28 EU member states agreed on how to finance an additional €3 billion for the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey to support Syrian refugees. Following the political agreement reached in the European Council, member states confirmed at the meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) that €2 billion of this amount will be financed from the EU budget and the remaining €1 billion by contributions from the member states according to their share of the EU's GNI. The agreement honours the commitment undertaken by the EU under the EU-Turkey statement of 18 May 2016 to provide a second instalment of €3 billion for the refugee facility before the €3 billion initially allocated has been fully used up. It allows the Commission to prepare concrete measures in order to make additional funds available for refugees. "The facility for refugees is running successfully and has provided Syrian refugees in Turkey valuable help with essentials, such as health care and schooling. Today's agreement comes in time to ensure that our support for the different projects on the ground can continue without interruption, in line with our promise from 2016." Marinela Petrova, deputy finance minister of Bulgaria Σύνοδος κορυφής για το ευρώ

29/6/2018

	Σύνοδος κορυφής της ευρωζώνης, 29 Ιουνίου 2018
	Η Σύνοδος κορυφής της ευρωζώνης εξέδωσε δήλωσε κατόπιν της συνεδριάσεως της 29ης Ιουνίου 2018. Σύνοδος κορυφής της ευρωζώνης, 29 Ιουνίου 2018 Council of the European Union      29/6/2018  Governance of the Energy Union: Council confirms deal reached with the European Parliament The EU ambassadors of the member states confirmed, on behalf of the Council, the provisional agreement reached on 19-20 June between the Bulgarian Presidency and the European Parliament on the Energy Union governance regulation. "The Council has today agreed on a new governance system for the energy union. This will ensure that we remain firmly on track to meet our long-term energy and climate objectives. This regulation is a key tool for modernising our energy policies as it ensures transparency, coherence, and cost-efficiency, and improves collaboration." Temenuzhka Petkova, Minister of Energy of Bulgaria The governance regulation is a key part of the clean energy package. It is the 'umbrella' piece of legislation which is intended to ensure that the EU's 2030 energy and climate targets are achieved. It defines how member states will collaborate both with each other and with the Commission to reach the EU's ambitious clean energy goals, including the renewable energy targets and the energy efficiency targets, as well as the EU's long-term greenhouse gas emissions goals. It also sets out control mechanisms that will help ensure that the targets are met, and that the range of actions proposed constitute a coherent and coordinated approach. In addition, the regulation provides for reporting under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement. A structured, iterative process between the member states and the European Commission and a system of regional consultations and Commission recommendations on national energy and climate plans will help ensure that the efforts to meet EU targets are on track and will ensure better synergies between national efforts in these areas. At the same time the regulation allows individual countries sufficient flexibility to adapt to their national conditions and needs. The national energy and climate plans will include national targets, contributions, policies and measures for each of the five dimensions of the energy union: decarbonisation, energy efficiency, energy security, internal energy market as well as research, innovation and competitiveness. Further key elements of the governance regulation are as follows: Timeline for the national energy and climate plans: co-legislators agreed that member states will need to submit their draft plans to the Commission by 31 December 2018, and that the Commission will issue its recommendations at the latest by 30 June 2019. The deadline for the submission of the final national energy and climate plans is 31 December 2019. Progress reports: the first biennial progress report on the implementation of the national energy and climate plans is due on 15 March 2023. Renewable energy and energy efficiency trajectories: in order to reach its overall renewable energy target of 32% by 2030, the EU needs to have met 18% of the target by 2022, 43% by 2025, and 65% by 2027. It was also agreed to set three reference years for energy efficiency (2022, 2025 and 2027). Gap-filler mechanism: co-legislators agreed on the principle of triggering the gap-filler mechanism for renewable energy: if there is a gap at EU level, those member states which fall below their reference points will have to cover the gap by implementing measures at national level. There is also an obligation to cover any gap against the 2020 renewable energy baseline - should that occur within one year. For energy efficiency, the focus will be on measures at EU level. Long term strategies: the co-legislators agreed on an article on EU and member states' long-term strategies, setting out a timetable, with an indicative annex which will highlight the comparability of their long-term strategies, as well as improve the link between the long term strategies at national level and at EU level. Background and next steps The governance regulation is a cornerstone of the clean energy package. This mega-package was presented by the Commission in November 2016 and consists of eight legislative proposals. The governance regulation aims to integrate and simplify the existing, overlapping set of planning, reporting and monitoring requirements under the EU energy and climate legislation. Member states will prepare national energy and climate plans which outline how they intend to contribute to the goals of the energy union, in particular the 2030 EU targets on renewables, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. The Council adopted its position on the proposal on 18 December 2017. This enabled the Bulgarian Presidency to start trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament on 21 February 2018. A provisional deal was reached between the co-legislators on 19 - 20 June. Today's endorsement by EU ambassadors means that the regulation can be submitted for approval to the European Parliament, where the plenary vote is expected in October, and then back to the Council for final adoption. The regulation will enter into force 20 days following its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. Final compromise text Governance of the Energy Union – Council agrees general approach (press release, 18/12/2018) General approach Commission proposal European Council      28/6/2018  Statement by the spokesperson of the President of the European Council The European Council this afternoon had an exchange of views with EP President Tajani and NATO Secretary-General as well as discussions on security and defence, jobs, growth and competitiveness, innovation and digital and other issues such as enlargement, MH-17 and MFF. As one Member reserved their position on the entire conclusions, no conclusions have been agreed at this stage. For this reason, the press conference by the EU institutional representatives has been cancelled and will instead take place tomorrow after the end of the Euro Summit.