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Article
2 December 202217:50
Achievements of the Czech Presidency - November
The Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU has been getting closer to the finish line and is gradually reaping the fruits of almost six months of work. In November, it managed to facilitate an agreement among Member States on further measures to tackle the energy crisis, negotiate the EU budget for 2023, successfully conclude further parts of the Fit for 55 climate package, and ensure the non-recognition of Russian passports issued in the occupied territories of Ukraine and Georgia.
Energy: Agreement on joint gas purchases and solidarity measures in case of gas shortages
Energy ministers met for the fourth extraordinary Energy Council convened during the Czech Presidency. Their aim was to agree on further measures to help resolve the energy crisis caused by the interruption of gas supplies from Russia. In order to ensure energy security in the EU for this winter and the following winters, energy ministers agreed on a further package of measures aimed at joint gas purchases and solidarity in the event of a gas supply disruption. This will allow EU countries to cooperate on gas purchases, significantly improving their negotiating position on world markets and facilitating the filling of gas storages for next winter. Russian gas will be excluded from joint purchases. The agreement also introduces an obligation for Member States to share gas with each other in case any of them suffers an acute shortage of gas for its electricity production.
Moreover, Ministers supported faster authorisation for the construction of renewable energy projects, which also aims to get rid of dependence on Russian energy sources. Both proposals have been agreed, and energy ministers are expected to give their final approval during the next extraordinary meeting in mid-December, when the Commission's long-awaited proposal to cap gas prices should also be approved.
Finance and Trade: EU budget, banking reform and the end of economic pressure on the EU
The long and tense negotiations on the EU budget for next year ended with a last-minute agreement. If the Czech Presidency and the European Parliament had failed to reach an agreement by midnight on 14 November, the Commission would have had to present a new proposal. But an agreement was reached and the budget has now been formally approved. Overall, the budget includes €186.6 billion, an increase of 1.1% compared to this year's budget. The largest sums will go to agricultural policy, cohesion funds and neighbourhood policy.
The Council also decided to adjust this year's budget by allocating a total of €668 million to seven Member States affected by natural disasters such as the floods, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes that took place last year. They will be able to draw on the EU solidarity fund to deal with the consequences of these events.
A major achievement in the financial area was the agreement of a common negotiating position among EU countries on the implementation of banking reforms under the Basel III international agreements. These set out new ways of regulating, supervising and managing banks in response to the global financial crisis of 2008. They should increase their resilience in the event of similar economic shocks. Trilogues with the European Parliament can now start on the basis of a general approach on the revision of the capital requirements directive and the capital requirements regulation.
The Council also adopted a negotiating position for talks with the European Parliament on an instrument to enable the EU to defend itself in the event of economic pressure from third countries. The so-called Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) is primarily intended to deter countries from using pressure, but also offers the possibility to impose measures in the form of increased tariffs, import and export licences or restrictions on public procurement and foreign direct investment. Measures will only be used as a last resort if the country exerting economic pressure on the EU fails to be conciliated into ending it.
Ministers also agreed on new rules to prevent harmful tax competition and tax avoidance. The revision of the code of conduct for business taxation, which has not been amended since 1997, thus expands the range of tax measures that will be subject to review and scrutiny to ensure they are applied fairly across the EU.
Climate: Global conference and two success stories from the Fit for 55 package
In addition to chairing the meetings of the Member States in Brussels, the Presidency also plays a role in representing the EU externally. The Czech delegation represented all 27 countries at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The most significant outcome of the summit was the agreement to set up a new fund to finance "loss and damage". This will provide funds for particularly vulnerable developing countries in the Global South to remedy droughts, floods, fires and other global warming impacts they face as a result of emissions mainly from developed countries. The EU, which is the world's largest contributor to climate finance, managed to agree in principle that countries that have been assessed as developing but are in fact already developed should also contribute to the future fund.
In addition, two more proposals from the Fit for 55 package were agreed. Czech negotiators reached an agreement on the so-called effort sharing regulation during a long night of negotiations with the European Parliament. The EU as a whole should reduce emissions in sectors such as road transport, agriculture, buildings and waste by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 2005. But not all countries will be required to reduce emissions at the same rate. In the case of the Czech Republic, the reduction should be 26 percent.
The agreement also ended several hours of negotiations with the European Parliament on CO2 emissions and removals from land use and forestry (the so-called LULUCF sector). The final contribution of this sector to achieving climate neutrality, the main objective of the Fit for 55 package, is set in the agreement at 310 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Together with the earlier agreement on stricter CO2 emission standards for cars and vans, this is the third approved proposal from the climate package, with more parts still under negotiation. Trilogues continue on the revision of the EU emissions trading system, the social climate fund and the directives on energy efficiency and renewables.
Foreign affairs and security: Training of Ukrainian soldiers and further sanctions on Iran
In mid-November, the EU launched the EUMAM military assistance mission. The mission is intended to train up to 15 000 members of the Ukrainian armed forces and will be deployed in various locations across EU Member States. This confirms the EU's support to war-torn Ukraine, which the EU intends to continue.
The EU has extended its sanctions list against Iran. It has added 29 more individuals and three entities for their involvement in human rights abuses. These include, for example, four members of the unit that arrested Mahsa Amini, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who heads the state's law enforcement agencies, and Iran's state broadcaster Press TV, which is responsible for producing and broadcasting the forced confessions of those detained by the regime. The sanctions consist of a ban on entry into the EU and an asset freeze.
The EU also decided to impose further sanctions due to the continuing threat posed by chemical weapons. Asset freezes and travel bans to the EU now apply to ten individuals linked to the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and an entity linked to the production of chemical weapons delivery systems in Syria.
By adopting Council conclusions on disaster risk reduction in the EU's external action, development cooperation ministers decided to place greater emphasis on preventing crises before they occur. The Czech Presidency also negotiated Council conclusions on the Youth Action Plan for engaging young people in EU external action, which are intended, among other things, to strengthen the involvement of young people in the political sphere worldwide and facilitate their mobility. Moreover, it published guidelines to help cooperation between humanitarian, development and security actors in partner countries.
November in numbers
12
Councils in Brussels
31
Trilogues
9
Conclusive trilogues
345
Working groups
2
Extraordinary Councils
24
Ambassador’s meetings
Visa policy and border protection: Negotiations on migration, rejection of passports from Russian-occupied territories and a step forward to visa liberalisation for Kosovo
Interior ministers met in an extraordinary Home Affairs Council due to increasing migration flows. They discussed how to fight illegal migration and confirmed the unity with which the EU will approach this challenge. Before that, Member States also agreed to strengthen Frontex's cooperation with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia to protect the EU's external borders.
Russian travel documents issued in the occupied territories of Ukraine and Georgia will not be recognised in the Schengen area. Individual EU states do not accept them already, but the Czech Presidency has negotiated a unified EU approach to these documents. According to the agreement with the European Parliament, it will not be possible to cross the borders of the Schengen area or obtain a visa in the EU on the basis of these documents.
Kosovans are closer to visa-free travel to the EU. New rules could allow them to travel to the EU without a visa in about a year. After years of delays, the Czech Presidency has found a compromise on Kosovo passports and the Council now has a common position with which to start a trilogue with the European Parliament.
The EU Council and the European Parliament have agreed on the new information exchange directive. It will make it simpler for police and other law enforcement agencies to access information about criminal activity in other Member States, which will make their work much easier. It will also prevent criminals from being able to hide their activities by moving to another EU country. In another trilogue, a preliminary political agreement was also reached on the outstanding substantive issues of the e-evidence package. Further work at technical level and confirmation by Member States will follow.
The Czech Presidency also concluded a trilogue on EU-UK relations. The agreement reached is a safeguard to protect the EU single market in case the UK does not comply with the Brexit agreements.
Technology: The EU satellite system, enhanced cybersecurity of EU systems and digital declaration
The Czech Presidency has succeeded in negotiating an agreement on the deployment of hundreds of EU satellites that will increase the security of communications. The whole system will be called IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite). A total of €2.4 billion will be allocated to the programme. The satellites will provide reliable connectivity for critical infrastructure, government and private sector systems. Satellite connectivity is expected to compensate for terrestrial communication failures in the event of cyberattacks or natural disasters.
Under the Czech Presidency, Member States also agreed on a common position for negotiations with the European Parliament on enhancing cyber security in EU institutions and bodies. The proposal was made in response to the increasing frequency of cyberattacks.
In November, the declaration on digital rights and principles for the digital decade was finalised. In it, the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission signed up to protecting and promoting European values such as democracy, equality and sustainability in the digital world. The text of the declaration is expected to be signed by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on behalf of the Member States in mid-December, together with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The negotiations between the Czech Presidency and the European Parliament on product safety have also been successfully concluded. The new regulation updates the existing rules so that they also apply to online shopping and so that goods sold in the EU are safe and comply with European standards.
Council conclusions on cohesion policy and education
The Council approved conclusions on cohesion policy. They highlight its contribution to the quality of life of Member States' citizens and its positive impact on the EU's competitiveness, on closing regional disparities and on the transition to a modern digital sustainable economy. Looking ahead, the text argues that cohesion policy is a policy for all regions and stresses the importance of finding solutions to the specific challenges faced by EU regions.
The Czech Presidency has also opened up a discussion on a topic that has not received much attention so far. Drawing on the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, education ministers adopted Council conclusions on personal well-being in digital education. The successful use of digital technologies in schools should contribute to creating a pleasant and safe environment for pupils and teachers. Ministers also focused on the issue of early school leaving. They agreed on the Council's recommendation on pathways to school success to improve the performance of students underperforming in basic knowledge and skills such as reading, mathematics and science. Once again, the 27 EU ministers were joined by their Ukrainian counterparts. Minister Serhiy Shkarlet sent a video message to the Ministers of Education, while Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko personally attended the meeting of the Ministers of Culture, where he pointed out the extent of the damage to cultural institutions caused by Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities.