COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION latest

 

Press material Wednesday 22 March 2023

● Eurogroup   22/03/2023 11:12 | Press release | Eurogroup President Donohoe's report to the President of the Euro Summit of 24 March 2023   The President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, has sent a letter to the President of the Euro Summit, Charles Michel, to report on the work of the Eurogroup. The letter will inform the discussion that Leaders will hold at the Euro Summit on 24 March 2023. The report takes stock of the economic situation, fiscal policy and coordination in light of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the related increase in energy prices and inflation as well as the recent financial market turbulence. It highlights the resilience and the strong economic foundations of the euro area, while acknowledging the challenges ahead. "The euro area has demonstrated strong resilience in a very challenging period. But this is no time for complacency. We need to continue our ongoing work on strengthening the economic and monetary union, delivering on our commitments to complete the Banking Union and further developing the Capital Markets Union. A strong euro area economy is an anchor for stability and security on our continent." Paschal Donohoe, President of the Eurogroup At its March meeting, the Eurogroup adopted a statement on the orientations for fiscal policy for 2023-2024, stressing the need for prudent budgetary policies which aim at ensuring medium-term debt sustainability while driving growth and addressing the green and digital transitions. The statement also emphasises that broad-based fiscal stimulus to aggregate demand is not warranted in the current economic context. Given continuing uncertainty, remaining vigilant in protecting the most vulnerable remains a priority. The report also takes stock of the discussions within the Eurogroup on the digital euro project on which a statement was agreed in January. There is broad agreement on the potential vital role of a digital euro for ensuring access to public money in an increasingly digitalised global economy. Letter of the President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, to the President of the Euro Summit, Charles Michel ahead of the Euro Summit on 24 March 2023

Press material Tuesday 21 March 2023

● European Council   21/03/2023 19:53 | Press release | Invitation letter by President Charles Michel to the members of the European Council   Dear colleagues, I would like to invite you to our upcoming European Council meeting on 23 and 24 March in Brussels. We will begin at 11:30 on Thursday with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, joining us for a working lunch discussion. As in June 2021, I hope we will have a fruitful exchange on key geopolitical issues and global challenges. At our meeting thereafter, we will first discuss Ukraine. At the start of the meeting, President Zelenskyy will join us by video conference. We will, as always, reaffirm our unwavering commitment to assist Ukraine. This includes pursuing work on accountability, on the use of frozen Russian assets and rallying the global community behind the rules-based international order. Crucially, since our last meeting in February, we have been working on urgently scaling up our production and delivery of ammunition to Ukraine. Our aim is to provide Ukraine with 1 million rounds of ammunition within the next 12 months, and to ensure adequate funding. To this end, we will need to take measures to boost the manufacturing capacity of the European defence industry. Building on our February European Council, which focused on a number of immediate measures, we will also discuss the EU’s long-term competitiveness and the further deepening of the single market. Adding to the Commission’s recent proposals on the matter, now is the time to capitalise fully on our strengths and address our shortcomings. This involves examining ways to boost the EU’s innovation capacity, and strengthen our Capital Markets Union in order to spur investment to reinforce our technological base and achieve our green and digital transitions. We will also hold an in-depth exchange of views on our trade policy in the light of today’s geopolitical context. On energy, our priority continues to be to guarantee security of supply at affordable prices. We will discuss ways to achieve this goal. At our February European Council, we tasked the Council and the Commission to review the implementation of our conclusions on migration. The President of the Commission and the Swedish Presidency will therefore offer us a short debrief on the matter. On Friday 24 March, we will have our Euro Summit in inclusive format, where Presidents Lagarde and Donohoe will join us to discuss the economic and financial situation. We will also address the coordination of our fiscal policies, exchange views on economic governance, and take stock of the financial architecture of our Economic and Monetary Union. I look forward to greeting you all. Invitation letter Press material Tuesday 21 March 2023   ● Council of the EU   21/03/2023 12:31 | Press release | New way forward on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland: Council greenlights main elements of the Windsor Framework   The Council has adopted two decisions related to the Windsor Framework, a new joint way forward on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland on which the Commission and the UK government reached a political agreement in principle on 27 February 2023. The decisions, establishing the EU’s position in the Joint Committee and the Joint Consultative Working Group set up under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, allow the EU to agree to the main elements of the Windsor Framework within these two bodies, translating them into legally binding commitments. The adoption of the acts demonstrates the EU’s commitment to implementing the joint solutions that have been found to address practical difficulties in implementing the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland on the ground. "The agreement on the Windsor Framework is a truly positive achievement ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. It will benefit people and businesses in Northern Ireland and should allow the EU and the UK to open a new chapter in our relations. The member states stand united behind the European Commission in their support for the agreed solutions and look forward to their swift implementation in good faith." Jessika Roswall, Minister for EU Affairs of Sweden