COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Wednesday 4 October 2023

● Council of the EU   04/10/2023 13:20 | Press release | Migration policy: Council agrees mandate on EU law dealing with crisis situations   Today, EU member states’ representatives reached an agreement on the final component of a common European asylum and migration policy. At a meeting of the Council’s permanent representatives committee, member states sealed their negotiating mandate on a regulation on crisis situations, including instrumentalisation of migration, and force majeure in the field of migration and asylum. This position will form the basis of negotiations between the Council presidency and the European Parliament. "Today we have achieved a huge step forward on a critical issue for the future of the EU. With today’s agreement we are now in a better position to reach an agreement on the entire asylum and migration pact with the European Parliament by the end of this semester." Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, acting Spanish minister for home affairs The new law establishes the framework that would allow member states to address situations of crisis in the field of asylum and migration by adjusting certain rules, for instance concerning the registration of asylum applications or the asylum border procedure. These countries would also be able to request solidarity and support measures from the EU and its member states. Exceptional measures in crisis situations In a situation of crisis or force majeure, member states may be authorised to apply specific rules concerning the asylum and the return procedure. In this sense, among other measures, registration of applications for international protection may be completed no later than four weeks after they are made, easing the burden on overstrained national administrations. Solidarity with countries facing a crisis situation A member state that is facing a crisis situation may request solidarity contributions from other EU countries. These contributions can take the form of: the relocation of asylum seekers or beneficiaries of international protection from the member state in a crisis situation to contributing member states responsibility offsets, i.e. the supporting member state would take over the responsibility to examine asylum claims with a view to relief the member state that finds itself in a crisis situation financial contributions or alternative solidarity measures These exceptional measures and this solidarity support require the authorisation from the Council in accordance with the principles of necessity and proportionality and in full compliance with fundamental rights of third-country nationals and stateless persons.

Press material Monday 2 October 2023

● European Council   02/10/2023 22:28 | Press release | Invitation letter by President Charles Michel to the members of the European Council ahead of their informal meeting on 6 October 2023   I would like to invite you to our informal meeting on 6 October, kindly hosted by Prime Minister Sanchez in Granada. This gathering holds significant importance: not only will we engage in a constructive dialogue on the most pressing issues that our Union currently faces, such as migration, but this meeting marks the start of an important reflection process on our Union’s future priorities. Starting in Granada, our discussions will allow us to collectively chart the course for the Union, defining its direction and goals for the years to come. The result of our reflection process in the next few months will shape the 2024-2029 Strategic agenda. When Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine over 18 months ago, we addressed the starkly changing reality at our meeting in Versailles. Beyond agreeing to provide unwavering support to Ukraine, we set a new strategic course of action to build our sovereignty, committing to jointly bolster our defence capacities, reduce our energy dependency and build a more robust economic base. Granada is the time to look back and critically assess progress in strengthening our European sovereignty, identifying our achievements as well as areas that still require our political action. It is also the time to look forward, identifying the future challenges we will have to face, and defining our strategy to seize all the opportunities that lie ahead to ensure the EU’s resilience and competitiveness in this changing geopolitical environment. Beyond the strategic agenda, an inherent part of this discussion relates to the future of an enlarged European Union and the consequences this expansion may entail – both for us and for our aspiring members. It is vital that we contemplate the future dynamics of our Union, our policies and decision-making, among others, to ensure the EU’s continued success. In particular we will address critical questions, such as: What do we do together? How do we decide? How do we match our means with our ambitions? We will start our meeting with an exchange with the President of the European Parliament. We will then turn to our discussion on the Strategic agenda. I look forward to meeting you all in Granada. Invitation letter by President Michel

Press material Monday 2 October 2023

● European Council   02/10/2023 11:53 | Media advisory | Press briefing ahead of the meeting of the European Political Community and the Informal meeting of EU heads of state or government   The press briefing ahead of the meeting of the European Political Community and the Informal meeting of EU heads of state or government in Granada will take place on Tuesday, 3 October at 14.00. This briefing will be "off the record". The press briefing will take place in a hybrid format: EU accredited journalists will be able to participate and ask questions either in person at the Europa building press room or remotely. To attend the event remotely, please use this link to register and have the possibility to ask questions. EU accredited journalists who already registered for previous high-level press events in 2022 and 2023 do not need to do it again. Deadline for registration: Tuesday, 3 October 2023 at 13.00. Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline.