COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Friday, 22 November 2024

● Council of the EU   22/11/2024 17:46 | Media advisory | Media advisory - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council of 25-26 November 2024   Indicative programme All times are approximate and subject to change Place: Europa building, Brussels Chairs: Balázs Hankó, Hungarian Minister of Culture and Innovation Ádám Schmidt, Hungarian Minister of State for Sports Veronika Varga-Bajusz, Hungarian Minister of State for Innovation and Higher Education Monday 25 November from 08.00 Arrivals (live streaming) 08.00 Doorstep by Balázs Hankó (live streaming) Informal breakfast on "The significance of communities and intergenerational solidarity" 10.00 Beginning of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council Adoption of the agenda Approval of A items: Non-legislative list Legislative list (+/- 10.20 public session) Morning session - Youth Any other business: Outcome of the discussion at the informal EU Youth Dialogue breakfast meeting (+/- 10.25 public session) Conclusions on providing glocal opportunities for young people living in rural and remote areas Resolution on the outcomes of the 10th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue Resolution on the EU Youth Strategy Work Plan 2025-2027 The evolving demographic trends shaping opportunities for rural youth (+/- 11.05 public session) Any other business: Work programme of the incoming Presidency Ministerial lunch on "Mobile phone use in schools" Afternoon session - Education Conclusions on strategic partnerships in education and training Council Recommendation on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education Boosting future-proof skills and competitiveness through higher education (+/- 15.30 public session) Any other business: MED9 Ministerial Summit for Education for Sustainable Development and Green Transition in the Mediterranean region (Limassol, 27 June 2024) (+/- 17.10 public session) Work programme of the incoming Presidency At the end of the meeting (+/- 18.00 in the Justus Lipsius press room) press conference Youth and Education in live streaming. Tuesday 26 November from 09.00 Arrivals (live streaming) 09.30 Doorstep by Ádám Schmidt (live streaming) 10.00 Continuation of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council Morning session - Sport Conclusions on fostering the lasting legacy of major sporting events The role of the key features of a European Sport Model (+/- 10.20 public session) Any other business: European dimension of the Paris 2024 Games and their lasting legacy in Europe (+/- 11.50 public session) The European dimension of the 2024 European Football Championship in Germany (+/- 11.55 public session) Work programme of the incoming Presidency At the end of the session (+/- 13.00 in the Justus Lipsius press room) press conference Sport in live streaming. 13.00 Doorstep by Veronika Varga-Bajusz (live streaming) Ministerial lunch on "The future of cultural policy in the new EU cultural programming period" Afternoon session - Culture Conclusions on improving and fostering access to culture The role of libraries in media literacy development (+/- 15.30 public session) Any other business: Supporting collaboration and engagement in cultural and creative sectors at the EU level (+/- 17.00 public session) MED9 Conference on Cultural Rights in Times of Crisis and MED9 Declaration on Cultural Rights (Nicosia, 16 September 2024) (+/- 17.05 public session) Lublin - the European Capital of Culture 2029 (+/- 17.10 public session) Members States’ policies to promote cultural diversity in the digital single market (+/- 17.15 public session) European capitals of culture 2025: Chemnitz and Nova Gorica (+/- 17.20 public session) Strengthening and structural support for independent European media offerings and platforms (+/- 17.25 public session) Outcome of the G7 Ministers' Meeting on Culture (Naples, 19-21 September 2024) (+/- 17.30 public session) Notre-Dame Cathedral Reopening Work programme of the incoming Presidency At the end of the meeting (+/- 18.00 in the Justus Lipsius press room) press conference Culture in live streaming. Videos and photos from the event - Education and Youth Videos and photos from the event - Culture and Sport Meeting page - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Education and Youth), 25 November 2024 Meeting page - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Culture and Sport), 26 November 2024

Press material Friday, 22 November 2024

● Council of the EU   22/11/2024 16:32 | Press release | Forward look: 25 November - 8 December 2024   Overview of the main topics and events at the Council of EU and European Council for the coming fortnight. Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Education and Youth), 25 November 2024 Ministers for youth and education will meet in Brussels on Monday 25 November, where they will seek to adopt a recommendation on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education. Other topics on the agenda include ‘glocal’ opportunities for young people living in rural and remote areas. Read more Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Culture and Sport), 26 November 2024 Ministers for culture and sport will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 26 November, where they will seek to approve conclusions on fostering the lasting legacy of major sporting events. They will also discuss the role of libraries in media literacy development. Read more Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 28 November 2024 The Council will meet to approve Council conclusions on the future of European competitiveness, following the publication of the Draghi report “EU competitiveness: Looking ahead”. Ministers will also hold a debate on “better regulation on Europe”. The Council will start at 09:30 and finish at 15:30. All sessions except the legislative points (adoption of legislative A points and the AOB on the current legislative proposals) will not be public. Read more General Affairs Council (Cohesion), 28 November 2024 Ministers will discuss how to strengthen the key assets of cohesion policy and improve the shared management of cohesion funds. The Council will also be invited to approve conclusions on cohesion policy and demographic challenges in the EU. Read more Competitiveness Council (Research and Space), 29 November 2024 On Friday 29 November Research ministers will meet in the morning (09:30 to 14:00). They are expected to approve three sets of Council conclusions on strengthening the competitiveness of the EU and overcoming the fragmentation of the European Research Area, on a Europe-wide R&I initiative on natural resource management, food security and bioeconomy in Central and Eastern Europe, and on the Commission’s Communication on Advanced Materials. They will also hold a debate on the contribution of research and innovation to the competitiveness of the EU. At lunch they will exchange views on sustainable European research infrastructures. In the afternoon (14:30 to 17:00), ministers responsible for Space are expected to approve two sets of Council conclusions: the first on the mid-term assessment of the Space Programme, and the second on reinforcing European competencies in the space sector. Finally they will hold an exchange of views on the future of the Union space policy. Read more Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Employment and Social Policy), 2 December 2024 Ministers of employment and social affairs will meet in Brussels. Items on the agenda include the traineeships package, labour and skills shortages, comprehensive solutions to demographic challenges, social inclusion of persons with disabilities, and the European Semester 2025. Read more Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Health), 3 December 2024 On 3 December health ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss smoke- and aerosol-free environments, the pharmaceutical package, cardiovascular health, organ donation and transplantation, and the European Health Union. Read more Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport), 5 December 2024 Transport ministers will be invited to agree the Council’s position (‘general approach’) on the directive on driving disqualifications, the regulation on passenger rights in the context of multimodal journeys and the regulation on enforcement of passenger rights in the EU. The Council will also take note of a progress report on the combined transport directive. Read more Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Telecom), 6 December 2024 Telecommunications ministers will approve conclusions on the EU Agency for cybersecurity (ENISA) and on the Commission’s White Paper ‘How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?’, and will hold a policy debate on the digital decade 2030 objectives and targets in light of recent technological changes. Read more Other meetings European Economic Area Council, 25 November 2024   Indicative calendar of meetings under the Hungarian presidency (1 July - 31 December 2024) Hungarian presidency website

Meetings Friday, 22 November 2024

● Council of the EU   22/11/2024 14:26 | Meetings | Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Education and Youth), 25 November 2024   Background brief - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, 25-26 November 2024

Meetings Friday, 22 November 2024

● International ministerial meetings   22/11/2024 13:01 | Meetings | Agenda highlights - European Economic Area Council, 25 November 2024   The European Economic Area (‘EEA’) Council will discuss the overall functioning of the EEA Agreement and hold an orientation debate on the role of the EEA cooperation in enhancing Europe’s competitiveness and resilience.

Meetings Friday, 22 November 2024

● Council of the EU   22/11/2024 08:52 | Meetings | Agenda highlights - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Culture and Sport), 26 November 2024   Ministers for culture and sport will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 26 November, where they will seek to approve conclusions on fostering the lasting legacy of major sporting events. They will also discuss the role of libraries in media literacy development.

Meetings Thursday, 21 November 2024

● Council of the EU   21/11/2024 15:37 | Meetings | Main results - Foreign Affairs Council (Trade), 21 November 2024   The Foreign Affairs Council, in its trade configuration, held an exchange of views on the future of the EU’s trade policy, followed by a discussion on the state of play of trade relations with the US. The working lunch focused on the World Trade Organization (WTO) reform.

● Council of the EU   20/11/2024 13:33 | Media advisory | Press briefing - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council of 25-26 November 2024   The press briefing ahead of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council will take place on Friday, 22 November 2024 at 15.00. 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 remotely or in person at the Europa building press room. To attend the event remotely, please use this link to register and have the possibility to ask questions. Those who already registered for previous press events of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council do not need to do it again. Deadline for registration: Friday, 22 November 2024 at 14.00 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline. Meeting page - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Education and Youth), 25 November 2024 Meeting page - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Culture and Sport), 26 November 2024

Press material Wednesday, 20 November 2024

● Council of the EU   20/11/2024 13:24 | Press release | EU deforestation law: Council reconfirms its agreement to extend application timeline   Today, the Council firmly reiterated its support to the proposed targeted amendment of the EU deforestation regulation, postponing its date of application by 12 months. The Council considers that this is the best way forward to ensure legal certainty for all stakeholders. It should be recalled that the proposal of the Commission needs to be adopted, signed and published in the Official Journal before 30 December 2024. This postponement will allow third countries, member states, operators and traders to be fully prepared in their due diligence obligations, which is to ensure that certain commodities and products sold in the EU or exported from the EU are deforestation-free. This includes products made from cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and some of their derived products. More time given to better prepare for implementation The deforestation regulation has already been in force since 29 June 2023 and its provisions are to be applied from 30 December 2024. The Council agreed to the Commission’s proposal to postpone the application date of the regulation by one year. This would give legal certainty, predictability and sufficient time for a smooth and effective implementation of the rules, including fully establishing due diligence systems covering all relevant commodities and products. These due diligence systems include identifying deforestation risks in supply chains as well as monitoring and reporting measures to prove compliance with EU rules. Keeping the deforestation-free objective The targeted amendment will not affect the substance of the already existing rules, which is to minimise the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide, by only allowing placing on the EU market, or exporting from the EU, deforestation-free products. Deforestation-free products are products that have been produced on land not subject to deforestation or forest degradation after 31 December 2020. Next steps The Council will now inform the European Parliament of this position with a view to start negotiations. The aim is to have the regulation formally adopted by both co-legislators and published in the Official Journal of the EU so that it can enter into force by the end of the year. Background The main driver of global deforestation and forest degradation is the expansion of agricultural land, which is linked to the production of the commodities included in the scope of the regulation. As the EU is a major consumer of such commodities, it can reduce its contribution to global deforestation and forest degradation by making sure these products and related supply chains are ‘deforestation-free’. The deforestation regulation was adopted in 2023 and establishes rules to ensure that products derived from certain commodities (namely coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soya, cattle, rubber and wood), which are placed on the EU market or exported from the EU, have not caused deforestation or forest degradation during their production, have been produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production and are covered by a due diligence statement. The Commission submitted its proposal on postponing the application date of the deforestation regulation in response to concerns raised by member states, third countries, traders and operators that there was a risk that they would not be able to fully comply with the rules by 31 December 2024. Proposal for a regulation amending deforestation regulation as regards provisions relating to the date of application – Council position Deforestation (background information)

Press material Wednesday, 20 November 2024

● Council of the EU   20/11/2024 10:37 | Media advisory | Media advisory - Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) of 21 November 2024   Indicative programme All times are approximate and subject to change Place: Europa building, Brussels Chair: Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from 09.00 Arrivals (live streaming) 10.00 Beginning of the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) Adoption of the agenda Approval of "A" items - Non-legislative list The future of the EU´s trade policy with particular regard to ongoing negotiations Trade relations with the US Any other business - Call for a Commission proposal on increased tariffs for EU imports of Russian and Belarusian products +/- 13.00 Working lunch discussion on WTO reform At the end of the meeting (+/- 14.30 in Justus Lipsius building press room) press conference in live streaming.   Videos and photos from the event