COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,EUROGROUP,update

 

Press material Monday, 06 October 2025

● Council of the EU   06/10/2025 16:45 | Statements and remarks | Joint statement following the 29th GCC-EU Joint Council and Ministerial meeting   The Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union (EU) held their 29th Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting – hereinafter referred to as "The Joint Council”. The GCC side was chaired by H.E. Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait – Chair of their current GCC Ministerial Session; the EU side was chaired by H.E. Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – Vice President of the European Commission, with the participation of H.E. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC, and senior officials from both sides. The Joint Council welcomed the tangible progress achieved within the framework of the strategic partnership between the GCC and the EU, established by the 1988 Cooperation Agreement. The Joint Council underlined the particular importance of this partnership in view of the serious threats to peace, security, and stability at the regional and international levels, as well as the challenges that the global economy is facing. The Joint Council commended the outcomes of the first GCC-EU Summit, held in Brussels on 16 October 2024 under the title "A Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity," and looked forward to convening the next Summit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2026. Read the full text of the joint statament   Visit the website

● Council of the EU

07/10/2025 16:57 | Media advisory | Press briefings - Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 10 October 2025 and Justice and Home Affairs Council of 13 and 14 October 2025   The press briefing ahead of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council will take place on Thursday, 9 October 2025 at 16.00, followed by the press briefing ahead of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. These back-to-back and "off the record" press briefings 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 the link below to register and have the possibility to ask questions. Those who already registered for previous press events of the Economic and Financial Affairs or the Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings do not need to do it again. Deadline for registration: Thursday, 9 October 2025, 15.00 Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline. Registration page Economic and Financial Affairs Council, 10 October 2025 Justice and Home Affairs Council (Justice), 13 October 2025 Justice and Home Affairs Council (Home Affairs), 14 October 2025   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   08/10/2025 09:59 | Press release | Defence: Council agrees position to incentivise defence-related investments in the EU budget   Member states’ representatives approved today the Council’s position on a proposal aiming to incentivise defence-related investments in the EU budget to implement the so-called ReArm Europe plan, an EU initiative to increase defence spending and strengthen the EU’s military capabilities. “With the Council’s agreed position, we want to open key EU programmes to more defence-related investments, and we are enabling a more agile and coordinated effort to strengthen Europe’s Defence Industrial and Technological Base. It is a necessary step towards further boosting the EU’s defence readiness towards 2030.” — Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs of Denmark With a view to facilitating faster, more flexible and coordinated investments in the European defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB), the Council’s position seeks to amend five EU regulations: the Digital Europe Programme Horizon Europe the European Defence Fund the Connecting Europe Facility, and the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Main amendments introduced by the Council Member states have broadly maintained the general thrust of the Commission proposal for the five programmes concerned. However, the Council’s position added the adaptation of the eligibility rules for activities with dual-use and defence applications under Horizon Europe to ensure consistency with other EU instruments in the defence industry sector. Next steps Following today’s approval of the Council’s mandate, the presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament to reach an agreement before year’s end. Background This initiative complements the so-called defence readiness omnibus package presented in June 2025 by the Commission and currently being examined by the Council. Both proposals aim to incentivise defence-related investments and improve Europe’s defence readiness, as requested by the European Council in March 2025.    Regulation as regards incentivising defence-related investments in the EU budget to implement the ReArm Europe plan, Commission proposal, 22 April 2025 Boosting European defence expenditure (background information) ReArm Europe plan (Commission background information)   Visit the website ● Council of the EU   08/10/2025 15:56 | Media advisory | Media advisory – Eurogroup meeting of 9 October and Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 10 October 2025   Indicative programme All times are approximate and subject to change Thursday 9 October - Eurogroup meeting Place: ECCL building, Luxembourg Chair: Paschal Donohoe, President of the Eurogroup 14.00 Arrivals (live streaming) +/- 14.45 Doorstep by Paschal Donohoe (live streaming) 15.00 In regular format macroeconomic and fiscal monitoring including preparation of international meetings miscellaneous 15.45 In inclusive format (roundtable): capital markets union - stocktake on the performance of EU capital markets and of the progress at EU and national level, also in the context of the savings and investments union strategy stablecoins - recent developments (poss.) preparation of October Euro Summit At the end of the meeting (+/- 18.45) - Press conference with Eurogroup President, Paschal Donohoe, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, Valdis Dombrovskis and ESM Managing Director, Pierre Gramegna (live streaming). Videos and photos from the event Friday 10 October - Economic and Financial Affairs Council Place: ECCL building, Luxembourg Chair: Stephanie Lose, Danish Minister for Economic Affairs 08.00 Arrivals (live streaming) +/- 08.15 Doorstep by Stephanie Lose (live streaming) 09.00 Ecofin breakfast (roundtable) 10.30 Beginning of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council Adoption of the agenda Approval of "A" items: - non-legislative list - legislative list (public session) +/- 10.40 Tobacco taxation (public session) +/- 11.00 Own resources (public session) +/- 11.45 Any other business: - Current legislative proposals in the field of financial services (public session) - Status of the implementation of financial services legislation +/- 12.15 Implementation of the economic governance framework +/- 12.30 Savings and investment union +/- 13.00 Simplification +/- 13.45 Conclusions on climate finance in view of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) (Belém, 10-21 November 2025) +/- 14.00 Economic and financial impact of Russia's war against Ukraine +/- 14.05 Recovery and Resilience Facility +/- 14.15 European Semester 2025 +/- 14.30 International meetings: Follow-up to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting on 17-18 July 2025 Preparation of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting and IMF annual meetings At the end of the Council (+/- 15.00) - Press conference with Minister Stephanie Lose and Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis (live streaming) Videos and photos from the event   Meeting page - Eurogroup of 9 October 2025 Meeting page - Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 10 October 2025     Visit the website

● Συμβούλιο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης

08/10/2025 14:31 | Συνεδριάσεις | Κύρια σημεία της ημερήσιας διάταξης - Συμβούλιο Οικονομικών και Δημοσιονομικών Θεμάτων, 10 October 2025   Οι υπουργοί οικονομικών της ΕΕ θα παρακολουθήσουν μεταξύ άλλων, σύμφωνα με το πρόγραμμα, παρουσίαση με θέμα την πρόσφατη πρόταση της Επιτροπής για την επικαιροποίηση του συστήματος ιδίων πόρων για τον προϋπολογισμό της ΕΕ και θα έχουν τη δυνατότητα να ανταλλάξουν τυχόν προβληματισμούς. Παράλληλα, η Επιτροπή θα κληθεί να παρουσιάσει την πρόσφατη πρότασή της για την επικαιροποίηση του φορολογικού πλαισίου της ΕΕ για τα προϊόντα καπνού.   Ειδική σελίδα συνεδρίασης ● Council of the EU   08/10/2025 13:30 | Press release | Council agrees position on modernised rules for measuring instruments to support green and digital transition   The Council has today adopted its position on the amendments that update the 20-year-old directive on harmonised requirements for measuring instruments (MID). The changes cover new devices that are crucial for meeting the goals of the green deal, such as electric vehicle charging equipment, compressed gas dispensers and meters for electricity, gas and thermal energy. The updated rules also aim to address the growing role of digitalisation in smart metering and facilitate the use of emerging gases, such as hydrogen, to support the decarbonisation of industrial processes. The updated MID requirements are technology-neutral and encourage the use of modern solutions for both consumers and producers of metering devices. They will as well prevent duplication of national regulations, which would increase costs for businesses and consumers and delay the roll-out of new green and digital technologies. Clear display requirements The Council position clarifies the requirements for displaying the measurement result. For gas and electricity meters, the measurement results should be displayed on the meter itself, in printed format or via remote display (a display to view the measured data from a distance, for instance in another room than the one of the measuring instrument). However, for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE, electricity chargers) or compressed gas dispensers, the vehicle’s screen or another end-user display (a smartphone, for instance) may also be used. With these provisions, the Council position also ensures that cloud-based solutions are possible for smart meters. Energy conversion devices The negotiating mandate harmonises the conformity assessment criteria for energy conversion devices by introducing a maximum permissible error of 0.05%. An energy conversion device converts measured gas mass or volume into energy by applying the gas calorific value. Expanding the scope of vehicle chargers The Council position removes restrictions in the scope of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) used residentially, commercially or light industrially. It also clarifies the scope making it explicit that rail, boats, vessels and aircrafts are also covered. The mandate also addresses requirements for cables with connectors for EVSE’s, to ease the burden cables may be changed easily without affecting the performance of the device. Transitional period The Council position ensures the validity of national certificates for measuring devices before these amendments apply. These certificates will continue to be acceptable for 12 years after the entry into force of the amended directive, unless they expire earlier. The date of application of these new provisions has also been extended accordingly (from 24 to 30 months) to take account for the transposition and national legislation. Next steps The mandate agreed upon today formalises the Council’s position and provides the Council presidency with a negotiating mandate for discussions with the European Parliament, which will begin once the latter has adopted its own position. Background The current legislation on measuring instruments was created in 2004. The current MID was revised in 2014 to align it with the principles of the new legislative framework by introducing a single set of obligations for economic operators and conformity assessment procedures. However, the existing legislative framework does not cover new types of measuring instruments and no longer complies with the principle of technological neutrality. Council negotiating mandate Commission’s proposal on the amended measuring instruments directive Annexes to the proposal   Visit the website