On Friday 1 July, the Czech Presidency set out their priorities for their six month presidency of the Council of the EU. Their Presidency, whose motto is “Europe as a Task: Rethink, Rebuild, Repower”, was launched on the same day as a visit of the College of the European Commission to the town of Litomyšl, Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic will follow-up on the programme of the French Presidency, which was heavily influenced by the current geopolitical situation, in particular the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The programme is divided into two parts: the broad priorities of the Czech Presidency and the programme to be followed under the EU Council formations.
In relation to the latter, Ceemet highlights below some of the important issues from the programme which it will focus on during the six month presidency.
In the area of employment and labour markets, the incoming presidency have proposed to make it a priority to reach a general approach of the Council on the proposed Directive on improving working conditions in platform work. They have also proposed to continue to discuss the proposal for a Directive on pay transparency between men and women. The Czech Presidency will also start discussing a proposal for a Council Recommendation on setting minimum income standards.
In the field of Industrial policy, the Presidency endeavours to adopt a general approach of the Council on the European Chips Act package that intends to achieve supply stability in the semiconductor sector. Furthermore, they will undertake to support and foster the implementation of the New European industrial strategy and the mapping of strategic dependencies including in the areas of microelectronics, raw materials and others.
Finally, in the area of company law, the Presidency will try to achieve a common approach for the initiative on Sustainable Corporate Governance.
Commenting from Brussels, Ceemet Director General Delphine Rudelli said “While recognising the importance of these priorities for the economy and industry, we must however follow closely the developments of these dossiers to ensure they deliver the right outcomes for the companies of the MET industries.”
The main broad priorities of the presidency are divided into the five following areas:
- Managing the refugee crisis and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine;
- Energy security;
- Strengthening European defence capabilities and cybersecurity;
- Strategic resilience of the European economy;
- Resilience of democratic institutions.
For more information, see the website of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.