At today’s General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, the focus was on the European Council taking place in two days, which will discuss migration, defence and security policy, employment, economic growth and competitiveness, external relations and a digital Europe.
According to the Estonian Deputy Minister for EU Affairs Matti Maasikas, it is important for Estonia that the European Council will discuss the current situation of the digital single market and will provide guidelines for further development. “During our Presidency, Estonia would like to start discussions on a legislative proposal on the free flow of data within the EU, which will concern, among other things, the “Once-Only” principle, and we are also expecting the renewed cyber security strategy from the Commission in autumn, to move forward with the most important topics,” Maasikas said.
The General Affairs Council approved the eighteen-month programme of the Council (the Trio programme) prepared by the incoming Estonian, Bulgarian and Austrian presidencies which will ensure the continuity of the Council’s work. The Trio programme includes matters such as digital services, energy union and climate policy, activities to support economic growth, as well as social dimension, internal security and stable neighbourhood policy, and enlargement.
According to Maasikas, Estonia as one of the authors of the programme has made sure that all key draft regulations and topics that have to be worked on in depth during the next 18 months are in the programme. “Migration, security issues and economic growth will remain the main priorities of the EU over the coming years. E-services, e-governance and different e-solutions which are closely linked to economic growth and the safety of everyday life, have a major role in all of these areas,” the Deputy Minister stated.
After the General Affairs Council, the Council in an EU27 format discussed the procedure to decide on the relocation of the two EU agencies currently based in the UK.
Deputy Minister Matti Maasikas met with the Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans in the margins of the Council to discuss the issue of rule of law and interinstitutional cooperation.
The Deputy Minister also had meetings with Baroness Anelay, the UK Minister of State for Exiting the European Union, and the Foreign Minister of Ireland, Simon Coveney.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/estonian-foreign-ministry/albums/72157683240079250
Matti Maasikas about the Trio progamme: http://video.consilium.europa.eu/en/webcast/01cab36a-2eb4-4044-ac10-9f0e16bb8ce0
Additional information:
Tiina Maiberg
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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(+372) 6377 253
(+372) 53 008 703
www.vm.ee