Halfway point in the Swedish EU Presidency

Sweden has led the work in the Council towards the goal of making the EU more secure, greener and freer. What are the results so far?

In brief: 

Safer 

During the first half of the Swedish Presidency, the EU:

• adopted a tenth sanctions package against Russia;
• reached a historic agreement to jointly procure ammunition to Ukraine;
• appointed a working group to investigate how frozen Russian assets can be used to rebuild Ukraine;
• initiated a donors’ conference together with the European Commission to support people affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria; and
• concluded negotiations on the proposal concerning e-Evidence.

Greener

The Presidency’s achievements during the first half included:

• agreement between the Council and the European Parliament on energy efficiency, measures to reduce maritime emissions and rules to promote electrification of the transport sector;
• the Council agreed on a general approach to industrial emissions;
• the Council agreed on a general approach to the gas market package; and
• agreement between the Council and the European Parliament on the proposal concerning deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure.

Competitiveness

Other achievements during the first half of the Presidency included:

• Competitiveness – one of the Presidency’s top priorities – moved to the top of the EU agenda, and the conclusions of the European Council in March will now be followed up in various Council configurations;
• the Council agreed on a text concerning the main features of the economic governance review;
• agreement between the EU and the Council of Europe on how accession to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms will proceed; and
• rule of law dialogues were held in the Council, and the Presidency took the initiative to immediately start the second round.

To read the details, click the link: Presidency reaches halfway point (europa.eu)