Editor's note

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 03:39

In pursuit for growth and integration: Hellenic Council Presidency in EU

Eugene Eteris, BC, Copenhagen, 10.01.2014.Print version

Greece embarks on its fifth Council Presidency since the country joined “the club” in 1981. Growth, employment and promoting social cohesion will be Greece’s priorities during its 6-month presidency of the EU (from January to the end of June 2014). Official ceremony took place in Greece on 8 January, at which high EU officials were present.

Presidency’s priorities

The Greek presidency's top priorities are:

 

•         tackling the major problem of youth unemployment,

•         increasing the availability of credit to small and medium-sized businesses,

•         growth, jobs, cohesion and regional issues,

•         European integration in the euro-zone and European Semester,

•         migration, border control and mobility,

•         maritime issues, and

•         enlargement.

The Greek authorities published a concise booklet concerning all working events and issues that will take place and be discussed during Council’s configuration meetings in the first half of 2014. Greece will chair hundreds of formal and informal meetings, provide a lead for complex negotiations and host 13 ministerial councils in Athens.

 

The booklet on Greece Presidency can be seen at the Greek Presidency’s website below.

 

Greek working program includes such aims as improving economic governance in the eurozone and concluding negotiations on the next stage of banking union. The main aim here is to prevent a repeat of the recent financial crisis.

 

Greece also wants to step up EU action on illegal migration and make changes to EU strategy in the fields of maritime affairs and data protection legislation. Another issue on the agenda is reaching agreement on the use of first-generation biofuels and shale gas.

 

An important summit with African countries is scheduled to take place during the Greek presidency, and it is hoped that progress will be made on a new fishing agreement with Morocco.

Europe as a common quest

Greece takes over the EU presidency at a particularly busy time, as agreements on a wide range of issues are needed before the end of the current European Parliament in April.

 

Direct elections to Parliament will follow in all EU- 28 countries in May, after which a new Commission will be selected.

 

In recent months Greece has worked closely alongside Lithuania, which held the EU presidency for the second half of 2013. In July 2014 Greece will hand over the presidency baton to Italy, which will welcome the new members of the Parliament and the Commission. Then, at the start of 2015, it will be the turn for Latvia.

 

Quite remarkable and unusual is Greece Presidency’s motto: “Europe is our common quest”. Not only that laypeople do not really grasp the meaning of “quest”, it is somehow evokes a historic reminiscence: i.e. in the medieval time, it was a connotation for an adventurous journey undertaken by a knight in medieval romance.

 

Our magazine wishes the Hellenic Presidency a successful “journey| through a six-month undertaking and, at the same time, remind the Latvian colleagues about more plausible motto.     

Commission’s opinion

At the inauguration ceremony, Commission President H.M. Barroso expressed confidence that Greece’s Presidency would be a success. He added that Greece “has always given such an important contribution to European civilisation – in fact, without Greece there would be no European civilisation as we understand it – is going to use this presidency to show that modern Greece – not only classic Greece, modern Greece – can give also a very important contribution to the European Union”.

 

Reference: European Commission – Speech/14/4 “Statement by President Barroso following the College visit to Athens for the start of the Greek presidency”; 8 January 2014,  

•         http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-4_en.htm 

•         General reference: Greek presidency





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