On January 1, 2023, Sweden will take over the presidency of the European Union (EU) from the Czech Republic for six months. The member states that preside over the Union work together in groups of three, called “trios”, for 18 months. The current trio consists of France (January-June 2022), the Czech Republic (July-December 2022) and Sweden (January-June 2023).

Logo and priorities of the Swedish presidency

The priorities of the Swedish presidency reflect the positions that Sweden has traditionally supported in the EU and are also in line with the current geopolitical and economic challenges facing the Union, according to the Swedish government’s website.

Security-unity, sustainability-competitiveness, prosperity (energy transition), democratic values ​​and the rule of law are the themes at the heart of Sweden’s future presidency, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a speech on December 12. , in the Riksdag (Parliament of Sweden), when he presented the program for Sweden’s EU presidency from January 1, 2023.

As for foreign policy, Sweden will pay more attention to the situation in Ukraine and the EU enlargement process. As for the economy, the Swedish presidency will strive for unity in the current difficult crisis situation. As for domestic affairs, the future presidency will focus on migration policy, the fight against organized crime, terrorism and violent extremism. In the area of ​​social policy, employment and health care, Sweden shows that it will focus on reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion due to the recent crises: the pandemic, the energy crisis and rising inflation. In addition, the Swedish Presidency will actively promote the EU’s goals of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, together with increased competitiveness, employment, food production, health and well-being. In this sense, the implementation of the European Environmental Pact will be on the agenda in the first half of 2023, reports the website of the Swedish presidency.

The logo of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU is represented by the formula “sweden2023.eu” written in yellow and white letters on a blue background. Highlighting different parts of the logo conveys more messages. “sweden eu” emphasizes the role of Sweden as the chairman and the country’s contribution to the Union. “we 2023” reflects the fact that Sweden, as chairman, acts in the common interests of the Union, and “we eu” illustrates the community of EU member states and the importance of European construction for its citizens. Also, the combination of the letters “n” and “u” in the logo symbolizes solidarity between the member states. The yellow dot in the logo symbolizes determination and is a reference point for the common path forward of the member states. The chosen colors, common to Sweden and the EU, are yellow and blue.

Previously, Sweden presided over the Union twice: in 2001 and 2009. The agenda for the 2001 presidency focused on enlargement, employment and the environment. In 2009, the most important issues on the agenda were the financial and economic crisis, climate change and the implementation of the new Lisbon Agreement.

The priority topics of the current trio formed by France-Czech Republic-Sweden, according to the website https://data.consilium.europa.eu/, are:

* protection of citizens and their freedoms, with an emphasis on respect and protection of European values ​​- democracy, rule of law, equality between women and men, etc. – as well as regarding the consolidation of the Schengen zone and the European policy on asylum and migration;

* promoting a new European growth and investment model based on ecological and sustainable growth and European industrial and digital sovereignty;

* building a more ecologically clean Europe, fairer from a social point of view and more protected from the point of view of the health of European citizens;

* global Europe, a world player that promotes multilateralism and the restoration of relations with its partners, in parallel with the sharing of a common vision of the 27 member states regarding strategic threats.

The next three presidents of the Council of the European Union will be formed by Spain (July-December 2023), Belgium (January-June 2024) and Hungary (July-December 2024).

The presidency of the Council of the European Union is ensured by rotation, every six months, between the EU member states, during this period the member state ensures the continuity of the EU agenda in the Council and leads the meetings of this formation.

The system of leadership rotation was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The trio sets long-term goals and prepares a joint agenda, identifying the main themes and issues that the Council will consider over the course of 18 months. Based on this program, each of the three countries is preparing its own program, calculated in more detail for six months, the website www.consilium.europa.eu reports.

The Presidency has two main missions: planning and leading meetings within the Council and its preparatory groups, as well as representing the Council in relations with other EU institutions.

Regarding the planning and management of meetings, the chairperson manages the official meetings of the various Council formations (except the Foreign Affairs Council), ensures that discussions are conducted in accordance with the Council’s Rules of Procedure and working methods, and organizes and informal meetings in Brussels and in the host country rotating chairmanship.

In terms of its representative role, the EU Presidency represents the Council in relations with other EU institutions, especially the Commission and the European Parliament. Its role is to try to reach agreement on legislative files through so-called trilogues or through informal negotiations and through Conciliation Committee meetings.

From a statistical point of view, the legislation considered during the Presidency depends on the initiatives of the EU Strategic Agenda. Also, about 500-700 legislative proposals are discussed every six months, writes the website www.gov.si.

(source: Agerpres / photo source: Anna Guryev, Dreamstime.com)