The 12th Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU has published a 38-page preliminary report on the achievements of the Luxembourg Presidency entitled "A Union for the citizens".
The work of the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU Council was organised around 7 key priorities:
1. Stimulating investment to boost growth and employment;
2. Deepening the European Union’s social dimension;
3. Managing migration, combining freedom, justice and security;
4. Revitalising the Single Market by focusing on the digital dimension;
5. Placing European competitiveness in a global and transparent framework;
6. Promoting sustainable development;
7. Strengthening the European Union’s presence on the global stage.
The Luxembourg Presidency opted for an open approach by being responsive to citizens, supporting businesses and collaborating with partners and institutions in order to act in the European interest. The Presidency has allowed the Grand Duchy to put some of its essential qualities at the service of the EU: the aptitude to build bridges, the ability to reconcile a variety of different positions and traditions in its role as an honest broker, and the willingness to seek compromise. Over the past six months, Luxembourg has worked, in keeping with its traditions and convictions, to put the European citizen at the heart of the EU’s initiatives and to ensure that all EU policies truly benefit its citizens. Luxembourg has sought to implement its key values – reliability, dynamism and openness – in the context of the Presidency and at the service of the EU.
The 12th Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU took place in a particularly difficult context, as the Union saw itself confronted with unprecedented challenges. Especially the spiralling migration crisis and the atrocious terrorist attacks that struck Paris on 13 November have had a significant impact on the work of the Presidency, requiring a responsive and determined approach at the European level.
Since the beginning of summer, the EU has faced unprecedented migratory pressures. Even though the issue of migration had already been identified as a priority by the Luxembourg Presidency, the events that followed and the sheer scale of the migration flows, demanded exceptional efforts to manage this crisis. In this context, the Luxembourg Presidency called for a comprehensive and horizontal approach, working on emergency measures as well as on the root causes of the phenomenon of migration.
The terrorist attacks in Paris propelled the EU’s security concerns to the forefront of the European agenda, by illustrating once again the geopolitical instability in several regions adjacent to the European continent.
These events, combined with the constant threat of foreign terrorist fighters, called for a strong and united response from the EU in the fight against terrorism. Hence, the Luxembourg Presidency identified clearly defined priority actions that include: the strengthening of external borders, improving the exchange of information, the systematic
use of databases, combatting radicalisation and fostering cooperation with third countries.
In spite of these tragic events and their unprecedented scale, Luxembourg has sought to gain traction on different EU policy areas and to rigorously pursue the implementation of the EU work programme.
The Luxembourg Presidency put a particular focus on improving Regulation. After three months of intense negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Commission, a political agreement was reached on a proposal for an Interinstitutional Agreement (IIA) on Better Law-making. Once approved, this agreement will formalise the modalities for an improved interinstitutional cooperation for the coming years and will ensure a level of high quality legislation within the framework of a transparent and efficient egislative process. The Presidency also deepened the interinstitutional dialogue in view of elaborating the annual programme of the Commission for 2016.
The report stated that in each of these areas, the Presidency made tangible progress, further contributing to the fresh momentum given to the European integration process since the last year.
