Belgium assumed the rotating presidency of the EU Council on January 1, 2024, from Spain. As part of the 12th Trio Presidency, which also includes Hungary, Belgium will hold the presidency for the first half of 2024, before handing it over to Hungary on July 1, 2024. Belgium, one of the founding members of the EU, has chosen the motto "Protect, Strengthen, Prepare" for its 13th presidency. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced the following key priorities for the presidency:

Protect: Defend the EU's citizens, borders, democratic values, the rule of law, and unity, including supporting Ukraine.

Strengthen: Increase the EU's competitiveness on the global stage, protect European unity and solidarity in the face of internal and external challenges and opportunities, and approach sustainable development and environmental policies with a forward-looking vision.

Prepare: Prepare for the EU's future enlargements, the challenges and opportunities it will face, and the need for reform within the Union to ensure its future functioning.

In short, Belgium's presidency vision can be described as a Union that is comprehensive, focused on protecting people and the EU's achievements, strengthening its economy, structure, and capabilities, and proactively preparing for future challenges. The slogan and six priorities of the presidency, as announced by the Belgian Prime Minister, also reflect a commitment to a secure, strong, and more resilient Europe in a complex and rapidly changing global political landscape.

Belgium, whose past presidencies have witnessed important turning points in European history, was the first country to assume the presidency of the new Council when the European Economic Community (EEC) was established in 1958. In 1961, the Belgian Presidency coincided with the dark atmosphere of the Cold War, which divided Europe with the construction of the Berlin Wall. In 1968, when the six member states of the EEC ended customs restrictions among themselves, Belgium was also president. In 1987, the Erasmus student exchange program was launched during Belgium's presidency. It has been an important instrument for promoting mutual understanding and cooperation among Europe's young people. In September 2001, the Belgian Presidency continued in the shadow of the terrorist attacks that shook the world.

12th Trio Presidency

The Trio Presidency system was adopted by the 2009 Lisbon Treaty and has been in place since 2010. Belgium will hold the presidency together with Spain and Hungary as part of the 12th Trio Presidency, which will last for 18 months. The Trio Presidency Program, announced in June 2023, highlights the importance of strengthening EU solidarity and EU resilience in a geopolitical environment of heightened global uncertainty following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The priorities of the Trio Presidency include strengthening the EU's industrial infrastructure and fostering innovation, including by accelerating the green and digital transformation to strengthen the EU's strategic autonomy; pursuing the green and digital transformation in an inclusive and equitable manner and effectively protecting EU interests through progress in international partnerships, multilateral cooperation and security.

Priorities of the Belgian Presidency

 1-Defending the Rule of Law, Democracy and Unity

The European Union is founded on fundamental rights, the rule of law and democratic values. These values are the basis for unity, the protection of individual freedoms, equality and non-discrimination and the well-being of citizens. Throughout the work of the Belgian Presidency, the defense of democratic principles, the rule of law and fundamental rights will be fundamental.

The Presidency will focus on citizen empowerment and inclusion, with a particular emphasis on youth participation. It will work on the European education area, quality of education, lifelong learning, mobility and sport. It aims to strengthen democratic values by strengthening media freedom and pluralism, promoting the digital transformation of the cultural and creative sectors and deepening the links between culture, heritage and European identity. In this context, Belgium aims to ensure the possibility to respond effectively to diverse needs and challenges, respecting the principles of cooperation, subsidiarity and proportionality at different levels of governance.

Belgium considers that the enlargement of the EU will make the Union stronger. The Presidency is therefore committed to supporting candidate countries in their efforts to join the Union. At the same time, it attaches critical importance to preparing the Union's policies, resources and decision-making structures with a view to future new member states.

2-Increase Competitiveness

Considering changing geopolitical realities and the rapid development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the EU must prioritize long-term competitiveness and industrial policies. The EU provides a fair playing field for businesses, in particular SMEs, and enables them to compete fairly both in Europe and on the global stage. A coherent, predictable and simplified regulatory framework is key. The EU must play a leading role in creating a sustainable, innovative and resilient digital ecosystem that empowers citizens and benefits businesses.

The Belgian Presidency will work to strengthen the EU's internal market and industrial future and continue the work to complete the capital markets union and the energy union. To this end, Belgium will pay attention to enhancing economic security, reducing dependencies and promoting technological leadership in critical sectors.

By increasing the role of research, development and innovation, the Presidency aims to be a pioneer in the development and commercialization of tailor-made solutions that increase the resilience and competitiveness of the EU's key value chains. It will work for a labor market shaped for the future, increasing employment and stimulating growth. It will emphasize the importance of both public and private investments. It will also stress the importance of cohesion policy as a long-term investment tool, a catalyst for transformation and convergence, and a cement for the EU. It will pay special attention to its autonomy in food production. The Presidency will focus on coherence between the EU's internal and external policies.

3-Pursuing a Green and Just Transition

The EU's ambitious transformation agenda is driven by the urgent need to address the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The Belgian Presidency emphasizes the importance of decisive and holistic action and embraces the principle of leaving no one behind.

It will put the energy and climate transition at the centre of its priorities, continuing the Green Deal. It will seek to develop the Union's circular economy and adaption and preparedness capacities to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change. It will also promote sustainable water management.

Geopolitical and extreme climate events have highlighted the need for an accelerated and inclusive energy transition. This transition should provide citizens and companies with affordable energy, ensure strong and reliable security of supply and contribute to climate neutrality. The EU should harness the potential of energy efficiency across the whole economy and rapidly advance the development of renewable and low-carbon energy sources and carriers. Increased investments to ensure a flexible, integrated European energy network are essential for this purpose.

4-Strengthening the Social and Health Agenda

Building on the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Belgian Presidency aims to equip the EU with an ambitious social agenda to build a more inclusive, gender equitable and fair European society for all. To this end, Belgium aims to strengthen social dialogue at all levels, promote fair labour mobility, mental health at work and access to sustainable social protection. Belgium aims to strengthen the social dimension of the European Semester and promote a framework conducive to the development of the social economy, paying particular attention to the initial implementation of the Social Convergence Framework and the potential of social investments. It will also advocate for increased political action to guarantee access to decent and affordable housing for all.

In addition, it will support the assessment of the EU's crisis preparedness, strengthen the security of medicine supply and develop a strategy to increase the EU's health and care workforce. The Presidency will seek to better address unmet medical needs to improve citizens' access to affordable medicines.

5 - Protecting People and Borders

The Belgian Presidency aims to address all remaining legal dossiers on the new European pact on migration and asylum. The pact will strengthen trust between Member States in a spirit of responsibility and solidarity, bring legal clarity to people arriving in the EU and ensure humane and effective migration management for EU citizens, in line with our values and international law.

Belgium will work to strengthen the external dimension of migration and asylum, in particular by working closely with African partners to develop a mutually beneficial partnership between the two continents, with full respect for international law.

Belgium will pay particular attention to fighting organized crime, preventing terrorism and violent extremism and strengthening the EU's resilience to crises and new and hybrid challenges. In Belgium's view, ensuring the security of EU citizens requires adopting a more integrated Union approach to European security and defence. To this end, the Presidency's focus will be on strengthening the European defence technological and industrial base, including exploring the possibility of developing a European Defence Industrial Strategy.

6-Promoting a Global Europe

 The multilateral system and the rules-based international order are increasingly challenged by geopolitical conflicts and even the resumption of open warfare on the European continent. To adapt to this reality, the Belgian Presidency will resolutely continue its work to strengthen the EU's resilience and autonomy and to defend its interests and values.

To achieve its foreign policy objectives, the EU must fully mobilize its economic, security and defence capabilities as well as its development and humanitarian capacity. This includes an open, sustainable and ambitious trade policy. It requires a strengthened, rules-based multilateral trading system. In line with the 2030 Agenda, the Belgian Presidency will promote the strengthening of health systems to achieve universal health coverage while ensuring equitable access to innovative, resilient, sustainable and high-quality health services and products for all.

The website of the Belgian Presidency is available here.