Europaudvalget 2011-12
EUU Alm.del Bilag 187
Offentligt
Priorities of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European UnionThe Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2012 will strive to conductan open, accessible and professional Presidency dedicated to achieving results within the scope ofresponsibilities of the rotating Presidency of the Council as outlined in the Lisbon Treaty.Denmark will be taking over the Presidency at a time when the EU faces its greatest challenge in its history.By putting forward an agenda focusing on concrete results for Europe, notably in the legislative process incooperation with the European Parliament and Commission, the Danish Presidency will do its utmost toshow that the EU is still capable and ready to take all the decisions needed to move beyond the crisis anddemonstrate the value and necessity of European cooperation.In close cooperation with the European Parliament, the Commission, the President of the European Counciland the High Representative the Danish Presidency will focus on the following main areas in order toachieve this task:1. A responsible EuropeThe economic and financial situation and notably the European sovereign debt crisis will be high on theagenda during the Danish Presidency. The decisions of the European Council of the 9thDecember tostrengthen fiscal discipline and ensure economic stability will be implemented in the coming months. Theaim of these decisions is in line with the goal of the Danish presidency to ensure a more responsibleEurope. Furthermore, the Presidency will focus on implementing the agreements taken at the summits inOctober 2011 as well as the recently agreed reform of economic governance where the Presidency willfocus on implementing the first full European Semester under the new rules. Implementing strongerfinancial regulation will also be important.The negotiations on the future multiannual financial framework for the period beyond 2013 will also be amajor task for the Danish Presidency. Denmark will conduct its Presidency in an efficient manner in order tomove forward the negotiations as far as possible in order to prepare for an agreement by the end of 2012.The view of the Danish Presidency is that the EU budget constitutes an important tool to finance commonpolicies of the European Union with the aim of creating growth, jobs and competiveness. At the same time,the EU-budget should underpin the efforts of overall budgetary consolidation in the EU and its MemberStates.2. A dynamic EuropeA second objective of the Danish Presidency will be to continue the development of the single market inorder to achieve its full growth potential. The single market will celebrate its 20thanniversary in 2012. TheDanish Presidency intends to work to move the twelve key initiatives set out in the Single Market Actforward as far as possible. Special emphasis will be on the directives on public procurement, thestandardisation package, revision of the accounting standards, the venture capital proposal the commonEuropean Patent system and better enforcement of the posting of workers directive. The Danish Presidencyalso intends to work for significant progress towards a digital single market and will strive for concreteresults in the negotiations on for instance the Roaming III regulation while furthering the negotiations onthe e-Signature and PSI directives as far as possible.The Danish Presidency sees efficient trans-European infrastructures as fundamental for the smoothoperation of the single market, for the mobility of persons and goods and for the economic, social andterritorial cohesion of the EU. Therefore the negotiations on the Connecting Europe Facility and therevision of sectoral guidelines will be an important issue to the benefit of well-functioning transport, energy
and ICT networks across the EU. Another area of focus will be the future Framework Programme forResearch and Innovation Horizon 2020 with the aim to strengthen European research and innovation.The Danish Presidency will also work towards opening new trade opportunities for European companies,both through the WTO and through bilateral trade agreements with, among others, Japan, India, Canadaand Tunisia.3. A green EuropeEconomic growth and environmental protection can - and must - go hand in hand. The EU has establisheditself as a global leader on environment, energy and climate, but a continued effort is required to maintainthis head-start. In the context of the current economic difficulties new balanced measures related toenergy, climate and the environment can contribute to much needed growth and employment in Europe.Green growth can be encouraged by integrating such efforts across a range of European policies, includingthe agricultural policy, the cohesion policy, transportation and the single market. In order to contribute tofulfilling Europe’s 20% target of primary energy savings by 2020, the Danish Presidency will put focus on theproposal for a new energy efficiency directive as a follow up to the European Energy Efficiency Plan 2011.Furthermore, the Danish Presidency will work on establishing a long term strategy towards 2050 in the areaof energy and climate, building upon the Energy Road Map and Low Carbon Economy communications.Other important issues include energy infrastructure and the proposal for setting up an informationexchange mechanism with regard to intergovernmental agreements between Member States and thirdcountries in the field of energy, the 7thEnvironmental Action Program and the preparation of the Rio+20UN Conference on Sustainable Development.4. A safe EuropeEuropean cooperation is essential in order to deal with the cross border challenges of a globalized worldand to ensure the safety and interests of the European citizens.The continued implementation of the Stockholm Programme (2010-2014) will be a key task in the area ofjustice and home affairs. In order to better manage migration from third countries, the importance ofwhich has been underlined by recent developments in the Southern Mediterranean and the southern andsouth-eastern external borders, the Danish Presidency will continue the efforts to finalise the CommonEuropean Asylum System (CEAS) before the end of 2012 and thus aim at tangible results on the proposedamendments to the Asylum Procedures Directive, the Reception Conditions Directive, and the revision ofthe Dublin Regulation and the Eurodac Regulation. The Danish Presidency will also endeavour to strengthenthe Schengen system, inter alia through a safeguard clause in the Visa Regulation and the establishment ofthe Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism. The Danish Presidency will also strive to achieveconsiderable progress in the negotiations on the EU PNR Directive and finalise negotiations on theEuropean Investigation Order.As new global powers are emerging there is a strong need for a stronger common European role on theglobal scene. With the establishment of the position as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and SecurityPolicy and a Common European External Action service, the Lisbon Treaty has provided the EU with avaluable new basis for achieving increased global influence. The Danish Presidency intends to support theHigh Representative and the EEAS in fulfilling the ambitions of the Lisbon treaty. With respect toenlargement the Danish Presidency will continue a policy based on own merits as basis for progress in thenegotiations. The European Neighbourhood Policy is an important tool to ensure good and lasting relationsto the EU’s neighbouring countries in the new more merit-based approach. Also towards the strategicpartners, the Danish Presidency will seek to support a more joint European approach, based on commonvalues and increased trade relations.