France Takes Over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
From 1 January to 30 June 2022, France is holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union with an ambitious agenda, spanning from digital policy, to climate, taxation, and industrial policy.
Discover how France is integrating sustainability into its 6-month mandate.
The French presidency of the Council of the European Union kicked off on 1 January and is set to last until 30 June 2022. Under the motto “recovery, strength and a sense of belonging”, France outlined the following three priorities:
Pursuing a more sovereign Europe.
Building a new European growth model.
Creating a more “human-sized” Europe.
But how is sustainability integrated within the many policy files that France is hoping to push through?
Climate
Implementation of the Fit for 55 Package and support for a carbon border tax for high-carbon imports like steel, iron, and power, in an effort to prevent EU industry from delocalizing abroad.
Measures to prevent goods from supply chains associated with deforestation and forest degradation from being imported into the EU.
More tangible actions on the energy sector, with a review of the gas package and a proposal for a regulation on methane emissions.
Circular economy and finance
Acceleration of European initiatives such as the Batteries Regulation, the Sustainable Products Initiative, the Sustainable Textiles Strategy, as well as the EU chemical strategy, with measures to address organic pollutants.
Implementation of the proposed legislation on the EU minimum global corporate tax rate and the digital tax plan to tax corporations in the countries where they sell their services.
Prioritisation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the EU Green Bond Standards.
Boosting funds in support of industries relevant for Europe’s strategic independence like microchips, hydrogen, and batteries.
Digital
Set up an EU regulatory framework for the digital economy with the Digital Services Act and the Digital Market Act.
Strengthen cybersecurity and review the Network and Information System Security Directive.
Creation of a European digital identity.
Society and external partnerships
Promotion of a European minimum wage to make sure that all workers benefit from decent living conditions
Legislatives initiatives to ensure women’s empowerment, gender balance in the workplace and equal remuneration for the same work or value of work in line with the EU Gender Equality Strategy.
Initiatives on education to promote sustainable development and international cooperation[DD1]
Reform of the Schengen Area to better deal with migration.
Focus on the African continent – see the planned EU-Africa Summit taking place on 17-18 February - and establishment of a forward-looking alliance.
The presidency of the European body rotates among the EU Member States, and it works in groups of three, called “trios”, to ensure the achievement of a common agenda of goals and strategies in the 18 months at disposal. The current trio is composed of France, Czechia, and Sweden.
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