On 1 July, Germany will take over Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Along with Portugal and Slovenia, it will form a trio which will head the Council over the next 18 months. The three countries have identified common issues and priorities they wish to address over this period. The German Cabinet has now approved the draft programme.
1 min reading time
Europe is to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic stronger, more equitable and more sustainable than it was before – that is the overarching goal of the trio, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia for the Council of the European Union.
On 1 July, Germany will take over the rotating six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This also marks the start of the next trio, comprising Germany, Portugal and Slovenia: Portugal will take over from Germany in January 2021, followed six months later by Slovenia. The three states will work together closely in a group of three, known as a trio.
The programme responds to the key challenges facing the EU during the trio presidency. Specifically, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia see the following priorities for action:
The General Affairs Council is expected to accept the final version of the programme on 16 June 2020. The programme applies for the entire duration of the trio, from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2021.