On Monday, July 1, we marked two very important and historical events in the life of the European Union.   Lithuania started its first ever Presidency of the Council of the EU since membership, and Croatia officially became a new Member of the EU, thus expanding the community to 28 Member States.  In this respect, congratulations are in order.  I wish to congratulate Lithuania on assuming the Presidency of the EU and wish them every success.  I also wish to extend sincere congratulations to Croatia on its accession to the EU.

Lithuania has set itself three specific goals which it plans to achieve during its semester.  At the end of its Presidency, Lithuania wants to see a (1) credible (2) growing and (3) open Europe.

It intends to do this by directing its efforts towards strengthening the ground for financial stability, continuing the work which has already started towards establishing the banking union and implementing new agreed rules on economic governance.

It plans to direct its efforts also towards further integration of the single market, including energy, focussing on the digital agenda and on measures for better employment opportunities, in particular for youth.  These initiatives are meant to make the European economic and social model more solid. 

Other objectives include the promotion of closer integration of the EU and its Eastern Partners, the continuation of the enlargement policy, free trade with strategic partners and effective management of the EU external borders.

We cannot but agree with Lithuania’s goals and objectives.  These are issues which Lithuania has decided to put on the agenda together with its Trio partners namely Ireland, which has just come to the end of its Presidency, and Greece which will take over in the New Year.  Lithuania will provide continuity in between the Irish and Greek Presidencies by sharing common political programmes.

This is ground which we will have to cover when we take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in January 2017.  In our case we will coordinate our Presidency with our Trio partners namely the Netherlands and Slovakia.  Since I was assigned responsibility for the EU Presidency 2017 I have started to monitor closely those EU Member States in the driving seat.  I have also visited Ireland to obtain first-hand experience in particular about the logistical aspect of hosting the Presidency so we will ensure that we can bank on best practice.

In terms of achieving its first goal, that of having a credible Europe, the Lithuanian Presidency intends to direct its efforts towards making progress for sounder public finances in the EU and to strengthen the ground for financial stability.  This will restore the EU’s economic credibility.  It also plans to focus on the implementation and enhancement of agreed reforms including economic governance. 

We have yet to see the impact that these new economic governance initiatives will have on the credibility of the EU.  The creation of additional structures or frameworks could further complicate the decision making process and ultimately the effectiveness of the EU. 

In terms of credibility and the Multiannual Financial Framework, which has just been agreed, the EU Institutions should now focus on sectoral legislation to ensure that European citizens and the business community start benefitting from the funds as of January, 2014.

For Lithuania a growing Europe means that several Member States should now focus on  national challenges, including on the Excessive Deficit Procedure.  It is important that like last year, a lessons learned exercise is carried out. Both the Presidency and the Commission undertook efforts to improve the process. In this regard the calls made for the European Semester process to be improved by ensuring that the Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) are not overly prescriptive should be supported. Member States’ constructive engagement is essential in order to ensure ownership.

Malta attaches great importance to the completion of Single Market and it therefore welcomes initiatives which are geared to stimulate economic growth and enhance competition such as the implementation of the Services Directive and having a fully functioning digital market by 2015. Malta also gives importance to other types of growth enhancing measures which aim at ensuring an improved environment for SMEs to thrive including the key recommendations on limiting administrative burdens and simplifying regulations for SMEs. 

In terms of open Europe we welcome the Lithuanian Presidency’s intention to strengthen the EU as a global model of openness and security. The promotion of free trade with strategic partners is particularly welcome.

Illegal immigration and asylum matters continue to be issues of great concern for Malta[i] and it is therefore essential to ensure that solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility are given due attention. The numbers may seem small in absolute terms but it is always important to bear in mind Malta’s geographic and demographic characteristics[ii] in order to understand the extent of the pressure Malta faces

Holding the Presidency of the EU is a real opportunity for the country concerned to demonstrate that it can steer the development of EU legislation on par with any other EU Member State. It is also an occasion for the Member State to strengthen its position in the EU, present its achievements, for its citizens to learn more about the EU processes, and to act like true citizens of Europe. This is the challenge facing Lithuania. It is also the same test that Malta will face in 2017.

 

Dr. Ian Borg is the Parliamentary Secretary for EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds