SOFIA (Bulgaria), June 23 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria, Estonia and Austria, the countries which will hold the following three presidencies of the Council of the EU, have approved the joint programme outlining their presidency trio’s priorities, the government in Sofia said on Friday.
The programme is designed in response to citizens' expectations for more security, employment and a more visible EU presence on the international stage, Bulgaria’s government said in a statement, following a meeting between prime minister Boyko Borissov and his Estonian and Austrian counterparts Jueri Ratas and Christian Kern in Brussels.
The trio’s programme will focus on security and strengthening EU's external borders, economic growth and competitiveness, as well as stabilising neighbouring regions.
Estonia will take the presidency first, on July 1, 2017, followed by Bulgaria on January 1, 2018 and Austria on July 1, 2018.
Security, migration and prevention of radicalization are among the main points in Bulgaria’s programme.
Other priorities during the Bulgarian presidency will be increasing competitiveness of the European economy, as well as cohesion policy, the statement reads.
The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every six months. The member state which holds the presidency chairs all Council meetings.
The “trio presidency”, introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, envisages three member states, which hold the Council presidency one after the other, to set long-term goals and prepare a common agenda determining the topics and major issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18 month period. On the basis of this programme, each of the three countries prepares its own more detailed six-month programme.