Competitiveness, migration, reforms, and EU enlargement. The priorities of the Belgian presidency according to De Croo

Brussels – The Belgian presidency presents the EU Council’s priorities for the next six months, but the urgency of the work goes further. “If U.S. elections again lead to ‘America First,’ it will be Europe alone more than ever before, but we must not be afraid of that prospect,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned in his address this morning (January 16) to the plenary session of the EU Parliament, outlining the priorities of the Belgian rotating presidency until June 30. The preparation of the 27 Member States for “a more robust, self-sufficient, and sovereign perspective” is about commitments in the immediate term but with a long-term outlook, even beyond European elections in early June and those in the United States in November.

“2024 will be a crucial year. There is much at stake for Europe and the West,” Premier De Croo said, kicking off the Strasbourg hemicycle, lining up the Union’s working priorities to “achieve results for the lives of citizens, protect the economy, and prepare the common European future.” The economy is one of the biggest challenges for the 27 Member States, considering the risk of becoming “an economic museum” and being squeezed between the United States and China: “The only way to remain innovative, creative, capital-rich, and productive is to open up the markets” of future European competition: “Energy, digital, artificial intelligence, defense, and capital markets.” In anticipation of the report of Italy’s former prime minister Enrico Letta “to give new impetus to the European Single Market,” the goal is already clear: “From Stockholm to Naples, from Dublin to Sofia,” the EU should become “a big capital market,” making it possible “to move from ‘Designed in Europe’ to ‘Made in Europe’ to create economies of scale for young entrepreneurs,” De Croo explained.

In addressing the economic issue, the Belgian presidency will have to give impetus to the work on the industrial plan. Prime Minister De Croo outlined his vision of “an Industrial Deal, in addition to the Green Deal, not only vital for our prosperity, but also crucial to winning the battle against climate change.” Again, the comparison is with the United States and China: “Their fight against climate change includes the carrot and stick approach to investments, while in Europe we too often use only the stick.” Out of the metaphor, this means that “we can not just set climate targets, but we also have to indicate how to achieve them,” coordinating work that on the one hand “focuses strategically on reducing greenhouse gas emissions” and on the other “supports businesses to develop and use clean technologies.” There is no doubt about the Green Deal – “it’s the priority, it can’t be put on hold” – but according to De Croo, it is time to reason on the “execution and sequencing” of  its implementation in order not to lose the support of society: “We need to make green investments accessible to everyone, not just the lucky few.”

The ambitions of the European Union go not only through the economy but also through positioning on the global stage. In this sense, for the Belgian presidency, it is crucial that the EU “assumes its responsibilities to its neighbors,” namely, the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, which are on the path to EU membership. Enlargement and internal reforms go hand in hand considering that the EU may soon comprise 27 to 30 members, or more (up to 37): “As candidate countries prepare for membership, we cannot stand idly by,” De Croo said, confirming the work on a “road map” for treaty reform. “We intend to make our mark” in areas such as the financing of the Union, future political priorities at the European level, strengthening democracy, and better integration of the rule of law in the Union “to ensure that the Copenhagen criteria are not just conditions for accession to the Union, but a permanent obligation.” This is why PM De Croo promised that candidate countries will be involved in ‘rule of law dialogues,’ “the sooner, the better.”

Finally, the last critical priority for the Belgian presidency of the EU Council, which in these early months of 2024 must be finalized based on agreement negotiated with the European Parliament by the Spanish presidency at the end of last year: “They have succeeded in bringing together the very different views of the member states around a common goal, to take a major step forward in the field of asylum and migration,” De Croo’s said about the work on the Migration and Asylum Pact. The system based on “solidarity and a fairer distribution of efforts among member states” will require Brussels to finalize the technical work with a parallel political commitment to “support ongoing efforts to strengthen the external dimension.” The Belgian premier recalled that migration “is as old as humanity itself. It is part of our history, and will be part of our future, whether we want it or not,” but this does not exclude the responsibility of the 27 Member States in making it “manageable, controllable, and humane, for all involved” through a “more coordinated and integrated” European foreign policy with “broad partnerships with third countries.”