Forward look: 29 May – 11 June 2023

Overview of the main topics and events at the Council of EU and European Council for the coming fortnight.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 30 May 2023

Agriculture and fisheries ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss the market situation, in particular following the invasion of Ukrainefood safety and food waste aspects of the regulation on packaging and packaging waste, and adverse climate conditions in southern Europe.

General Affairs Council, 30 May 2023

Ministers will start preparations for the June European Council. The Council will also hold hearings as part of the Article 7 procedures regarding Poland and Hungary.

Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport), 1 June 2023

The Council will hold a policy debate on the Commission’s proposal regarding the revised directive on driving licences, take note of a progress report on the directive to facilitate cross-border exchange of information on road safety-related traffic offences, and discuss the state of play of current legislative files in the field of transport.

Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Telecommunications), 2 June 2023

The Council is expected to take note of progress reports on key legislative files for the Union’s digital transformation:

  • the regulation on measures to reduce the cost of deploying gigabit electronic communications networks (gigabit infrastructure act)
  • the regulation laying down measures for a high level of public interoperability across the Union (interoperable Europe act)
  • the regulation on horizontal cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements (cyber resilience act)
  • ministers will also hold a policy debate on the future of the connectivity sector and discuss the state of play on a number of current legislative files in the field of telecommunications

Justice and Home Affairs Council, 8-9 June 2023

At the meeting of ministers of the interior, the presidency will aim to reach an agreement on two key migration files – the asylum and migration management system regulation and the asylum procedure regulation.This would allow to start negotiations with the European Parliament.Both pieces of legislation are part of the pact on migration and asylum which consists of a set of proposals to reform EU migration and asylum rules.

In the justice area, the Council will aim to adopt general approaches on the following draft laws: directive against strategic lawsuits against public participation, directive on combatting violence against women and domestic violence, directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, directive on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for violations of Union restrictive measures and directive on asset recovery and confiscation.