Slovakia has taken over the baton of the Presidency of the Council of the EU

July 1 Slovakia took over the baton of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, one of the most important EU institutions.

On Thursday June 30 the Commissioners headed by Jean-Claude Juncker arrived in Bratislava. At the same day the Slovak Government adopted a six-month Program of the Slovak Presidency.

Later a working meeting between ministers and Commissioners took place, as well as bilateral negotiations between the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. Three main topics were covered: migration issue, a summit in Bratislava on September 16, and Brexit.

After the meeting Jean-Claude Juncker specified that everything was ready for the Slovak Presidency. Robert Fico and Jean-Claude Juncker discussed the Program of the Slovak Presidency. It will rely on four principles:

• an economically strong Europe;

• a modern single market;

• sustainable migration and asylum policies,

• and a globally engaged Europe.

The schedule of negotiations continued with a plenary session between the National Council of the Slovak Republic delegation and the European Commission delegation. Jean-Claude Juncker also met the Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Andrej Danko. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk will attend a gala concert in honor of the beginning of the Slovak Presidency.

The President of the Solvak Republik, Andrej Kiska, commented on the beginning of the Slovak Presidency: «Neither our grandparents.., nor our parents, who lived behind the Iron Curtain for most of their lives, could have imagined something like this.»

Source:

http://www.eu2016.sk/en/press-releases/slovakia-has-taken-over-the-baton-of-the-presidency-of-the-council-of-the-eu