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PRESS
Council of the European Union
EN
BACKGROUND 1
Brussels, 13 December 2021
General Affairs Council
Brussels, 14 December 2021
Chair: Gašper Dovžan, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia
The meeting will start at 9.30.
A press conference will be held at the end of the meeting at around 16.30.
Ministers will aim to approve conclusions on enlargement and the stabilisation and association
process.
They will prepare the European Council on 16 December 2021.
The presidency will provide information about the Conference on the Future of Europe.
The state of play on the Article 7(1) TEU reasoned proposal regarding the rule of law in Poland and
on the Article 7(1) TEU reasoned proposal regarding the values of the Union in Hungary are also
on the agenda.
The Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights will present the report ‘Antisemitism:
overview of antisemitic incidents recorded in the European Union 2010-2020’.
The presidency and the incoming presidency will present the European Semester 2022 roadmap.
Ministers will approve the Joint Declaration on the EU legislative priorities for 2022.
They will also endorse the eighteen-month programme of the Council (1 January 2022 - 30 June
2023).
* * *
General Affairs Council, 14 December – meeting page
Press conferences and public events by video streaming
Video coverage in broadcast quality (MPEG4) and photo gallery
* * *
1
This note has been drawn up under the responsibility of the press office.
Press office - General Secretariat of the Council
Rue de la Loi 175 - B-1048 BRUSSELS - Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319
press@consilium.europa.eu - www.consilium.europa.eu/press 1/6PRESS
Council of the European Union
EN
Conclusions on enlargement and the stabilisation and association
processes
Ministers will discuss the Council conclusions on enlargement and the stabilisation and association
processes, with a view to their adoption.
The discussion will take place in the light of the Commission’s annual communication on EU
enlargement policy and the reports on Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, the Republic of North
Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo *.
The Council will take stock of progress made and will discuss the conclusions, which are designed
to assess the situation in each of the candidate and potential candidate countries, set out
guidelines on reform priorities, and reaffirm the Council’s commitment to the Union’s enlargement
policy.
The revised enlargement methodology endorsed by the Council in 2020 puts an even stronger
focus on fundamental reforms in the areas of the rule of law, fundamental rights, economic
development and competitiveness, strengthening of democratic institutions and public
administration reform. A solid track record of reform implementation and concrete and tangible
results in these crucial areas remain essential, with particular regard to the overall pace of the
accession negotiations.
On 6 May, the Council agreed on the application of the revised enlargement methodology to the
accession negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro. This paved the way for the holding of the first
‘political’ Intergovernmental Conferences last June. Two new intergovernmental conferences will
now be held in the margins of the Council with Montenegro (13 December, after the Foreign Affairs
Council) and with Serbia (14 December, prior to the General Affairs Council).
EU enlargement
EU-Western Balkans summit
2021 Enlargement package (European Commission)
Serbia : EU enlargement negotiations
Montenegro : EU enlargement negotiations
European Council on 16 December 2021
The General Affairs Council will exchange views on the draft conclusions in preparation for the
leaders’ meeting on 16 December in Brussels. The European Council will discuss developments
relating to COVID-19, crisis management and resilience, energy prices, security and defence,
migration, and the situation in Belarus and Ukraine.
On COVID-19, they are expected to discuss the current epidemiological situation regarding the
pandemic and the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, including the vaccine situation and
coordination efforts.
*
This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the
ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Press office - General Secretariat of the Council
Rue de la Loi 175 - B-1048 BRUSSELS - Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319
press@consilium.europa.eu - www.consilium.europa.eu/press 2/6EU leaders will also discuss the external dimension of migration.
The European Council will provide guidance on the draft Strategic Compass, which aims to provide
a common strategic vision for EU security and defence and was presented on 9 November 2021.
The following issues will also be on the agenda: crisis management and resilience, following the
conclusions adopted by the General Affairs Council on 23 November 2021; the development in
energy prices in the light of the preliminary reports prepared by the Agency for the Cooperation of
Energy Regulators (ACER) and the European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA).
Leaders are expected to discuss the situation at the EU’s border with Belarus and at Russia's
border with Ukraine, and to take stock of the preparations for the EU-African Union Summit on 17-
18 February 2022.
European Council, 16 December 2021
Conference on the Future of Europe
The presidency will inform ministers of the state of play as regards the Conference on the Future of
Europe.
The European citizens’ panels have continued to meet and a Conference plenary took place in
October, with the full citizen component participating for the first time.
The deteriorating epidemiological situation has more recently forced the postponement of the final
session of panel 1, scheduled to take place in Dublin in early December, and of the December
plenary session. The final session of panel 2 in Florence (covering ‘European democracy’ and
‘values, rights, rule of law, security’) went ahead in hybrid mode.
The Conference on the Future of Europe is aimed at involving citizens in a wide-ranging debate on
Europe’s future over the coming decade and beyond, including in the light of the COVID-19
pandemic.
On 10 March 2021, the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission signed a joint
declaration that sets out the objectives, structure, scope and timing of the Conference. The
Conference was formally inaugurated on 9 May 2021 in Strasbourg, following the launch of its
digital platform on 19 April 2021. A number of ideas and events have already been posted on the
platform.
Conference on the Future of Europe
Rule of law in Poland
Ministers will review the state of play regarding the rule of law in Poland, as part of the Article 7(1)
TEU procedure.
Significant developments have occurred since the latest hearing of Poland at the General Affairs
Council last June. The Commission will provide ministers with an update and Poland will have the
opportunity to present its remarks.
The Article 7(1) TEU procedure was triggered for Poland on 20 December 2017 when the
Commission published its reasoned proposal on the rule of law in Poland. The reasoned proposal
contains a detailed explanatory memorandum and a proposal for a Council decision which:
- determines that there is a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law by Poland
- sets out recommendations with a three-month deadline for Poland to bring its judicial
reform into line with rule of law standards by:
3/6• restoring the independence of the Constitutional Tribunal,
• publishing and implementing specific judgments of the Constitutional Tribunal,
• amending four laws: on the National Council of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court, the
National School of the Judiciary, and ordinary courts – so as to restore the
independence of the judiciary,
• ensuring that any justice reform is prepared in close cooperation with the judiciary and
all interested parties, including the Venice Commission, and
• refraining from further undermining the judiciary
Four hearings of Poland have taken place so far under the Article 7(1) TEU procedure (on 26 June
2018, 18 September 2018, 11 December 2018 and 22 June 2021). Several updates on the state of
play were also discussed in the course of 2019 and 2020.
Reasoned proposal (1607/17) triggering the procedure of Article 7(1) TEU for Poland
Respect for EU values in Hungary
The Council will also take stock of the situation regarding respect for EU values in Hungary, as part
of the Article 7(1) TEU procedure.
Significant developments have occurred in the case of Hungary since the latest hearing at the
General Affairs Council last June. The Commission will provide ministers with an update and
Hungary will have the opportunity to present its remarks.
The procedure concerning Hungary was triggered on 12 September 2018 when the European
Parliament’s plenary session adopted a resolution with a reasoned proposal asking the Council to
determine whether there was a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values referred to
in Article 2 TEU. In its proposal, the Parliament described a number of issues that, in its view,
justified the triggering of the Article 7 procedure:
(1) the functioning of the constitutional and electoral system
(2) the independence of the judiciary and of other institutions and the rights of judges
(3) corruption and conflicts of interest
(4) privacy and data protection
(5) freedom of expression
(6) academic freedom
(7) freedom of religion
(8) freedom of association
(9) the right to equal treatment
(10) the rights of persons belonging to minorities, including Roma and Jews, and protection
against hateful statements against such minorities
(11) the fundamental rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and
(12) economic and social rights
Three hearings of Hungary have taken place so far under the Article 7(1) TEU procedure (on16
September 2019, 10 December 2019 and 22 June 2021).
Reasoned proposal under Article 7(1) TEU regarding Hungary
4/6Report on antisemitism
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights will present the report ‘Antisemitism: overview of
antisemitic incidents recorded in the European Union 2010-2020’, issued on 9 November.
Report overview of antisemitic incidents recorded in the European Union
European Semester 2022
The Slovenian presidency and the incoming French presidency will present the Roadmap of the
European Semester 2022, following the publication on 24 November 2021 of the autumn package
by the Commission.
The central document of this package is the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey (ASGS), which
has again been published this year together with the remaining package: the Proposal for a Joint
Employment Report, the Recommendation on the euro area, the Alert Mechanism Report, and the
opinion on draft budgetary plans for euro area member states.
The objective of the Roadmap is to ensure that all relevant Council configurations and their
preparatory bodies work in a coordinated and consistent manner on preparation of the European
Council.
The Roadmap is divided into two phases: the first, in more detail, covers the period up to the
March European Council, and the second covers the period between the European Council
meetings in March and June 2022.
The European Semester provides a framework for the coordination of economic policies across the
European Union. It allows EU countries to discuss their economic and budget plans and monitor
progress at specific times throughout the year.
European Semester 2022 (Roadmap)
Legislative priorities for 2022
Ministers will aim to approve the Joint Declaration on the EU legislative priorities for 2022 during a
public session.
Following the approval of the Joint Declaration by the Council, the presidents of the three
institutions will sign it in the margins of the December European Council.
In 2016, the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission agreed to reinforce the
Union’s annual and multiannual programming through the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better
Law-Making.
According to this agreement, the Commission should engage in a dialogue with the Council and
the Parliament, both before and after the adoption of its annual work programme.
The key new initiatives for 2022 were set out in the Commission’s letter of intent of 15 September
2021, which was itself based on the Commission’s annual strategic foresight report of 8 September
2021.
At the General Affairs Council meeting on 21 September 2021, further to the presentation made by
the Commission of its letter of intent and strategic report, ministers held an exchange of views with
European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič.
Legislative Programming: Joint Declaration on the EU legislative priorities for 2022
5/6On 6 October 2021, the presidency sent a letter to the President of the Commission summarising
the debate under seven headings: the single market, the economy and taxation; the green and
digital transitions; health and social policy; justice and home affairs; democracy and the rule of law;
the role of the EU in the world; and security, defence and external borders.
The Commission presented its work programme for 2022 to the Council at the General Affairs
Council in November 2021. This input, together with the discussion held with ministers in
September 2021, contributed to the development of the joint declaration on legislative priorities for
2022.
Strategic foresight report (European Commission)
Letter of intent with regard to the preparation of the Commission Work Programme 2022
Commission Work Programme 2022
Council work programme
Ministers will also endorse the eighteen-month programme of the Council (1 January 2022 - 30
June 2023).
France will hold the rotating presidency of the Council from January to June 2022, the Czech
Republic from July to December 2022 and Sweden from January to June 2023.
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