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In light of the gradual relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions both in Belgium and Luxembourg, a limited number of journalists will be allowed to attend physically the following Council meetings taking place at the European Convention Centre Luxembourg (ECCL), in accordance with the physical space available, the capacity of press venues and current social distancing rules:
The following mandatory steps are required, within the respective deadlines:
Access to ECCL cannot be granted if you do not complete the two steps above, by the following deadlines:
Should the number of requests exceed the number of available places to guarantee the respect of social distancing, a selection will be made on a first-come first-served basis using the date/time of the registration form submission. Should this happen, those media representatives that could not be admitted will be informed by e-mail.
To help us grant access to as many media representatives as possible, please inform the press centre immediately should you decide not to attend in person, via mail to [email protected].
Presidency/HRVP press conferences will remain accessible also in video conference (Zoom). Information to connect will be shared though the usual channels: instant messaging (Signal) or e-mail (for new registered users).
Council Press Centre
The Council today adopted a recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee. The aim of the recommendation is to prevent and combat social exclusion of children in need by guaranteeing access to a set of key services, thereby also helping to uphold the rights of the child by combating child poverty and fostering equal opportunities.
In particular, it is recommended that member states guarantee effective and free access to early childhood education and care, education and school-based activities, at least one healthy meal each school day and healthcare, as well as effective access to healthy nutrition and adequate housing.
Our children are our future. The European Pillar of Social Rights action plan has set an ambitious target of reducing by five million by 2030 the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and this was reinforced at the Porto Social Summit. The European Child Guarantee is a major step forward towards this goal. We need concerted action to make sure we tackle disadvantage and exclusion during our children’s early years, to guarantee a brighter future for their adult life.
Ana Mendes Godinho, Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security of Portugal
Nearly 18 million children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU and the COVID-19 crisis is expected to exacerbate existing inequalities.
The recommendation sets out a number of proposed measures for member states, such as:
The European Child Guarantee is the first EU-level policy instrument which aims to address disadvantage and exclusion in childhood, which often lead to disadvantage in adult life. The Child Guarantee puts into practice Principle 11 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, on childcare and support for children. The Pillar is the EU’s strategy to build a fair and inclusive social Europe.
The recommendation stipulates that member states should nominate a national Child Guarantee coordinator to coordinate and submit to the Commission, within nine months of the adoption of the recommendation, an action plan covering the period until 2030. Member states should report to the Commission on the progress in implementing this recommendation every two years.
The European Commission is tasked with reviewing the progress made and reporting to the Council five years after the adoption of the regulation.
The EU is increasing the scope of its funding for measures in the fields of asylum and migration, integrated border management and internal security, so as to address growing challenges in these policy areas.
The Council today adopted three sectoral proposals for the funding of home affairs policies, under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF). The texts now need to be adopted by the European Parliament.
Developing a common migration policy and improving the security of our citizens within the Schengen area require the funds to match our ambitions. In the past years we have adopted legislation to reinforce Frontex, as well as to improve the databases used to control borders and fight crime. The texts adopted today will allow us to bring these important agreements out of the paper and into reality.
Eduardo Cabrita, Portuguese Minister for Home Affairs
This fund will equip the EU with the necessary tools to respond to evolving migration challenges, both within the EU and in cooperation with third countries. It sets four specific objectives: asylum policy, legal migration and integration, irregular migration and returns, and solidarity and responsibility sharing between member states. Minimum percentages of the fund are linked to some of the objectives, with a minimum of 15% allocated to each of the objectives on asylum and on legal migration in the member states’ programmes, and 20% allocated to the solidarity objective in the thematic facility. 5% of the thematic facility will target local and regional authorities to assist them in the integration of third country nationals.
Under the solidarity objective, the fund will increase incentives for transfers of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection between member states. Incentives for the admission of persons through resettlement and humanitarian admission will also continue.
The asylum, migration and integration fund also covers actions in third countries or in relation to them, while acknowledging the role of other EU funds intended to address external action.
The agreed text reflects recent developments such as the expansion of the European Border and Coast Guard, the modernisation of the common visa policy and the development and interoperability of large-scale IT systems (including the European travel information and authorisation system and the entry/exit system).
Under the new instrument, a minimum of 10% of the member states’ programmes will be allocated to the visa policy, while the maximum percentage for operating support in the programmes has been increased to 33% of the funding. The co-financing rates for priority actions, such as measures to improve the interoperability of IT systems, have been increased.
The new provisions also enhance simplification, flexibility, cost-effectiveness and cooperation and coordination between national authorities. The assets purchased with a financial contribution from this instrument will also be used in other areas, including in customs and maritime operations or to achieve the objectives of the other two home affairs funds.
The fund builds on the current one and adapts it to new developments, such as the need to intensify the fight against terrorism and radicalisation, serious and organised crime and cybercrime. It will support measures to improve the exchange of information, to intensify cross-border cooperation, including joint operations on terrorism and organised crime, and to strengthen capabilities to prevent and combat crime.
Funding for the purchase of equipment has been increased in the member states’ programmes to a maximum of 35%, while that for operating support has been raised to a maximum of 20%. Decentralised agencies will exceptionally be eligible for funding when they assist in the implementation of EU actions which fall within their competence and are not covered by the EU contribution to their budget made through the annual EU budget.
On 13 June 2018, as part of the next MFF package, the Commission issued three sectoral proposals in the area of home affairs. Drawing from lessons learned, and taking into account new policy developments, the Commission proposed a significant reinforcement of the EU budget in the areas of migration, borders and security.
The Council today approved conclusions affirming the EU’s commitment to engaging in policy dialogue and international partnerships with middle-income countries, in line with the new European Consensus on Development. Further engagement with middle-income countries should be done through the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI – Global Europe).
The conclusions emphasise the role of middle-income countries as key partners in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and of the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The Council also recognises the strategic importance of these countries in the current geopolitical context, and their role in supporting the EU in promoting its interests and priorities, as well as its multilateral agenda.
The Council calls on the EU to address the specific challenges faced by middle-income countries while taking into account their diverse character and wide geographic scope. This should be done in the context of partnerships tailored to country-specific situations and regional dynamics, where a Team Europe approach should be used to engage with actors from the private sector and civil society representatives, in order to ensure ownership and alignment.
The Council notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on developing countries, eroding developing gains and negatively affecting human development. More should be done to prevent further setbacks and promote a sustainable and inclusive recovery in line with a ‘build back better and greener‘ approach.
At the same time, the EU should support a transition to newer, more sustainable forms of development financing and cooperation for least developed countries (LDCs) whose income is rising to lower-middle income.
