German EU Council Presidency
Germany’s Council Presidency
was the year in which Germany co-founded the European Coal and Steel Community – a precursor of the European Union – which was initiated by Robert Schuman.
is the number of inhabitants in Germany, making it the EU’s most populous country.
is the area covered by Germany, making it the EU’s fourth-largest country after France, Spain and Sweden.
Germany’s gross domestic product makes it the EU’s largest economy.
is the number of German MEPs in the European Parliament.
Germany paid 13 billion euros more into the EU than it received from it in the form of grants.
During this period Germany is holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
a German was elected President of the European Commission, namely Ursula von der Leyen.
Together for Europe’s recovery
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What is the Council of the EU and what are the duties of the presidency?
To unite rather than to divide
The role of the EU Council Presidency is to establish a broad and common political foundation for all EU member states. This relates to all areas of European policy, which in turn is based on agreement between all members of the community of states. The Council of the EU coordinates member states’ policies at ministerial level – which is why it is also known as the Council of Ministers. It adopts laws and concludes international agreements on the community’s behalf.
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The main priorities of the Council Presidency in detail
Tackling the pandemic
The most important priority of the Council Presidency is to tackle the corona pandemic. This includes combating the disease Covid-19, overcoming its economic consequences and strengthening structures so as to be able to respond better to such crises in the future.
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Coronavirus in Germany
The future will be digital, too
Digitisation of all areas of our lives is underway. One important job for the German Council Presidency is to drive forward the digital transformation while preserving human and civil rights.
Sustainable future with the Green Deal
The Green Deal is the EU’s growth strategy in response to the existential threat posed by climate change and environmental destruction. The idea is to achieve economic success and a climate-neutral continent in such a way that nobody – nor any region – is left behind. The start of the Green Deal happens to coincide with Germany’s EU Council Presidency.
Human rights for all
The EU’s human rights policy is designed to preserve the basic rights of all EU citizens and to strengthen human rights worldwide. During their trio presidency, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia want to develop permanent and crisis-proof solutions for the issue of migration. The idea is to address the root causes of migration, while at the same time combating human trafficking and illegal migration.
