Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The presidency of the Council rotates among the European Union (EU) Member States every six months. During this six-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council.
Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021
Slovenia holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2021. During its Presidency, Slovenia will actively seek to strengthen the EU's capacity to cope with health, economic, energy, climate and cyber crises. The next Member States to hold the Presidency are France (1 January–30 June 2022) and the Czech Republic (1 July–31 December 2022).
Slovenian Presidency focuses on our common future and strengthening of the EU
The objectives that Slovenia has set for its Presidency are grouped under four priorities, which are based on the EU’s Strategic Agenda. The priorities are:
- the resilience, recovery and strategic autonomy of the EU
- the Conference on the Future of Europe
- a union of the European way of life, the rule of law and the same criteria for all
- a credible and secure European Union, capable of ensuring security and stability in its neighbourhood.
The health programme of the Slovenian Presidency focuses on taking forward the initiatives on a European Health Union. These initiatives are intended to improve the EU-level protection against and prevention of threats to human health as well as the EU’s preparedness for and response to them. In particular, Slovenia will focus on developing the sustainability of health systems and the role of the EU in global health cooperation.
Slovenia intends to continue developing the social dimension during its Presidency. The important guiding principles for the Slovenian Presidency are safety and health at work, skills and the life cycle of the working environment and the creation of more inclusive labour markets for all age groups. The important themes to be raised during the Presidency also include the ageing of the population and gender equality.
The Council will discuss, among other things, the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Semester, the new EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work and an equal Europe.
Read more about the Slovenian Presidency and its objectives here:
Meetings during the Slovenian Presidency
The COVID-19 pandemic affects the meetings organised during the Slovenian Presidency.
Meetings scheduled to take place during the Slovenian Presidency:
- Informal meeting of employment, social affairs and health ministers, 23–24 September 2021
- Informal meeting of health ministers, 4–5 October 2021
- Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (employment and social policy), 15 October 2021
- Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (employment and social policy), 6 December 2021