Council of the European Union’s Post

The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU starts today! For the next 6 months, Hungary will drive the EU agenda.  As a coalition dedicated to promoting smoke-free operating rooms, we’re particularly excited about the focus this Presidency wants to put on occupational health and safety, especially the revision of the directive on occupational safety limits for carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic substances. Surgical smoke has been proven to contain mutagenic, carcinogenic, and toxic chemicals that cause chronic lung conditions like COPD. Alongside this new presidency and partners like the Roadmap on Carcinogens, we can keep surgical smoke out of our operating rooms and keep our healthcare workers safe! European Commission #SurgicalSmoke #SurgicalSmokeCoalition #RoadmapOnCarcinogens #HealthcareAdvoacy #HU24EU 

Yesterday Hungary has officially taken over the Presidency of the European Union, replacing Belgium at the steering wheel. Here are some automotive facts about Hungary:    🏡 Hungary is home of 7 automotive plants  🚗 Last year over 500 000 cars were manufactured in Hungary, making it the seventh-largest EU producer  🚌 Around 1 000 buses were made here  💡The automotive sector accounts for 12% of manufacturing jobs in Hungary, giving it the fifth-largest share of direct automotive employment in the EU #HungarianPresidency #HU24EU #MakeEuropeGreatAgain #EuropeanUnion

What impact does constructive cooperation have in professional settings? Constructive cooperation in professional settings fosters a healthy, productive work environment. It encourages positive behaviors like collaboration and respect, which can significantly enhance team dynamics and performance. This collaborative atmosphere not only reduces stress but also leads to better results and innovative solutions to challenges.

Hungary's EU Presidency: Key Priorities, Corporate-Relevant Policy Objectives and Possible Forward Scenarios amidst a Challenging International Political and Security Environment and an EU Institutional Transition See below for our Special Report, which takes an extensive look at how Hungary's Council Presidency may unfold in the next six months: https://lnkd.in/dYiiFaAk

Here is my latest article. It is coming out on the 20th anniversary of the largest round of EU enlargement - May 1, 2004. https://lnkd.in/e2zgz3HD

As Hungary takes the mantle of EU presidency from July, there has been a lot of speculation as to what this may mean for EU legislative decisions through the second half of 2024. The direct impact of the presidency is limited, partly due to the incumbant EU parliament not effectively convening until later in 2024 which will limit the scope of new proposals. Still, Hungary will seek to use its influence to spark debates ranging from the socio-economic consequences of the European Green Deal to broader longer term Balkan accession. Check out FrontierView (part of FiscalNote)'s most recent view on Hungary's EU presidency, and the implications it may have for business. https://lnkd.in/eS-A-Ect #Europe #Hungary #EU #Greentransition

Interesting read on the roles of EU institutions. It's important to know how our elected representatives work for us!

The 11th ordinary session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly took place in the European Parliament premises in Brussels on 19 and 20 March. This has been one of the most challenging parliamentary assemblies of the European Parliament in recent years due to the extremely sensitive situation in all of the Eastern Partnership countries, first and foremost with the ongoing war in Ukraine, but without forgetting the continuous destabilisation and interference policies Moldova and Georgia have to face, the illegal Lukashenka regime in Belarus and, last but not least, the protracted tensions and recent war between two other states, namely Armenia and Azerbaijan. Despite all these difficulties and complexities, the Euronest PA has been working very efficiently during the whole of the parliamentary term. It has been extremely heartening to follow exchanges of views on mutually crucially important issues and with such a high degree of commitment among MEPs and parliamentarians and representatives of all these countries, which have become part and parcel of the wider European family. Let us not forget that Ukrainian parliamentarians have been working for more than two years now in a context of open war, daily shelling, destruction of vital infrastructures and civil casualties; that Georgian and Moldovan parliamentarians show an incredible degree of resilience despite the occupation of part of their territory and continuous attempts to destabilise democracy in their countries; that Belarus’ democratic forces have had to seek shelter in exile and work in very challenging conditions; and, last but not least, that Armenian and Azeri parliamentarians sit next to each other and discuss with one another despite the long-standing enmity between their respective countries. During the meetings in Brussels, it was once again stressed that the common goal has to be sustainable peace and prosperity for the whole region and that the platform offered by the Euronest PA is crucial for regional cooperation in different areas, ranging from security, rule of law, democracy and capacity building to economic and trade cooperation, energy and green transition and many other areas of common interest. Witnessing the proceedings of the PA in Brussels a few days ago has been paramount to witnessing parliamentary diplomacy in full action, with a total of four resolutions voted and approved and a number of meaningful initiatives for implementation in the coming months agreed. One of the challenges for my colleagues in the responsible unit will obviously consist in bridging the period of reduced parliamentary activity in external relations due to the European elections and the subsequent constitution of the new parliamentary bodies in the EP. I have no doubt they and all of us together will manage this task successfully.

What’s on the EU Agenda this week: 🤝 The new MEPs will keep meeting to form political groups 💬 EU Commissioners will receive a presentation of EFB Assessment of the fiscal stance for the euro area in 2025 🌐The Hungarian Presidency commences Read the #EUWeekly 👉 https://lnkd.in/dngKrRXC

Democracy in action