As of 1 July 2022, the Czech Republic will hold the 6-month rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, taking it over from France.
Close collaboration with all our partners is essential to contributing to the achievement of Member States' priorities in the area of Justice and Home Affairs. Throughout the years, eu-LISA has cooperated with Council Presidencies and has traditionally co-organised its flagship events together with the presiding country. The Agency's latest
Industry Roundtable held in June 2022 benefited from the support of the
French Presidency, while
last year's Annual Conference was organised under the auspices of the
Slovenian Presidency.
The 2022 Annual Conference, which will take place on 13 October 2022, is jointly organised with the Czech Presidency. This year marks the 10th anniversary of eu-LISA and the anniversary conference – ten years as the digital heart of Schengen - will take a closer look at the main milestones and achievement of the Agency in serving the Member States and European citizens.
During its presidency, the Czech Republic will focus on
five priority areas:
managing the refugee crisis and Ukraine's post-war recovery,
energy security,
strengthening Europe's defence capabilities and cyberspace security as well as
resilience of democratic institutions.
The Czech Presidency has promised to put emphasis on the EU's energy security issues and on the accelerated implementation of REPowerEU. Also, given the growing global instability, the Czech Presidency will focus on reinforcing security and defence capabilities, in particular in partnership with NATO. At the same time, the Czech Presidency will address cyber threats and the geopolitical context of new technologies and space.
According to the Presidency, accelerating the digitalisation and automation in European industry is essential for building the resilience of the economy. To support the digital internal market, the Presidency will strive for the adoption of a pan-European tool for the secure and trustworthy identification of a citizen, the so-called European Digital Identity Wallet, and the creation of an efficient and fair data market. The Presidency will furthermore focus on strengthening the resilience of institutions that have a major influence on maintaining and developing values of democracy and the rule of law in the EU.
In the area of Home Affairs, the Czech Presidency aims to address the aftermath of the Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, and the Czech Presidency will support the EU's efforts to defend Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity by using all instruments and programmes offered by the EU, including the strengthening of sanctions.
Additionally, the EU internal security agenda and migration policy will remain high on the agenda, with a focus on advancing negotiations with the European Parliament on pending legislative files and taking forward the work regarding the New Pact on Asylum and Migration. These two initiatives are closely linked to the mandate of eu-LISA and the Agency has provided continuous support to the discussions in the Council.
Another key initiative is linked to EU borders and Schengen reform where the Presidency will have, among others, the implementation of interoperability of EU information systems during its rotation. In this important endeavour for the EU, eu-LISA is playing a crucial role in the technical implementation and development of the different systems and interoperability components. The Agency is actively engaged with Member States, Council's Presidencies, Commission and partner agencies in achieving Interoperability as soon as possible, in line with the agreed political timelines.
Another important area, to which the Czech Presidency will pay a particular attention to, is Justice. With the development of new legal instruments and technical tools, the EU aims to facilitate access to justice, improve overall efficiency, and ensure the resilience of justice systems particularly times of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. With the recently adopted regulation on
e-CODEX, the ongoing discussions on Joint Investigation Teams collaboration platform, and the upcoming developments as regards the digitalisation of justice, eu-LISA is ready to contribute and support the Czech Presidency in moving these developments further with the aim of creating a modern EU justice system.
All of the abovementioned initiatives are close to the core work of eu-LISA. The Agency looks forward to continuing its support to the Council and wishes the Czech Presidency the greatest success in fulfilling its priorities.
