Thirteen years after its last rotating presidency, France once again takes the helm of the Council of the European Union from January 1 to June 30, 2022. During these six months, Paris’s mission is to follow the European legislative agenda and to find compromises between governments on several key issues. Emmanuel Macron will unveil his priorities, Thursday, December 9, at a press conference. The president has already specified that they would be defined around three concepts: “revival, power, belonging”. Here is what we know about the issues that will be discussed.
Monitoring of the European recovery plan
“We will carry the ambition of a sovereign and united European recovery”, assured the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, during a debate on the priorities of the French presidency of the EU in the Senate, on November 16. Less than two years after the start of the Covid-19 crisis, and while many European countries are going through a fifth epidemic wave with the appearance of the Omicron variant, the French government will have to create a consensus between the member states in order to continue the reconstruction of the European economy.
During the German presidency, in the second half of 2020, Chancellor Angela Merkel succeeded in negotiating an economic recovery plan of 750 billion euros. France will have to find, with the other member states, the resources to repay this common loan. The interest must start to be repaid in 2023 and the capital in 2028, specifies Touteleurope.eu, an information site on Europe created by France and the European Commission.
The application of the “Green Deal”
During his speech in the Senate, Jean-Yves Le Drian also assured that “The July Green Pact will have to be implemented”. The French Foreign Minister referred to the European “Green Deal” or “Green Pact for Europe” presented by the European Commission in July 2021. It contains a series of measures aimed at achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
To achieve these objectives, the European executive wishes to set up a carbon adjustment mechanism at the borders. This tool should allow the European Union to define a greenhouse gas emission threshold above which an economic activity is considered to be too polluting. If a good imported into the EU exceeds this threshold, it will then be subject to an additional cost, recalls the Touteleurope.eu site. Before the Senate, Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed his wish to “validate the carbon adjustment mechanism during the French presidency”.
Negotiations on a minimum wage
France also wants to complete the negotiations on the minimum wage in the European Union. “Parliament’s position is to impose a decent minimum wage. The idea is not to apply the same threshold everywhere but to determine it according to the median wage of each country”, specifies the MEP Leïla Chaibi (La France insoumise), member of the social affairs committee.
“For my group [le groupe de la gauche], the minimum wage must be equal to 75% of the median wage and it must also take into account the current cost of living. “
Leïla Chaibi MEPto franceinfo
In the European Union, monthly minimum wages vary from 332 euros gross in Bulgaria to 2,202 euros gross in Luxembourg, according to Eurostat data. “For the moment, the Nordics are opposed to the harmonization of the minimum wage, whatever their political group. For them, everything concerning wages should not be regulated by law but between the social partners, slips Leïla Chaibi. Western countries, such as France and Germany, are in favor, except the conservatives. “
The status of workers on digital platforms, such as Deliveroo or Uber, will also be examined. “We are pushing for access to social protection and collective bargaining for workers on digital platforms to be put on the table”, assured Jean-Yves Le Drian before the Senate. For its part, the European Parliament has already voted for a “presumption of wage employment” in September 2021. In the event of legal proceedings, companies must prove the absence of subordination with workers, otherwise the latter are considered as employees.
Regulation of digital platforms
“We must defend digital sovereignty by developing a European regulatory model. This will be the subject of negotiations on the DMA and DSA regulations”, announced Jean-Yves Le Drian. The “Digital Markets Act” (DMA) covers the markets. It aims to crack down on the anti-competitive practices of large groups in Silicon Valley, including Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft (the “Gafam”). “Google will no longer be able to highlight its partner companies in its search engine. If you are looking for a hotel, it will have to offer you the best, according to your criteria”, explains the MEP (LREM) Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, rapporteur on the DMA.
“We do not want to wait for legal proceedings which take too long. We want to create obligations upstream, before there is an anti-competitive practice.”
Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, MEPto franceinfo
The “Digital Services Act” (DSA) intends to fight against fraud and illegal content online. It will require platforms to implement means to moderate the harmful content they host. “The current law that regulates illegal content dates back to 2008, when social networks did not have the central place they occupy today, explains Stéphanie Yon-Courtin. Today we want to make sure that what is banned offline is also banned online. ”
But disputes already exist within the EU. “Eastern countries, liberal, do not want to ban anything, for example. The definition of ‘harmful content’ is specific to the culture of each country”, describes the elected by the majority. France intends to finalize the two laws before the summer for entry into force on January 1, 2023.
Strengthening European defense
As announced by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her State of the Union speech, a summit on European defense will take place in March in Toulouse. The chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan has reignited the debate on European autonomy and “the time has come for Europe to step up a gear”, pleaded the head of the European executive.
This objective is embodied in the “Strategic Compass” which sets the guidelines for the common security and defense policy. “This requires a European approach to threats, the development of our operational and industrial capacities and the defense of our interests, particularly in exo-atmospheric space. [la zone de l’atmosphère où peuvent se trouver les satellites], which has become a place of confrontation “, developed Jean-Yves Le Drian before the Senate.
The reform of the Schengen area
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, freedom of movement within the Schengen area should be reformed. The Commission has proposed a draft revision which could be debated under the French Presidency.
Its strategy is to strengthen control at the external borders to preserve free movement within this area, reports Le Monde (paid article). To achieve this objective, Brussels intends to endow the Frontex agency, responsible for border control, with 10,000 agents and a budget of 6 billion euros.
Brussels also wants a “solid governance” of the Schengen area, by setting up control mechanisms or unannounced visits by European officials to strategic places, to check that the rules are properly applied, resumes The world.