Future EU Presidency priorities in the area of rights, equality and migration

On June 17 the future Italian, Latvian and Luxembourg EU Presidencies presented its 18 month programme. We have highlighted a few priorities interesting for Social Platform, particularly in the area of justice and home affairs

Legal Migration

  • ‘The development of a Common European Migratory Policy  (…) Cooperation with countries of origin will remain a priority’
  • ‘Implementation of the Policy Plan on Legal Migration, especially on the Directives on seasonal workers and on intra-corporate transferees (…) Negotiation of the proposal relating to the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies…’
  • ‘Integration of the third-country nationals by promoting the exchange of best practices between MS’

Irregular Migration

  • ‘Promote practical cooperation with third countries in the area of return, including in the area of voluntary return’
  • ‘Exchange of good practices and evaluate the possibility of outlining an appropriate common approach to protect this vulnerable category including common identification methods also in connection with the special reception needs of minors’

Asylum

  • ‘Transpose the legislative instruments of the Common European Asylum System into national legislation’
  • Priorities ‘the complex and still unresolved question of the mutual recognition of national decisions on international protection, including the right to work and settle in any EU MS’

Fundamental rights

  • ‘Support the Commission's negotiating efforts for the EU's accession to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). The opinion of the European Court of Justice will be examined by the FREMP ‘

Protection of the most vulnerable

  • ‘Following the successful adoption of the Protection of Victims' Directive in 2012, work will continue on a "Roadmap" of measures concerning the position of victims in criminal proceedings’
  • ‘Issues relating to combating gender based violence and domestic violence. If the proposal for a Directive on the Compensation to Victims of Crime is presented by the Commission it will be examined.’

Rights of the individual in criminal proceedings

  • ‘Assess the progress made in the field of the protection of fundamental rights in criminal proceedings. This may include a reflection on the coherence of the instruments adopted in the field of mutual recognition and their consolidation, an assessment on the level of implementation by MS as well as on possible future initiatives’

Other issues

  • Continue to work on the 'Article 19' proposal for an Equal treatment Directive and 'promotion of the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities and of marginalised groups, including Roma’ – EPSCO
  • ‘Better coordinated economic, employment and social policies in delivering on the goals of the strategy, the employment and poverty/social exclusion indicators as well as on women in the labour market’ – GAC
  • ‘Accompany the future developments of a new EU framework (…) which seeks to resolve future systemic threats to the Rule of Law in Member States before the conditions for activating the mechanism foreseen in Article 7 TEU would be met’ – GAC