Priorities of the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council
On 1st January 2023, Sweden takes over the Presidency of the EU Council. The six-month Swedish Presidency follows the Czech Republic and France. Those three states together form the presidency trio and share a common program.
The Swedish presidency will focus on 4 domains:
- Security – Unity
- Resilience – Competitiveness
- Prosperity – Green & Energy Transition
- Democratic Values and the Rule of Law
Concerning security and defence, the presidency will focus on the implementation of the Strategic Compass. More precisely, the Strategic Compass acts as a guiding document for the development of the EU security and defence policy for the years to come. Hence, the Presidency will work on implementing the defence-related sections of the Compass. Besides, Sweden will also focus on civilian and crisis management, the development of a new Civilian Common Security and Defence Policy Compact, enhancing collaboration between the EU internal and external crisis management formats, the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, and fighting cross-border crime.
Overall, the Swedish Presidency is aiming at showing that European unity and readiness is key to security, resilience and prosperity.
The official website of the Swedish Presidency is available here.