On 1 July 2021 the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union started. The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU Member States every six months, during which the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council and it ensures the continuity of the EU’s work. This is the second time in 17 years that Slovenia holds the presidency.

The priorities for this presidency are: ensuring the resilience, recovery and strategic autonomy of the European Union; organising discussions within the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe; promoting a union of the European way of life, the rule of law and the same criteria for all; and ensuring a union that is capable of promoting security and stability in its neighbourhood.

In its programmatic document, the Presidency says it will focus on the recovery of specific sectors, with particular attention towards the tourism industry. On the occasion of the informal meeting of EU tourism ministers on 16 November 2021, the Presidency will launch a discussion on how to promote sustainable and safe tourism, able to resist to future shocks as well. Furthermore, on the environmental side, the Slovenian Presidency commits to the European Green Deal objectives and will start negotiations on the “Fit for 55” package proposed by the Commission. In the field of transport, the main political priority of the Slovenian Presidency is cutting transport emissions, while promoting the development of alternative fuels.

Regarding the EU internal market, as abovementioned, the tourism ecosystem will play an important part  as it has been harshly hit by the pandemic. The Slovenian Presidency aims to provide stable support to the sector, while coordinating structural and sectoral measures to promote the green and digital transitions. Moreover, the Presidency will advocate for SMEs access to a range of financing resources, especially for travel infrastructure, sustainable growth and digital renovation. By drawing lessons from the COVID crisis, the goal is also to enable secure cross-border mobility to safeguard tourist services and restore consumer confidence in the EU single market.

Read the Slovenian Presidency’s programme here.