Greek Presidency priorities discussed by EP committees

The priorities of the Greek Council Presidency are being outlined to the various parliamentary committees by Greek ministers, from 16 to 23 January. This text will be updated daily.

Foreign affairs: focus on external border security and enlargement

Mobility and security at the EU’s external borders, and specifically in the Mediterranean, will be a Presidency priority, foreign minister Evangelos Venizelos told foreign affairs MEPs on Monday. An integrated maritime policy, including issues relating to international law of the sea, will be also high on the agenda, as will enlargement to the Western Balkans, he added.

Many MEPs pressed the minister to use the momentum of the Greek Presidency to end deadlock over the name dispute with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the reunification of Cyprus.

Trade: talks with the US and Japan; safeguarding EU farm and maritime interests

Fine-tuning the EU’s negotiating strategy in bilateral trade talks, particularly with the USA (TTIP) and Japan, will be among the presidency’s key trade priorities, Vice-Minister for Development and Competitiveness Notis Mitarachi told Trade Committee MEPs on Monday. He stressed the importance of protecting the EU’s high-quality farm produce, by including geographical indication and designation of origin clauses in all new trade deals.

Trade Committee chair Vital Moreira i (S&D, PT) voiced concerns about the increasingly “vocal positions against trade in general” being expressed in member states ahead of the European elections. He asked how the Council would respond to increasing scepticism, fuelled by data protection or food security issues, about the TTIP. MEPs also questioned the feasibility of concluding TTIP talks before the end of 2014, as initially foreseen. In addition, they said they wished to see progress on removing non-tariff trade barriers in trade talks with Japan and hoped for compromises on trade law proposals currently in three-way talks between the Council, Parliament and the Commission.

Constitutional Affairs Committee: elections centre-stage

May’s European elections are of the utmost importance to the debate on proposals and solutions for the EU, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas told the Constitutional Affairs Committee on Thursday 16 January. Concluding talks on the statute and funding of European political parties is a key Presidency priority, he told MEPs. The Transparency Register of interest groups, EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Parliament's right of inquiry were also debated, although an agreement on the latter file is unlikely until the end of the Presidency.

MEPs quizzed Mr Kourkoulas about immigration, free movement, informing citizens about the European elections, European political parties, talks on the Single Resolution Mechanism for failing banks, the Citizens' Initiative and his evaluation of Troika actions.

In the chair: Carlo Casini i (EPP, IT)