Success in very difficult times - MEPs praise outgoing Slovak Council Presidency - Main contents

The outgoing Slovak Council Presidency was praised by many political group speakers on Tuesday for delivering tangible results in very difficult times. Launching the European Border and Coast Guard, adopting a jobs-and-growth focused EU budget for 2017, signing the EU-Canada trade deal and taking a step forward in modernising trade defence instruments were among those highlighted in the debate with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Some speakers nonetheless criticised the Presidency for pressing ahead with an “unreasonable” EU trade policy and called for more “social” Europe. Others stressed that EU agenda must no longer be hijacked by domestic political problems.

Several also criticised the Slovak government for not setting the Presidency-related financial fraud accusations straight and for not doing enough to help the EU member states facing the biggest migratory pressures.

You can watch the interventions of the different speakers by clicking on the links below:

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  Robert FICO, Slovak Prime Minister on behalf of the Slovak Council Presidency, introductory statement
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  Jean-Claude JUNCKER, for the EU Commission
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  Françoise GROSSETÊTE (EPP, FR)
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  Vladimir MAŇKA (S&D, SK)
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  Branislav ŠKRIPEK (ECR, SK)
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  Pavel TELIČKA (ALDE, CZ)
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  Katerina KONEČNÁ (GUE/NGL, CZ)
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  Philippe LAMBERTS (Green/EFA, BE)
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  Beatrix Von STORCH (EFDD, DE)
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  Mara BIZZOTO (ENF, IT)
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  Robert FICO, Slovak Prime Minister on behalf of the Slovak Council Presidency, final statement

Background

Slovakia took over the Council Presidency from the Netherlands in July and is to hand it over to Malta in January.

The first-ever Slovak Council Presidency aimed to focus its six-month mandate on achieving results in the areas of an economically strong Europe, a modern single market, sustainable migration and asylum policies, and a globally engaged Europe.

Procedure: Council and Commission statements

2016/2790(RSP)

#EU2016SK @eu2016sk @SKPRES2016

REF. : 20161208IPR55154