| Author (Corporate) | Cardiff EDC (Compiler) |
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| Publication Date | June 2021 |
| Content Type | Blog & Commentary, News, Overview, Policy-making |
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Summary: National Leaders from the Member States of the European Union (EU) gathered for a meeting of the European Council on 24-25 June 2021, which included a Euro Summit. The agenda comprised discussions on a number of matters, including the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and the economic recovery, migration and external relations, fundamental values in the EU and the challenges for the Eurozone. This is an information guide compiled by the Cardiff EDC team. Further information: Concerning the pandemic, leaders welcomed the progress on vaccination and the overall improvement in the epidemiological situation. They also acknowledged the importance of the agreement on the EU Digital COVID Certificate and the revised recommendations on travel within and into the European Union. The Council vowed to take forward work to support boosting global production of and universal access to vaccines, and welcomed the decision by the World Health Assembly to set up a special session of discuss a Framework Convention on Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Finally, leaders discussed the initial lessons learnt from the pandemic, based on a report from the European Commission. The Council discussed the migration situation on the various routes into the EU, considering the concern risen by the latest developments on some of them. Leaders argued for mutually beneficial partnerships and cooperation with countries of origin and transit to reduce pressure on external borders, as part of the EU's external actions. They also condemned the instrumentalisation of migrants for political purposes. They urged the European Commission to take policy action in this field. There was a discussion on the EU fundamental value of LGBTQI non-discrimination. Media outlets reported on a tense exchange between Hungary and some other Member States due to the country's latest legislative initiative banning the depiction or promotion of homosexuality to those under 18 years old. Leaders also discussed on EU external relations with a number of countries:
The European Council also condemned the latest malicious cyber activities against Member States. Leaders reviewed the state of play on the implementation of the EU's Next Generation EU recovery plan. They welcomed the entry into force of the Own Resources Decision (ORD). They underlined the importance of full and timely implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs). They welcomed the targets of the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan, in line with the Porto Declaration. They also endorsed the draft Council Recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area. In the framework of the Euro Summit, leaders discussed the economic challenges for the Euro area in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and reviewed progress on the Banking Union and Capital Markets Union (CMU). The President of the European Council also presented the Indicative Leaders' Agenda 2021-2022. The outcome of this European Council was discussed during a plenary session of the European Parliament on 7 July 2021. |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
| Subject Tags | European Council |
| Keywords | European Council Summits |
| International Organisations | European Union [EU] |
