Priority dossiers under the Dutch EU Council Presidency

Briefing 16-12-2015

From January to June 2016, The Netherlands will hold the Presidency of the EU Council for the 12th time, kicking off the Dutch-Slovak-Maltese Trio Presidency. For the first semester of 2016, the Commission's soon ending 2015 work programme will largely determine the legislative agenda as nearly all major proposals will have been put on the table by the end of this year. As of 16 December 2015, there are 140 active ordinary legislative procedures, of which 23 have been agreed by the co-legislators at political level and around 30 are being negotiated in view of a first or (early) second reading agreement. The Dutch EU Presidency will pursue the following priorities: (i) improving quality and simplification of legislation; (ii) growth and jobs (internal market, innovation and digital economy); and (iii) active involvement of citizens and civil society in policymaking. This note aims to present the state of affairs in the policy fields of Dutch priority, as well as the most important related dossiers to be addressed by the Dutch Presidency.