Public access to Council documents: 2016 report
22/05/2017 | 11:00
Over 350 000 documents are listed in the Council's register, and over 70% of these are public and can be downloaded for free. That is one of the key points in the Council's 2016 report on access to documents which was approved by the Council on 22 May 2017.
During 2016, 22 671 documents were added to the register, of which 71%, or 16 181 documents, are public. The Council's public register was consulted around 380 000 times and attracted 9% of the Council's website traffic.
To get access to a document in the Council's register that is not public from the outset any interested person can request access. If access is refused at an initial stage a confirmatory application can be made. In 2016, the Council received 2 342 initial requests for access to documents and 24 confirmatory applications, requiring the analysis of 10 232 documents. Full access was granted to 7 307 documents (of which 7 273 at initial stage) and partial access to 556 documents (501 at initial stage). More than 76 % of the documents for which access was requested were released in full, and more than 82 % either in full or partially.
For some documents access was refused on the basis of legitimate reasons outlined in the EU regulation on the access to documents. These include in particular the need to protect the Council's decision-making process and public interest with regard to international relations and public security.
Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council, 22-23/05/2017
Agenda highlights
Youth
The Council will adopt a resolution on the future of the structured dialogue. It is a bottom-up process ensuring that young people's voice is taken into account in defining the EU's youth policies.
The Council is also due to adopt conclusions on:
- Life skills for young people's development
- European cooperation in the youth field post 2018
Ministers will hold a debate on the theme 'Building Europe's future - listening to and supporting young people'.
Education
The Council will adopt a recommendation on the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning. It will also take note of a progress report on a decision regarding a common framework for skills and qualifications (Europass).
The Council will also discuss how to improve and modernise EU's education systems.
Culture
The Council will try to reach a general approach on the proposal for a revised directive on audiovisual media services (AVMS). The proposal aims to make this legislation better fit to the digital age, for instance, by extending its scope to video-sharing platforms. The proposal also establishes stricter obligations for the promotion of European works for on-demand services.
The Council will also adopt conclusions on a EU strategy for international cultural relations, in the follow-up to the Commission and the EU High Representative joint communication on a EU strategy for international cultural relations.
Sport
The Council will adopt a resolution on the European Union work plan for sport (2017-2020), which aims to tackle doping and match fixing and enhance good governance in sport organisations.
The Council is also due is due to adopt conclusions on sport as a platform for social inclusion.
In addition, ministers will discuss how to develop a media policy that supports social objectives in the area of sport.
General Affairs Council (Art. 50), 22/05/2017
The Brexit negotiation process explained
Agenda highlights
The Council, meeting in an EU27 format, will adopt:
- a decision authorising the opening of Brexit negotiations with the UK and nominating the Commission as the EU negotiator
- negotiating directives for the Brexit negotiations
Both texts will be based on a recommendation presented by the Commission on 3 May 2017 and will build on the guidelines adopted by the European Council (Art.50) on 29 April 2017. Their adoption will allow the beginning of negotiations with the UK following the notification of its intention to withdraw from the EU (under Article 50 of the Treaty of the EU).
The set of negotiating directives to be adopted by ministers on 22 May 2017 is intended for the first phase of the negotiations. These directives are therefore expected to prioritise some matters which at this stage have been identified as necessary for an orderly withdrawal of the UK. They will cover among others:
- citizens' rights
- the financial settlement
- the situation of Ireland
The negotiating directives may be amended and supplemented as necessary during the negotiations, in particular to reflect the European Council guidelines as they evolve.
Finally, the Council will adopt a decision to establish an ad hoc working party that will assist the Council and Coreper in all matters relating to the UK's withdrawal from the Union.