Council conclusions on the Implementation of the Joint Declaration by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- In line with its Conclusions of 6 December 2016 and of 19 June 2017, the Council welcomes the continued close and mutually reinforcing co-operation with NATO in areas of shared interest, both strategically and operationally, in crisis management in support of international peace and security as well as on defence capability development where requirements overlap. For the EU, the Implementation of the Joint Declaration remains a key political priority. It constitutes an essential element of broader efforts aimed at strengthening the Union's ability to act as a security provider and strengthen its ability to cooperate with partners, as recently restated in the Council conclusions on security and defence in the context of the EU Global Strategy of 13 November 2017.
- The Council welcomes further progress made in the implementation of the common set of proposals (42 actions) and in this regard acknowledges the second progress report submitted jointly by the High Representative/Vice President/Head of the European Defence Agency and the Secretary General of NATO in accordance with the Council Conclusions of 6 December 2016.
- With a view to consolidating progress and ensuring further advances in all areas listed in the Joint Declaration, the Council endorses a common set of new proposals attached in the annex, to be incorporated in the original set of proposals. They constitute further concrete actions for the implementation of the Joint Declaration developed jointly by the EU (EEAS and Commission services, with the EDA) and NATO, including new topics such as counter-terrorism, women, peace and security and military mobility.
- The Council reaffirms that EU-NATO cooperation will continue to take place in the spirit of full openness and transparency, in full respect of the decision-making autonomy and procedures of both organisations and in close cooperation with and full involvement of Member States. It is based on the principles of inclusiveness and reciprocity without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of any Member State.
- The Council confirms that the common set of proposals is not a standalone document and must be read in conjunction with the present Council Conclusions both of which will be implemented in accordance with the principles set out above. The common set of new proposals is being endorsed in a parallel process by NATO through the North Atlantic Council.
- The Council recalls that NATO cooperation with the non-NATO EU Member States is an integral part of EU-NATO cooperation and in this regard, the Council welcomes the positive contribution of non-NATO EU Member States to NATO activities. Such activities are an integral part of EU-NATO cooperation and the Council strongly supports their continuation.
- The Council invites the High Representative/Vice President/Head of the European Defence Agency to continue progress on implementation, in close cooperation with Member States ensuring their full involvement and transparency, and looks forward to receiving the next report in June 2018, and on an annual basis thereafter.
Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, 04-05/12/2017
MAIN RESULTS
Transport
The Council assessed progress on a key set of proposals on road transport. These are part of the mobility package presented by the Commission in May this year. They cover access to the occupation of transport operator, access to the market including cabotage, and drivers' working conditions. The proposed rules on improving hauliers' working conditions include new provisions on the posting of workers in the road transport sector, as well as rules on driving and rest time for drivers. "We have made considerable progress on several aspects of these proposals but more effort is required, especially on posted drivers and cabotage rules. I hope that our work so far, as well as today's debate, will lead to substantial progress on these proposals, and in particular make it possible to move forward on the outstanding issues," said Kadri Simson, Council President and Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure.
Ministers held a policy debate on road charging proposals, which are part of the same road transport package. These include the proposed Eurovignette directive, which aims to reinforce the 'polluter pays' and 'user pays' principles, and a revised directive on European Electronic Toll Services (EETS), which would facilitate the use of electronic tolls across the EU. Ministers' views will provide input for further work on these proposals.
The Council assessed progress on the proposed regulation to safeguard competition in air transport. The aim of this regulation is to ensure fair competition between EU airlines and third-country carriers while maintaining conditions conducive to a high level of connectivity.
The Council also adopted three sets of conclusions: on the progress in trans-European transport networks (TEN-T) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for transport; digitalisation of transport; and the mid-term evaluation of the Galileo, EGNOS and the European GNSS agency. "These three sets of conclusions reflect the importance which the Estonian presidency attaches to connectivity and innovation. They are all about cooperation at the European level to make it easier for our citizens to move about, and make our lives safer and even more comfortable," said Minister Simson.
Telecommunications
Today's meeting was a further step towards a digital single market, which is vital for Europe's competitiveness and prosperity. We reached agreement on a mandate for updating the rules for BEREC, and had very constructive discussions on how to take forward the work on two important issues: ePrivacy and the free flow of non-personal data. The debate showed strong support from member states for the free flow of data proposal and the presidency’s efforts to reach an agreement in the Council this year.
Urvo Palo, Council President and Minister for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology
The Council agreed its position (general approach) on updating the rules for the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communication (BEREC). This will serve as a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament. The Council agreed that the new rules should be aligned with its mandate on the European Electronic Communications Code, since the two proposals are closely interlinked. Negotiations on both dossiers will run in parallel.
Ministers discussed two further issues which are part of the digital single market. They assessed the progress on a proposal to update privacy rules for electronic communications (ePrivacy). The draft regulation is intended to ensure a high level of protection for private life, communications and personal data in the electronic communications sector. The Council noted that some elements need further discussion before the general approach can be agreed.
The Council also discussed the draft regulation on the free flow of non-personal data. The regulation would end unjustified data localisation requirements and would establish a clear framework for non-personal data to move across borders in the EU. Ministers gave their strong backing to the proposal and supported efforts to reach a swift agreement on it.
Minister Palo signed a 5G roadmap that sets out specific deadlines for the harmonisation of spectrum necessary for the rollout of 5G as agreed between member states and confirms the objective of positioning Europe as a leading market for 5G on the world stage.
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