Within the framework of the Hungarian V4 Presidency, a V4 coordination meeting took place before the General Affairs Council meeting on the 19th of October. At the V4 coordination meeting and the General Affairs Council meeting, Hungary was represented by Judit Varga, Minister of Justice. At the General Affairs Council meeting, the Council was chaired by Gašper Dovžan, Slovenian Secretary of State for EU Affairs, and the Commission was represented by Commissioner Didier Reynders.
Preparation of the European Council on 21-22 October 2021
The General Affairs Council held an exchange of views about the preparation of the upcoming European Council meeting on the 21st and 22nd of October based on the draft conclusions. The Ministers focused the discussion on the Covid-19 pandemic, digitalization, migration, energy prices, trade and the external relations.
Conference on the Future of Europe
The Presidency informed about the state of play of the Conference on the Future of Europe, after the first European citizens' panels took place (https://futureu.europa.eu/assemblies/citizens-panels). All four panels have already had their inaugural sessions. The first sessions of the panels have served to identify streams and subtopics that participants will discuss in greater depth in the following sessions.
The Presidency also provided updates on the preparations for the next plenary of the Conference, which will take place in Strasbourg on 23 October (https://futureu.europa.eu/pages/plenary).
The Presidency reiterated that the Executive Board of the Conference has invited all EU citizens to contribute to shaping their own future and that of Europe as a whole on the digital platform (https://futureu.europa.eu/?locale=en). By spring 2022, the Conference is expected to reach conclusions and provide guidance on the future of Europe.
Annual Rule of Law dialogue
In the framework of the annual rule of law dialogue, Ministers held a further horizontal discussion after one year on the basis of the Commission’s second Annual Rule of Law Report, which was issued on 20 July 2021. According to the orientated topical reference suggested by the Slovenian Presidency the debate aimed at focusing especially on the role and functioning of the institutional checks and balances during the COVID-19 crisis.
The country-specific discussion on the rule of law situation in certain Member States, organised every six months at the General Affairs Council, will take place in November with hearings of the upcoming five Member States (Croatia, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia and Cyprus).
Conference on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Totalitarian Regimes
Slovenia informed the Ministers about the international conference held on the 23rd of August in Slovenia on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Totalitarian Regimes.
