Belgium adopted its programme for its six-month EU Presidency on 16 June 2010. The Presidency’s goals largely echo the priorities of the Spanish EU Presidency and are also in line with the joint 18-month programme of Spain, Belgium and Hungary, see http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/09/st16/st16771.en09.pdf 410kb).

Key areas of action are as follows:

2. Social issues: promote social cohesion

• Seek social convergence on higher standards, based on objectives and monitoring indicators. Work will continue to improve the effectiveness of the open method of coordination in the domains of health, pensions and social inclusion.
• Strive for concrete progress in the discussions about social services of general interest. Council conclusions will be supplemented by work undertaken by the social protection committee for the Third Forum on services of general interest, as well as by the Second Biennial Commission report.
• Conclusion of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion by ensuring that lessons for the future are drawn from it. It will be proposed that the Council adopts conclusions relating to child poverty, universal access to quality healthcare, homelessness and the prevention of poverty.
• Stress the added value of the EU in the areas of health and ageing (including the issue of pensions). 
• Conclusions will be adopted relating to the longevity, suitability and portability of pensions within a context of an ageing population and the sustainability of long-term financing of pensions must also feature on the agenda.
• In the area of health, policy discussions will start on the way in which Member States and the Commission manage public health risks together and negotiations will continue on the draft directive relating to cross-border healthcare. The Presidency will ensure preparation and coordination of the European of the Conference of the Parties on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
• Focus undivided attention on violence against women. The Council will also adopt conclusions on relating to the new strategy on equality between men and women (2011-2015) as well as concerning equality of salaries between men and women within the context of the implementation of the Beijing action plan (UN Conference 1995).  
• Continue work on the implementation of the principle of equality of treatment of individuals without distinction of religion, disability, age or sexual orientation as well as on combating violence against women. A conference on disability, notably the coordination and implementation of the UN Convention on disability, will be organised on 18-19 October 2010. 

3. Education, culture, youth and sport: 

• Education and training: guidelines for the setting up a new work programme on the education and training of professionals until 2020; modernisation of higher education in Europe and the interaction between higher education, research and innovation; education in the field of sustainable development; strengthening of European cooperation in the domain of school education; promotion of mobility for young people building upon the presentation by the Commission of its flagship initiative “Youth on the move”.
• Culture: completion of the evaluation of the Council’s Work Plan for 2008-2010 in favour of culture and the adoption of a new post-2010 Work Plan, adoption of the Commission's proposal on a European Heritage Label, implementation of policies and processes to develop and support cultural and creative industries. 
• Youth: initiatiation of work on a resolution on youth work as set out in the updated Framework of European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018), access to culture for young people, presentation of a memo concerning an inventory of the European and international policy agenda regarding children, young people and children's rights. The mid-term results of the structured dialogue on employment and youth (youth@work) will also be presented to the Council in order to arrive at a political outcome during the course of the Hungarian Presidency (May 2011). A “European Youth Conference” will also be organised.
• Sport: work will be initiated to draw up a resolution on future European sport policy building upon the Commission’s proposal and in the European Sport Programme (2012-2013). A debate will be started within the Council on the role of sport in society, including Fair Play. This includes education and training in the sector, the fight against doping in sport, as well as the role of poverty and social exclusion.

4.  Environmental issues: switch over to a green economy

• Coordinating the position of the Member States within the framework of the international negotiations on climate change with a view to with the international community, formulate concrete, ambitious targets at the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Climate Change to be held in Cancun on 29 November to 10 December 2010.
• Consolidate the link with new European policy objectives on energy, transport and emissions by e.g. adjusting taxation.
• Prepare for the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP 10) of the Convention on Biodiversity to be held in Nagoya in October 2010 which aims to develop a new policy on biodiversity based on adapted targets.
• Improve the transparency, coordination and actual application of legislative instruments relating to the environment. In particular a policy debate will be initiated concerning the 7^th Environment Action Programme.

5.  Freedom, security and justice: consolidate and complete the European area of freedom, security and justice building upon the implementation of the Stockholm Programme (2010-2014).

• Asylum: develop a uniform asylum procedure and a uniform status for persons benefitting from international protection by 2012. 
• Legal migration, and economic migration in particular: a debate will be launched within the context of the demographic challenges faced, and work will be done on new proposals on procedures regulating the entry, temporary stay and residence of Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICTs), as well as entry and residence conditions for seasonal workers. Work relating to establishing a single application procedure for a single permit for Non-EU Member Country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State will be pursued as far as is possible.
•  Unaccompanied foreign minors: implemantion of action plan approved under the Spanish Presidency.
• Home affairs: development of a coherent European policy to combat terrorism and organised crime will be a priority. 
•  Human trafficking and human rights: negotiations with the Council of Europe concerning the accession by the EU to the Convention on Human Rights. 
• Justice: establish mutual recognition of court rulings. As part of the reformatting of previous framework decisions for the harmonisation of national criminal legislation, priority will be given to instruments aimed, on the one hand, at the prevention of human trafficking and the fight against this phenomenon, as well protection of victims, and, on the other hand, sexual exploitation and abuse involving children and child pornography. Negotiations related to the improved regulation of judicial competence and law applicable to wills and testaments will be pursued in an intensive manner.

6.  External action: broaden the global appeal of the EU as a force for peace and security

• Set up the European External Action Service in the second half of 2010.
• Continue the enlargement negotiations based on the individual merits of the candidate Member States.
• Fight against protectionism by focusing on the conclusion of multilateral negotiations for the Doha Development Round within the World Trade Organisation and bilateral and regional trade agreements.
• Safeguard and promote human rights.
• Development cooperation and humanitarian aid. During the second half  of 2010, the main political summit for the EU on development cooperation will be the UN Summit on Millenium Development Goals (MDG), to be held in New York in September. Its main aim is to evaluate the progress made with a view to creating MDGs and to identify the additional effort  requied in the run-up to 2015. In conjunction with the European Commission, Belgium will organise the 4^th round of European Development Days on 6-7 December 2010.
• Continue strategic  relationships with partners. Chair the discussions of the upcoming EU/ASEM Summit, which will be hosted by Belgium in October 2010, and the EU/Africa Summit, which will strengthen the Euro-African partnership and to discuss issues of peace and security, development, MDGs as well as climate change.

For more information on EU Belgian Presidency priorities:

• Check the official programme           http://www.eutrio.be/files/bveu/media/documents/Programme_EN.pdf
• Contact EFC secretariat at eu@efc.be