The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU
Every six months, a different Member State holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. During this period, the country chairs meetings at all levels within the Council, helping to ensure the smooth running of the EU legislative process.
From 1 January to 30 June 2024, Belgium will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the thirteenth time in its history. Belgium will succeed to Spain and will precede Hungary, forming a “trio” presidency, the programme of which was drawn up jointly.
Organising an EU Presidency requires a commitment from all Belgian government departments. In the field of mobility and transport, the FPS Mobility and Transport supports the personal staff of the relevant ministers and the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU in carrying out all the tasks assigned to the Belgian Presidency.
In 2024, the Belgian Presidency will be marked by the European elections, which will be held on the same day as our regional and federal elections: 9 June 2024. The Belgian Presidency will therefore be keen to finalise as many dossiers as possible and prepare the future of the Union.
Belgium’s priorities for transport
Together with the Permanent Representation, the Belgian Presidency's priorities for transport are in line with the European Commission's “Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy”. The emphasis will be on decarbonising the sector and promoting sustainable modes of transport. The political priorities will be sustainable mobility (modal shift and active mobility) and smart mobility (innovation and digital transition), respect for social rights and safe and efficient transport systems (road and maritime transport). Cycling, among other things, will be in the spotlight during the Informal Council.
In addition to these overall priorities for transport, on 8 December, the Federal Minister for Mobility unveiled the major legislative dossiers that the Presidency will put on the programme of the EU Council for transport. Land and intermodal transport dossiers have the highest priority. They include the rail capacity initiative, the trilogue negotiations on the road safety package, vehicle weights and dimensions, combined transport, the trilogues on TEN-T and passenger rights. There are also the maritime dossiers, with the sea security package, followed by the trilogues on the Single European Sky package for aviation.
Want to find out more? You can (re)watch the video of the launch of the Belgian Presidency by the Prime Minister here: #EU2024BE | Kick-off event | Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024 - YouTube