Belgium aims to build stronger Europe during EU Council presidency: Premier

By Nur Asena Erturk

Belgium aims to build a stronger Europe during its EU Council presidency, the country's prime minister said Tuesday.

"The goals of the Belgian presidency in general, it is to build a stronger Europe, and to build a stronger Europe for our next generations, a Europe that is able to protect our population in times of war ... a Europe that is able to maintain and improve its competitiveness in a world where the economy is more geopolitical than ever and where we continue to be a continent that not only innovates but it also produces and that also finances that it also creates jobs here on European continent," Alexander De Croo told a joint news conference in Strasbourg, at the EU Parliament, with the lawmaking body's president, Roberta Metsola.

Metsola welcomed Belgium's presidency, which it took over from Spain on Jan. 1, and De Croo's "emphasis on boosting the EU's long term competitiveness and industrial policy."

She said Belgium's time in office will be critical ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.

"This implies that key dossiers must be completed on time. I am referring particularly here to the reform of our migration and asylum system," Metsola stressed.

The European Commission proposed a new pact on asylum and migration in September 2020 to improve procedures and reach an agreement on the fair sharing of responsibilities between member states, and on solidarity in the management of migration flows. Parliament approved its main mandates in April.

Parliament and council negotiators have agreed on the final form of five separate EU regulations, which define how to share the management of asylum and migration flows between member states and what to do in the event of a sudden migration crisis.

The provisional agreement must be formally adopted by the parliament and the council before it can take effect.

The co-legislators committed to adopting the reform of European rules on migration and asylum before the 2024 polls.

After Belgium, Hungary will take over the rotating presidency on July 1 for the next six months.