Spanish Presidency: Council info and EU Publications

European Council conclusions from 2004 onwards are available in the public register of official documents.

Strategic autonomy is not a new concept, but it has recently taken centre stage in European public and policy debate. In the current debate, ‘strategic autonomy’ has been defined in different ways, often focusing on what it is not, rather than on what it is. This paper makes three main arguments: firstly, that there are important lessons to be drawn from the different definitions of ‘strategic autonomy’, and that a common understanding of its content is necessary in order to have a meaningful debate, and to avoid misconceptions and disagreements rooted in misunderstanding; secondly, that ‘strategic autonomy’ must be understood in the context of parallel (if not similar) policies pursued by other major international players; and thirdly, that the operationalisation of ‘strategic autonomy’ requires explicit strategic choices at the highest political level, taking into account not only its expected benefits, but also crucially its costs. Failure to make these choices would risk trivialising the notion of ‘strategic autonomy’ and reducing it to a mere buzzword, which could have harmful repercussions for the European project.

Geoengineering technologies aim to control climate by altering the energy balance on Earth. However, these technologies are still in early stages, with limited knowledge of their impact and unintended consequences. The urgency of the climate crisis and technological advancements have increased the pressure to develop climate control solutions. While some view geoengineering as a potential solution, concerns about environmental risks, moral hazard, and geopolitical tensions remain. International cooperation and regulations are necessary to manage the use of geoengineering. The EU could play a significant role in facilitating an inclusive debate and establishing common rules in this field.

Semiconductors (also called chips or microchips) are the building blocks of modern technology and a critical part of any advanced economy. The semiconductor shortage which accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains in this sector, while the tech sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine have highlighted the key role of semiconductors not only for the economy but also for national security and the conduct of modern warfare.

International trade is changing. Digital trade is increasing rapidly, global supply chains are becoming ever more complex, the geopolitical landscape is evolving, trade is being impacted by new developments such as the introduction of digital currencies, and public support for trade as a common good can no longer be assumed. The pandemic has led the EU and other major powers to reassess the extent to which they are dependent on trade for critical supplies. Together these trends are having a major impact on the way we trade and trade policy needs to be constantly reassessed.

The EU’s industrial policy aims to strengthen the competitiveness of EU industry and to promote a more sustainable, resilient and digitalised economy that creates jobs.

Europe’s future depends on a healthy planet. EU countries are committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, delivering on the commitments under the Paris Agreement. The European Green Deal is the EU’s strategy for reaching the 2050 goal.

Europe has experienced an unprecedented energy crisis. EU countries are working together to secure energy supply and ensure affordable prices for consumers.

Energy production and use are currently responsible for 75% of EU greenhouse gas emissions. The transition towards clean energy is a must to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and a major opportunity for economic growth.

The European Union strongly supports the transition to a low-carbon, more resource-efficient and sustainable economy. This is part of the EU's efforts to achieve its climate and energy goals in line with the Paris Agreement and the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Nature is our lifeline, yet it is deteriorating. The EU and its countries are working on a law that will for the first time set binding targets to restore ecosystems, habitats and species.

The rise of certain digital activities and novel business models has become a growing challenge for existing taxation systems. It is important that all sectors of our economies pay their fair share of taxes and contribute to the functioning of our societies.

The EU’s budget has developed over several decades in step with the evolution of the European Union. It provides for the financing of programmes and actions in all EU policy areas, from agriculture and regional policy, to research, enterprise and space.

Economic governance is a key pillar of the architecture of the Economic and Monetary Union, aiming to detect and correct economic imbalances that could weaken national economies or affect other EU countries through cross-border spillovers.

The single market ensures the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. It facilitates everyday life, stimulates growth and boosts innovation.

The banking union aims to ensure that the banking sector in the euro area and the wider EU is stable, safe and reliable, thus contributing to financial stability.

The EU is working on a single market for capital across member states to unlock funding to stimulate growth and to open up investment opportunities for citizens with a high level of investor protection.

The EU and its member states are intensifying efforts to establish an effective, humanitarian and safe European migration policy.

The EU and its member states stand united in their unwavering support for Ukraine and firmly condemn Russia’s war of aggression.

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The annual European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) provides a comparative assessment of the research and innovation performance of EU Member States and selected third countries, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of their research and innovation systems. It helps countries assess areas in which they need to concentrate their efforts in order to boost their innovation performance.

In 2022, the EU labour markets have demonstrated remarkable resilience despite Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, high inflation and an economic slowdown. We have witnessed record levels of employment, with the highest number of people in employment and the lowest levels of unemployment ever. This demonstrates the resilience of our labour markets and our social market economy.

This foresight study explores possible and necessary changes in the European social and economic systems as the European Union engages in managing sustainability transitions towards 2050. It presents strategic areas of intervention covering a new social contract, governance for sustainability, people and economy, and the global perspective on sustainability. It reflects on the agency of EU actors (such as government at various levels, business, and communities) to address the strategic areas of intervention as part of collectively addressing sustainability transitions.

EU’s long-term competitiveness requires a forward-looking, well-defined and coordinated EU framework that can inform the investments decisions for the future.

NextGenerationEU is the European Union's €800 billion temporary recovery instrument to support the social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and build a greener, more digital and more resilient Europe for future generations. A Flash Eurobarometer survey was commissioned by the European Commission to collect information on EU citizens’ awareness of NextGenerationEU and their views, opinions and expectations about the recovery instrument.

This analytical report presents a review of evidence regarding access to, and the process of acquiring, skills for the green economic transition across initial vocational education and training (IVET), as well as lifelong learning (LLL) opportunities for people already in the labour market. The report focuses on groups in society that may be particularly affected by the greening of the economy and on three interlinked aspects: characteristics of green(er) jobs and skills; the extent to which current education and training provisions ensure equal access to the acquisition of green(er) skills; and practices adopted by Member States.

This 'cost of non-Europe' report looks at the potential benefits of efficient, ambitious and united EU-level action in the space sector. The report finds that to enable the European space sector to benefit from open strategic autonomy, and to ensure EU access to and use of space, including for its security, the EU must act decisively. Moving away from fragmentation could bring large benefits, amounting to at least €140 billion per year by 2050.

This report presents an overview of the European Union's (EU) international cooperation in the areas of food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture during the 2014-2020 Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). It provides an illustrative insight into over 3,000 EU actions across the globe.

This study assesses the European Commission’s 2022 legal migration package on effectiveness, efficiency, legal and practical coherence, and fundamental rights compliance. The study finds that a more coherent and ambitious rights-based legal migration agenda is warranted. In the EU struggle for skilled and talented third-country national workers, social obligations, climate change, and sustainable growth cannot be disregarded.

The European Green Deal sets out the EU strategy to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and transform the Union into a sustainable, fairer, and more prosperous society that respects the planetary boundaries. Fairness and solidarity are an integral part of the Green Deal. The current survey was designed to assess EU citizens’ attitudes towards and expectations around the green transition and the impact it will have on their lives

The achievement of strategic autonomy has gained increasing importance in the EU's policy agenda in recent years, and became even more urgent with the Russian attack on Ukraine. Strategic autonomy covers a multitude of areas, including defence, digital policy, healthcare, energy, industrial policy, energy and finance. To achieve strategic autonomy, the EU needs to use both regulatory and budgetary intervention. This policy brief shows that the share of the EU budget dedicated to policies contributing to strategic autonomy has increased to almost 20% in the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), compared to 17% in the previous one.

The objective of this Science for Policy report is to present the results of the foresight process carried out on the future of open strategic autonomy. The report describes trends and emerging issues looking at 2040 and beyond in a systematic and systemic way.

This report identifies the model of Clusters of Social and Ecologic Innovation (CSEI) and explores their presence across the European Union. The analysis had the following objectives: 1) To obtain a socioeconomic characterisation of the CSEI concept; 2) To identify and analyse the main innovative aspects that CSEI bring about to social and ecological transitions and; 3) To identify and analyse the clusters features, components and/or determinants that facilitate innovation dissemination and transfer to other contexts.

The return of war to Europe and the energy shock triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 are the latest in a series of episodes that have led the European Union (EU) to develop its Open Strategic Autonomy (OSA) agenda. This Report is a broad attempt to take stock of these developments from a central banking perspective. It analyses the EU’s economic interdependencies and their implications for trade and finance, with a focus on strategically important dimensions such as energy, critical raw materials, food, foreign direct investment and financial market infrastructures.

The EU is increasingly at risk of becoming a 'playground' for global powers in a world dominated by geopolitics. Building European strategic autonomy on a horizontal - cross-policy - basis would strengthen the EU's multilateral action and reduce dependence on external actors, to make the EU less vulnerable to external threats; while promoting a level playing field that benefits everyone. To build European strategic autonomy, the EU may choose to use the still 'under-used' or 'unused' potential of the Lisbon Treaty, with the European Council having a key role to play in triggering some of the Treaty provisions, particularly in foreign and security policy. European strategic autonomy may also result from a deepening of the EU integration process.