Newsletter – n°17 – December 2012

In other news

On 1 January, Ireland took over the EU presidency from Cyprus, and will hold the position until June 2013. Among its priorities during the presidency, presented at the General Affairs Council in December 2012, Ireland wishes to keep EU’s leading position in development cooperation.

The Presidency will especially be in charge of advancing on the negotiations on the 2014-2020 financial framework, and will be marked by the preparation of the European Union’s position on the post-2015 development framework, in view of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The Council will also have to adopt conclusions on several reports, among which the biennial report on the Union’s progress concerning the coherence of development policies, and debate subjects such as the role of local and regional authorities, civil society and the private sector in development.

Of the events published in the calendar of the presidency, it is worth mentioning the conference on hunger, nutrition and climate justice organised in Dublin on 15 and 16 April and an informal meeting of the development cooperation ministers on 11 and 12 February.

The programme defined by the troika composed of Ireland, Lithuania and Greece, as well as the calendar of the Irish presidency, can be found on the website www.eu2013.ie.