Today, we had an important first meeting of the General Affairs Council under the Irish Presidency.
I would like to thank Minister Byrne and the Presidency for a strong start.
The Irish Presidency presented an ambitious and focused programme for the months ahead, centred on competitiveness, values and security.
We welcome the strong alignment between the Presidency's priorities and those of the Commission, in particular on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the implementation of the 'One Europe, One Market' roadmap, and advancing enlargement.
The Commission looks forward to working closely with the Irish Presidency and supporting it in every possible way over the coming months.
Next, we held an exchange on the state of play of the simplification agenda and the importance of maintaining momentum in the months ahead.
The Commission underlined that simplification must remain ambitious and deliver concrete results for citizens and businesses, while fully preserving our policy objectives.
This is a shared responsibility.
The Commission will continue to present ambitious proposals, including through Omnibus packages, regulatory deep cleaning and simplicity by design.
We are counting on the co-legislators to play their part and help keep delivery on track.
In this respect, the Commission would like to see a high level of ambition preserved in the ongoing legislative negotiations.
Moving to the next point on today's agenda, the rule of law is the bedrock of the European Union.
It is a prerequisite for both resilient democracies and strong economies.
The annual Rule of Law Dialogue has proven to be an important forum for constructive exchanges and the sharing of best practices among Member States.
The Commission welcomes the Council's adoption today of conclusions on the evaluation of the annual Rule of Law Dialogue.
The conclusions confirm that the Council's dialogue will continue to be based on the Commission's annual Rule of Law Report.
Commission services are currently finalising this year's Rule of Law Report, which will be adopted on the 17th of July.
Next, the Irish Presidency presented its plans for advancing discussions on the next multiannual financial framework.
Building on the good progress made by the Danish and Cyprus presidencies, we have now reached a crucial moment in the negotiations.
Time is of the essence to reach the ambition of an agreement by the end of the year.
One of the key factors will be the financing of the next long-term budget.
Matching our ambitions with adequate funding requires a sufficient volume of new own resources.
The Commission will support the Irish Presidency in taking forward work on this important priority.
Finally, this afternoon, ministers will engage in a discussion with Enrico Letta on how to advance the 'One Europe, One Market' Roadmap.
The Irish Presidency has rightly placed this at the heart of its programme.
The Commission remains fully committed to the timely delivery and implementation of the Roadmap and the 2026 Joint Declaration on legislative priorities.
The General Affairs Council will play an important coordinating role, helping to ensure coherence across Council formations, monitor progress and prepare the political follow-up ahead of the European Council.
