Forward look: 6-19 May 2024

Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, 7 May 2024

At the next meeting of employment and social affairs ministers, the focus will be on equality. Ministers will hold a policy debate on the participation of women in public life. They are also expected to approve conclusions on the economic empowerment and financial independence of women as a pathway to gender equality, and will discuss the state of play of the equal treatment directive. 

Foreign Affairs Council (Development), 7 May 2024

The Foreign Affairs Council, in its development configuration, will meet in Brussels and discuss Ukraine, Palestine* and EU engagement in fragile contexts.

Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, 13-14 May 2024

Ministers for education, youth, culture and sport will meet in Brussels to discuss the rise of influencers, learning mobility opportunities, and inclusive societies for young people, including the outcome of the recent EU Youth Conference. They will also address topics such as the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the education and cultural sectors, and the contribution of self-organised sport to healthy lifestyles.

Economic and Financial Affairs Council, 14 May 2024

The Council will seek a political agreement on the proposal on faster and safer relief of excess withholding taxes (FASTER) and on the value added tax (VAT) in the digital age package. The package consists of three proposals that aim to tackle VAT fraud, support businesses and promote digitalisation.

Ministers will exchange views on the state of play of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The Council will aim to adopt implementing decisions approving modified recovery and resilience plans, submitted by some member states.

Ministers will proceed to discuss the state of play of the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. They will be informed of the state of advancement of the implementation of the Ukraine Facility. Under items without discussion, the Council will aim to adopt a Council implementing decision on the assessment of the Ukraine plan.

The Council will seek to approve conclusions on financial literacy and on the fiscal sustainability challenges arising from ageing.

The Presidency and the Commission will inform ministers on the outcome of the G20 finance ministers’ and central bank governors’ meeting and the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of 17-19 April 2024.

The Presidency will present the state of play of legislative proposals in the field of financial services.

Under other business, the presidency and the Dutch minister of finance will present the work programme of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action for 2024-2025 and inform ministers about the outcome of the annual meeting of the IMF.

In the margins of the meeting, a macroeconomic dialogue at political level (MEDPOL) with social partners will take place on 13 May. An economic and financial dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans partners, Türkiye, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as an observer, will also take place in the margins of the meeting on 14 May.

Other meetings