Priority dossiers under the Latvian presidency

The Italian-Latvian-Luxemburgish Trio Presidency of the Council marks the start of the 2014-2019 European Parliamentary legislature. The first half of 2015 will be very challenging for Latvia, not least given that Latvia is holding the presidency of the EU Council for the first time.   A new parliament (Saeima) was elected on 4 October. The Latvian Prime Minister, Ms. Laimdota Straujuma will present the priorities of the Presidency to the Parliament on 14 January 2015. Latvia will focus on three priorities during its Presidency: Facilitation of EU competitiveness as a key to economic growth and jobs; Full exploitation of the digital potential of the European economy, and Reinforcing the role of the European Union in the world. In addition, the Latvian Presidency wishes to ensure that the Council contributes to the implementation of the European Council's five-year Strategic Agenda in the areas of protection of citizens, an Energy Union with a forward-looking climate policy, and a Union of freedom, security and justice.  Aside from some major strategic items likely to feature from the Commission's 2015 Annual Work Programme the bulk of the legislative work of the Latvian Council Presidency will consist essentially of resuming unfinished business from the previous legislature. Currently around 30 legislative dossiers are under negotiation between the Council and the Parliament with a view to reaching a first or a second reading agreement - half of those are likely to be concluded under the Italian Presidency. This note presents the main political dossiers under the above-mentioned priorities, and the related European legislative activity (under the ordinary legislative procedure) expected during the Latvian EU Council Presidency in the first semester of 2015.