On 1 July 2016 the Kingdom of the Netherlands handed over the Rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union to the Slovak Republic. Slovakia takes the Presidency of the Council for the first time and forms the trio together with the Netherlands (January-June 2016) and Malta (January-June 2017).

Given the current challenges facing the EU, the guiding principles of the Slovak Presidency will be achieving tangible results to improve the quality of life in the EU, overcoming fragmentation and strengthening the internal market, focusing on citizens and increasing their confidence in the common European project.

The Programme of the Slovak Presidency, approved by the Government in Bratislava on June 30, states that the result of the UK Referendum calls for discussion on the future of the Union, the continuing migration crisis raises questions related to the integrity of the Schengen area, the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels have highlighted weaknesses in the area of internal security and the consequences of the economic and financial crisis are still affecting the economies of the EU Member States.

The Slovak Presidency will organize its work in four key directions: economically strong Europe, modern internal market, sustainable policies on migration and asylum, globally engaged Europe. During the Presidency there are 18 planned meetings at ministerial level in the capital Bratislava and a total of over 200 sessions and meetings with over 25 000 participants.

Bulgaria supports the priorities, set out in the Presidency Programme, including focused efforts to support the economic growth and Digital Single Market, establishment of Energy Union, effectively addressing the migration crisis by united European response. We share the position that the enlargement should continue to lead the European agenda.

The official website of the Slovak Presidency is http://www.eu2016.sk.