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The presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates among the EU member states every six months. During this six-month period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work in the Council. The Danish Presidency, which starts this July, has already received recommendations from the European-wide corporate organisation, the BusinessEurope in recently adopted Copenhagen declaration.
Background
Since 1958, the Presidencies in the Council are held for a term of six months. The EU member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called ‘trios’; this system was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. . Presently Poland is holding the rotating presidency of the Council (up to the end of June 2025); this time as part of a presidency trio with Denmark and Cyprus: Poland in January-June 2025, Denmark in July-December 2025, and Cyprus January-June 2026
More in: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/56627/presidencies-until-2030.pdf
Danish Presidency: BusinessEurope‘s vision
The Danish Presidency in the Council starts this July, and the preparations are going on in full speed: e.g. even a new position of “European minister” was established for coordinate all possible priorities. With its long-standing expertise in uniting policymakers and social partners with different sensitivities to deliver for society, the Danish presidency is well placed to foster the broad partnership needed to strengthen the EU economy and allow Europe to tackle the historical challenges it is facing.
BusinessEurope stands ready to support the Danish efforts at the time of increasing global uncertainty, towards unity and determined action to strengthen Europe’s economy. It is Europe’s largest business organisation and a leading advocate for growth and competitiveness at the EU level. Founded in 1958, it represents 42 national business federations from 36 countries in the EU, European Economic Area and EU’s neighbourhood.
More in: https://www.businesseurope.eu/business-in-europe/
The central message from the European business community to the incoming Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU was formulated in a declaration (listed below) at the BusinessEurope’s meeting hosted by the Danish member federations (i.e. the Confederation of Danish Employers, DA and Danish Industry, DI.
The BusinessEurope President and its General Secretary met with Morten Bødskov, Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs and outlined the European business community’s key priorities for the upcoming Danish Presidency. They also exchanged views with Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, and had an audience with His Majesty King Frederik X and Her Majesty Queen Mary.
The BusinessEurope President Fredrik Persson underlined that reigniting Europe’s economic engine was essential to mobilise the investments needed EU-wide to succeed continental security, green and digital transitions, while safeguarding its social model.
The adopted declaration “has created the momentum to advance our vital economic partnership; we now need to see real progress on making it easier to trade in goods and services”, said the BusinessEurope Director General, Markus J. Beyrer. He then added that BusinessEurope “counted on the upcoming Danish Presidency to foster the broad partnership needed to meet the historical challenges the EU is facing”.
BusinessEurope is urging the EU to prioritise eight key actions during the next six months, which include: promoting an ambitious international trade policy, rapidly implementing the new Single Market Strategy, taking further measures to reduce energy costs and delivering tangible simplification of regulatory requirements.
More in: https://www.businesseurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-05-23-Copenhagen-declaration-BusinessEuropes-Council-of-Presidents-1.pdf
Copenhagen declaration
All eight recommendations in the short version follow below:
1. Act in unity and promote an ambitious international trade policy. Towards the US, the EU must safeguard European interests with the ultimate objective of finding a negotiated solution, while ensuring the integrity of the internal market, including in the EEA EFTA states. Transatlantic investments and value chains remain very integrated. Increasing tariffs is a lose-lose situation. At the same time, in a world marked by geopolitical uncertainty, trade and investment diversification is fundamental to build resilience and mitigate risks.
2. Promptly bring to implementation the new Single Market strategy in order to remove cross-border regulatory barriers. The Single Market is the backbone of Europe’s economic strength.
Sixty percent of the barriers to cross border provision of services and free movement of labor identified more than 20 years ago persist today and are the equivalent to a 110% tariff on services. True liberalization of services that are key to manufacturing such as engineering, logistics, industrial installations and maintenance as well as developing a Savings and Investments Union combining the Capital Markets Union and the Banking Union to increase the availability of finance is key.
More on SIU in: a) https://www.integrin.dk/2025/05/16/eus-savings-and-investment-union-assisting-integration-process/; and b) on Single Market in: https://www.integrin.dk/2025/05/25/new-european-single-market-strategy-making-the-best-for-business-and-societies/
3. Take further measures to lower energy costs and decarbonise while fostering industrial competitiveness. The Clean Industrial Deal and the EU Action Plan on Affordable Energy remain insufficient so far to lower energy costs and address European competitiveness concerns. While they recognise the need to create a successful business case in the energy and climate transition and rightly aim at reducing energy prices, de-risking private investments, speeding up permits, and creating markets for low-carbon and circular products, more immediate relief measures are either missing or rely exclusively on national implementation. European companies urgently need to see swift and impactful actions, especially to lower energy costs in the short-term.
4. Deliver tangible simplification of reporting and regulatory requirements. A rolling regulatory burden reduction program with a clear target and timeline as well as further omnibus proposals to simplify EU legislation should be put in place, drawing on the 68 BusinessEurope proposals for regulatory burden reduction.
5. Pursue ambitious research and innovation policies. The EU must become more attractive as place to invest in innovation in order to lay the foundation for productivity, growth, long-term competitiveness and the green and digital transitions. This requires innovation-friendly regulation and increasing the EU budget for research and innovation, prioritizing EU funding for industrial competitiveness to support the successful commercialization of innovative products, services and working methods.
6. Ensure that EU social policy contributes to improving competitiveness and addresses the skills and labour shortages that are holding companies back. Doing so is central to have a successful industrial strategy and create productive jobs with good working conditions. Obstacles to skills development differ across Europe. Respecting national competences and working with the social partners is essential to find efficient solutions.
7. Ensure European security, defence and resilience. A common defence and preparedness strategy is needed, while respecting the repartition of competences in the Treaties. The development of a European security and defence industry is key for the competitiveness and the EU-wide re-industrialization.
8. Pave the way to an effective Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) supporting high-impact projects with the need for a robust MFF to maintain competitiveness, promote innovation, sustain the green transition, digitalisation and achieve security and defence necessities. The EU must enhance private sector involvement to leverage its multiplier effect, simplify access to EU funds and prioritise private investment over public spending. Private investment should be encouraged by reducing administrative burden, promoting public private partnerships and ensuring that the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and national promotional banks contribute to de-risking investment. The EU should streamline programs, set clear objectives and conduct systematic ex-post evaluation leading to funds real locations according to findings. Given the EU’s already high average tax burden compared to global competitors, resources must not be generated via more business taxation.
Source, reference and citations from: https://www.businesseurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-05-23-Copenhagen-declaration-BusinessEuropes-Council-of-Presidents-1.pdf