Luxembourg's ambassador shares priorities for EU presidency

As president of the Council of the 28-nation European Union, Luxembourg intends to focus on stimulating Europe's economy, Ambassador Jean-Louis Wolzfeld of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg told a July 10 Newsmaker.

Luxembourg began its six-month presidency on July 1.

Wolzfeld, who also is accredited as ambassador to Canada and Mexico and has been Luxembourg’s envoy to the UN and several other European and Asian countries, also explained the EU’s rotating presidency system. He said the rotation system of the EU Council of Ministers has been changed to a system of “team presidencies” comprised of the current, previous and next presidency. In Luxembourg’s case, it was preceded by Latvia and will be succeeded the Netherlands in January 2016.

Wolzfeld said his country’s top EU priorities during its presidency include stimulating investment, boosting growth and employment, deepening the social dimensions of the EU, and revitalizing the single market by focusing on its digital dimension.

On the international level, he listed managing the problem of migration; promoting sustainable development; placing European competitiveness in a transparent global framework; and strengthening the EU’s global presence, including in Iran and Ukraine, and through the Transatlantic Partnership.