For the first priority, simplification, the Hungarian Presidency will continue the work of the Belgium Presidency. Several reports and conclusions have been adopted on this front recently, including the Council’s Competitivenss Conclusions and the EP ‘Report on Simplification and the work towards the Revision of the EU Financial Regulation and its Implementing Rules’. The Hungarian Presidency therefore has a lot of support from other EU bodies in making progress on simplification.

In terms of the interim evaluation of FP7, the Presidency is planning to hold a high-level stakeholder workshop in Budapest in February and the Council and EP will be invited to discuss and comment on the report during early 2011. It is anticipated that research Ministers will have a first discussion of priorities for the next Framework Programme in early 2011, to coincide with the publication of the EC’s initial reflection paper and  consultation on the next Framework Programme.

 
Further information
The website of the Hungarian Presidency is available at: http://www.mfa.gov.hu/kum/en/bal/european_union/eu_pres_2011/priorities.htm

Source: UKRO Newsletter, January 2011.