State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić attends GAC

State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić attended the first meeting of Ministers and State Secretaries for European Affairs under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, held in Brussels on 14 July 2026.

The agenda included the presentation of the priorities of the Irish Presidency, an exchange of views on the state of play and future work on the omnibus legislative simplification packages, the adoption of the Conclusions on the evaluation of the annual rule of law dialogue, and information from the Presidency on the next steps in the negotiations on the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

The Irish Presidency presented its priorities and work programme until the end of December, focusing on strengthening the EU's competitiveness, security and resilience while safeguarding the Union's fundamental values.

The Council then held an exchange of views on the state of play and the way forward regarding the omnibus legislative simplification packages. State Secretary Metelko-Zgombić expressed strong support for efforts to simplify EU legislation, highlighting their contribution to enhancing competitiveness and creating a more favourable business environment across the Union. She stressed that regulatory simplification should primarily aim to deliver better, clearer and more effective legislation while maintaining the EU's high standards of protection. She also underlined the importance of ensuring that new legislation is simple and practical for end users to implement, including, for example, the legislative package related to the new Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2028-2034. She supported an accelerated approach to the adoption of the omnibus packages in order to remove disproportionate burdens on both the private and public sectors as swiftly as possible.

The Council adopted the Conclusions on the evaluation of the annual rule of law dialogue. The Conclusions confirm that the dialogue has proved valuable in fostering a positive atmosphere among the Member States and facilitating the exchange of best practices and lessons learned. They also emphasise that the dialogue must be based on the principles of objectivity, non-discrimination, equal treatment of Member States, impartiality and an evidence-based approach.

Under "Any other business", the Irish Presidency outlined the next steps in the discussions on the future MFF, announcing its intention to prepare a revised version of the Negotiating Box for discussion by the European Council in October, with a view to reaching a political agreement by the end of 2026.

The meeting also featured a substantive exchange of views with the EU Special Adviser on the Future of the Single Market, Professor Enrico Letta, on progress in implementing the Much More Than a Market agenda, an important step towards strengthening Europe's competitiveness through the implementation of concrete measures by the end of 2027.

On the margins of the Council meeting, Intergovernmental Conferences were held with Albania, Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova.

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