AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN COUNCIL

Agenda highlights

The European Council will focus on two main issues:

United Kingdom

Following the discussion at the December 2015 European Council on the UK plans for an (in/out) referendum, the European Council agreed to find mutually satisfactory solutions in four areas of concern at its February meeting:

competitiveness
economic governance
sovereignty
social benefits and free movement

On 2 February 2016, President Donald Tusk put forward a proposal for a new settlement addressing all these concerns. Negotiations at all levels are ongoing to find an agreement with all 28 member states.

Letter by President Tusk to the Members of the European Council on his proposal for a new settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union

Information for the media

See also the timeline of key events in the negotiation process aimed at putting together a new deal for the UK within the EU:

Timeline – a new settlement for the UK in the EU

Click on the image to access the interactive map (available in English and French only)

Migration

On the migration and refugee crisis, the European Council will look at the implementation of the decisions already taken and prepare the ground for future decisions to be taken at its next meeting in March.

Discussions will focus on humanitarian assistance, external border management, the implementation of the EU-Turkey Action Plan and the operation of hotspots.

The timeline outlines the main measures taken by the EU, together with the member states, over the last few months.