Estonia is ready to lead the Council of the EU over the second half of 2017 and the country prepared a number of events to mark its six-month mandate at the helm of the EU. The country is also set to celebrate the centenary of the Republic in 2018.
Estonia will assume the presidency of the EU starting on July 1st, 2017. It will lead the European Union for a term of six months. Estonia has picked up the baton of the presidency from the Malta and will deliver it to Bulgaria at the end of the term. To mark the occasion, officials have planned a series of events aimed at raising awareness about the values of the country while attracting international visitors.
Over 260 events are planned, ranging from seminars to fairs, workshops, and conferences. Tallinn will be the main destination for these events, with most of the gatherings happening at Kultuurikatel, the Tallinn Creative Hub. Approximately 20 high-level meetings, visits, and conferences, as well as approximately 200 other presidency-related events, are taking place in Estonia during the presidency. Among these, the most noteworthy are the Startup Nations Summit, the Connecting Europe Conference, and the Estonian Health Tech Cluster’s eHealth conference. Other events were planned to boost Estonia’s international visibility in the fields of culture, business, information technology, tourism, and housing as well as education and research.
The four priorities of the Estonian Presidency are:
- an open and innovative European economy
- a safe and secure Europe
- a digital Europe and the free flow of data
- an inclusive and sustainable Europe.
A special website, eu2017.ee, was launched to keep visitors in the loop with what happens and when. Information about the ongoing preparations and the organization of the Estonian Presidency can be found on the website eesistumine.ee.