Andreas Peschke, Director-General from Germany, opened the conference by presenting Germany’s priority tasks, which include the agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework and the Recovery Instrument, the future of relations with the United Kingdom, the migration issue and the rule of law. Rui Vinhas, Director-General from Portugal, and Acting Director-General Barbara Sušnik, representing the next two of the current Trio Presidency countries, outlined the joint 18-month Programme of the Council. Acting Director-General Sušnik drew attention to the two key priorities of Slovenia's presidency, also included in the 18-month programme, i.e. drafting of emergency response plans (in the case of pandemics, mass migrations, etc.) and enhancing the EU’s resilience to cyberattacks.

Due to the current health crisis, the strategic orientations and plans of the Trio have already been extensively supplemented with measures for mitigating the economic, financial, social and environmental consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. All these topics will have a profound impact on the functioning of the EU and thus, the work of the Trio Presidency countries.