Presidency of the Council of the European Union

, Also referred to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union Presidency, rotates in accordance with article 16, paragraph 9 of the EU Treaty by an equal cycle between the EU Member States. Every six months changes the presidency between the EU member states, according to a fixed order. The process can be lit by the European Council in accordance with Article 236. b ) TFEU be changed by unanimity. In the first half of 2014, the Council shall meet under the chairmanship of Greece.

Since the Council of the European Union meet in different configurations (such as economy of Ministers, Council of Environment Ministers, etc.), another minister takes in each of these compositions in the chair. A single Council President does not exist in the strict sense, then. However, the Council notes General Affairs, in the days of the Secretary of State, a coordinating role between the different Council formations one. Therefore, it is often the foreign minister of the country, occupying the rotating presidency, called the Council.

To allow despite the regular chair change a certain continuity, create three countries since 2007, formally taking the Presidency in succession, a common " eighteen- month program ." This cooperation is also referred to as a trio or team presidency. After the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty it received in 2009 by a European Council decision, a European legal basis.

An exception from the system of rotating presidencies forms the Council of Foreign Affairs, since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty the EU chaired by the elected five-year high representative for foreign and security policy. Since 1 December 2009, this is Catherine Ashton.

Tasks

The tasks of the Presidency are:

  • To organize the meetings of the Council and to conduct,
  • Work out problems between Member States or between the Council and other Union institutions compromise proposals in consultation with the parties concerned and
  • To represent the Council in relation to other institutions and bodies of the Union, as well as to other international organizations and third countries.

The President is assisted in these activities by the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Trio Presidency

Since the presidency rotates every six months, it is difficult to look after the long-term policy tasks continuously. Therefore, since 2007, three successive presidencies work in a so-called " Trio Presidency " together. This shows on the one hand in the development of a common eighteen- month program to which the six-month programs of the individual presidencies are matched. On the other hand, the respective Council Chair may be represented at meetings by one of the other two countries. The exact form of the division of labor between the three members of the Trio Presidency is left to them.

Eight -month program

According to Article 2, Paragraph 6 of the Rules of Procedure of the Council of the European Union drafted the Trio Presidency every 18 months in close cooperation with the European Commission and the President of the European Council, a joint program. This program is divided into three parts, the first part of the strategic framework of the program is presented in a broader context and in particular from the perspective of long-term goals that are relevant for the three successive presidencies. In the second part you will find a list of specific priorities of the three Presidencies in each policy area, while the third part consists of a comprehensive program with the topics to be covered during the eighteen -month period. The eight -month program will be submitted no later than one month before, in question period the Council for General Affairs for approval.

According to Article 3, Section 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Council, the eighteen- month program of each meeting must be taken into account in the preparation of the agenda

History

A first system a "triple " - or "troika" presidency has already been introduced in 1981, having won in particular in the field of European Political Cooperation, the Presidency of the political meaning and at the same time increased the burden on the individual governments. The Presidency has since been supported by a small staff of officers, who were sent from the preceding and subsequent presidencies. These officers remained in the service of their national foreign ministry and belonged to the staff of its embassy in the capital of the Presidency. But you were the presidential available and worked under their direction. The President was also able to delegate certain tasks to his successor or ask his predecessor to finish tasks that were at the handover of the presidency nearing completion. In order for a smooth transition from one presidency to the next should be enabled.

The EU Constitutional Treaty in 2004 saw the transition to a " trio presidency " before, in the three Member States should share responsibility for the work of the Presidency. Each of the three countries should formally continue for six months as the chairman, the tasks related but should be able to be divided among the three countries. While in the Troikamodell the members of the Troika is changed twice a year, the Trio Presidency should remain unchanged over the period of 18 months.

Although the constitutional treaty ratification process failed, this system was introduced in January 2007 with a change in the Rules of Procedure of the Council. Therefore, the first trio formed the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies in 2007 /2008. The three countries adopted in anticipation of the Presidency, a joint program of work in which they coordinated their national initiatives and priorities to each other. The Lisbon Treaty, which was adopted in 2007, finally laid down in the Constitutional Treaty rules on hand again and created the possibility of formally codify by an EU decision, the Trio Presidency (Art. 236 TFEU). A corresponding resolution was passed immediately after the entry into force of the Treaty on 1 December 2009.

Presidencies in chronological order

The following table shows the countries that have not yet perceived the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, with their respective foreign ministers, who held the presidency of the General Affairs Council. After the establishment of the European Council, which brings together the EU Heads of State and Government since 1974, chaired was initially linked to the Presidency. With the Treaty of Lisbon, the post of permanent President of the European Council was created in December 2009, which no longer belongs to the government of a particular Member State.

  • Cycle 1 to 5 → EEC -6 = Belgium, West Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
  • Cycle 6-7 → EC -9 = EEC -6 Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom
  • Cycle 8 → EC 10 = EC 9 Greece
  • Cycle 9 → EC 12 = EC 10 Portugal, Spain
  • Cycle 10 → demolition of the 10th cycle, only 11 of the 12 EU countries (excluding Portugal) and premature beginning of the 11th cycle of the EU -15 with Austria
  • Cycle 11 → EU -15 = EU 12 Finland, Austria, Sweden
  • Cycle 12 → EU -25 = EU -15 Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Cyprus
  • Cycle 13 → EU -28 = EU 25 Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia
Treaties of the European Union Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union Decision (European Union) Victor Larock Heinrich von Brentano Maurice Couve de Murville Giuseppe Pella Joseph Luns Paul-Henri Spaak Emilio Colombo Amintore Fanfani Pierre Werner Barend Biesheuvel Giuseppe Medici Pierre Harmel Walter Scheel Maurice Schumann Aldo Moro Norbert Schmelzer Jean Sauvagnargues Liam Cosgrave Garret FitzGerald Mariano Rumor Max van der Stoel Anthony Crosland Leo Tindemans Henri Simonet Jack Lynch Charles Haughey Attilio Ruffini Colette Flesch Chris van der Klaauw Wilfried Martens Roland Dumas Peter Barry Giulio Andreotti Jacques Santer Jacques Poos Ruud Lubbers Hans van den Broek Geoffrey Howe Theodoros Pangalos Gerry Collins (politician) Gianni De Michelis John Major Douglas Hurd Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Niels Helveg Petersen Jean-Luc Dehaene Willy Claes Klaus Kinkel Jacques Chirac Lamberto Dini Romano Prodi Susanna Agnelli John Bruton Dick Spring Wim Kok Hans van Mierlo Jean-Claude Juncker Viktor Klima Joschka Fischer Jaime Gama Anna Lindh Guy Verhofstadt Louis Michel Anders Fogh Rasmussen Franco Frattini Bertie Ahern Brian Cowen Jean Asselborn Jack Straw Erkki Tuomioja Frank-Walter Steinmeier Dimitrij Rupel Bernard Kouchner Jan Fischer (politician) Karel Schwarzenberg Jan Kohout Fredrik Reinfeldt Carl Bildt Herman Van Rompuy Steven Vanackere Nicolai Wammen Eamon Gilmore Evangelos Venizelos
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