The presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) rotates among the EU Member States every six months and the country holding the presidency drives forward the Council's work. The EU Council is an essential decision maker which together with the European Parliament (EP) adopts legislation and coordinates EU policies.
Presidency is an opportunity for each Member State, regardless of its size or the length of the membership, to influence the EU agenda and guide the EU endeavours. Latvia for the first time is assuming this task from 1 January 2015 to 30 June 2015 taking it over from Italy and afterwards handing over the reins of the presidency to Luxembourg.
The presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, driving forward the Council's work on EU legislation and fostering the cooperation among Member States, thus, ensuring the continuity of the EU agenda and achievement of common goals. To do this, the presidency must act as an honest and neutral broker.
Main tasks of the presidency:
- organise Council’s work and chair meetings at all levels
There will be around 1500 meetings of different levels in Brussels and Luxembourg as well as around 200 meetings in Latvia during the Presidency.
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- Presidency chairs:
- EU Council’s meetings (with the exception of the Foreign Affairs Council)
- Meetings of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER)
- Meetings of working parties and committees
The presidency ensures that discussions are conducted properly and that the Council's rules of procedure and working methods are correctly applied.
- represent the Council in relations with the other EU institutions and globally
The presidency represents the Council in relations with the other EU institutions; it cooperates with other Member States and General Secretariat of the EU Council, the Commission, European Parliament and the President of the European Council. The presidency represents the Council also outside the EU.
Presidency is not all about politics. It is a responsibility and a unique opportunity for all of us personally - to work together, expand borders of cooperation, and raise awareness of each other. Rotating presidencies is an opportunity to get to know European diversity in order to grow stronger together and to govern, organise and influence our futures better and better.