From 1st July to 31st December 2010, it is Belgium's turn to take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). This is a real challenge, especially as we now need to take into account the many changes set in place by the Lisbon Treaty since it came into force on 1st December 2009.
As President of the Council of the EU, Belgium's role mainly consists of organising and managing the work of each Council configuration through its competent ministers. The Foreign Affairs Council is the only exception to this rule. Since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, it has been presided by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Lady Catherine Ashton.
The Presidency of the Council ensures that the Council runs smoothly, chairs and directs discussions, tries to reconcile divergent points of view and formulates proposals for compromises so that decisions can be taken. The Presidency also plays an important role in negotiations with the other institutions of the Union, especially the European Parliament which, like the Council, has to give its assent to most European legislation.
The rotating Presidency doesn’t only chair the various configurations of the Council. Belgium also chairs the Coreper and the large majority of working groups during its presidency.
Before the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, the six-month Presidency also presided over the European Council. That is no longer the case. The European Council is now a separate Union institution with a permanent president who is elected for a term of office two-and-a-half years and may be re-elected once. Since 1 December 2009, this function has been exercised by former Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy. His job is therefore to chair the European Councils.
The Treaty of Lisbon is implementing more changes. It is now the High Representative who will guide the CFSP and who will represent the Union in the CFSP. The president of the European Council has a representative role “at his level and in that capacity” in the CFSP. This means that the role of the rotating presidency is strictly limited. The role that the rotating presidency had previously as representative of the Union in third countries and for international institutions, will also be performed by the Union delegations in the future.
In this section you can find more detailed information about:
- the people involved in the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, including the Belgian Ministers chairing the configurations of the Council relating to their various portfolios, the trio of Presidencies and the Permanent Representation
- the priorities for the Belgian Presidency