Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

On Thursday 24 June, the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament met with the upcoming Belgian Presidency. The Prime Minister, Yves Leterme, the Federal Ministers and a number of federal bodies presented the political and legislative priorities of the Presidency. 

The Conference of Presidents is made up of the President, Mr Jerzy Buzek, and the Presidents of the political groups of the European Parliament. It organises the practical aspects of the Parliament's work and all questions relating to legislative planning, including the agenda for plenary sittings, legislative programming, etc.

As Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a large part of my role involves representing the Presidency of the EU Council before the European Parliament. This is why I have also put considerable effort into creating contacts with individuals and key bodies of the European Union since November 2009.

During the meeting with President Jerzy Buzek and the representatives of the political groups, we discussed the programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU.

With a view to building helpful synergies between the Council and the European Parliament, I proposed the organisation of informal meetings with the Conference of Presidents. These informal meetings will take place on a monthly basis and will facilitate management of the European legislative timetable. On 1 July, I will be participating in the first of these meetings myself. 

Olivier Chastel - State Secretary for European Affairs