Picture by Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg.
By Baron Henri Estramant.
Luxembourg’s Permanent Representative to the EU and incumbent chairman of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU (COREPER II/Comité des représentants permanents), Ambassador Christian Braun arranged a working visit for his colleagues in the Grand Duchy. In the latter framework all his colleagues were received in audience by HRH The Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
COREPER II is the EU organ formed by the ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary (heads of mission) from each EU member state functioning as permanent representatives. Each six months a new chairperson assures its presidency hailing from the member state which is in charge of the council’s presidency.
Moreover COREPER II serves as the liaison between the Council of Ministers and the other EU institutions. Chiefly, however, the committee is the interface between the member states and the EU, negotiates before the Council as well as the other institutions, particularly vis-à-vis the Parliament and the Commission.
The issues dealt with largely at COREPER II are political, financial as well as foreign policy as laid down in art. 240 of the Treaty on the functioning of the EU.
The permanent representatives at the audience with HRH Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg were:
Luxembourg: Ambassador Christian Braun, Chairman. The Netherlands: Ambassador Pieter de Gooijer, will take over the chairmanship in January 2016 with the Dutch Presidency of the EU Council. Germany: Ambassador Reinhard Silberberg. Finland: Ambassador Pilvi-Sisko Vierros-Villeneuve. Spain: Ambassador Alfonso Dastis Quecedo. France: Ambassador Pierre Sellal.
Italy: Ambassador Stefano Sannino. Sweden: Ambassador Anders Ahnlid. UK: Ambassador Ivan Rogers. Slovakia: Ambassador Ivan Korčok. Belgium: Ambassador Dirk Wouters. Bulgaria: Ambassador Dimiter Tzantchev. Czech Republic: Ambassador Martin Poveisil.
Denmark: Ambassador Kim Jørgensen. Estonia: Ambassador Matti Maasikas. Ireland: Ambassador Declan Kelleher . Greece: Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou. France: Ambassador Pierre Sellal . Croatia: Ambassador Mato Škrabalo. Italy: Ambassador Stefano Sannino. Cyprus: Ambassador Kornelios Korneliou. Latvia: Ambassador Ilze Johansone . Lithuania: Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė.
Hungary: Ambassador Péter Györkös. Malta: Ambassador Marlene Bonnici. Austria: Ambassador Walter Grahammer. Poland: Ambassador Marek Prawda . Portugal: Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital . Slovenia: Ambassador Rado Genorio
For more information:
COREPER II:
http://europa.eu/whoiswho/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=idea.hierarchy&nodeid=3761
