Officially, the Netherlands took over the Presidency of the European Council on January 7th as part of a six-months-rotating system amongst the EU member states. From January to June, 2016 Dutch diplomats will chair regular meetings in Brussels and in Amsterdam. Conversely, ministries, cities, companies and NGOs will organise a range of events here in the Netherlands.
During each period, the presidency chairs meetings at every level in the Council, helping to ensure the continuity of the EU’s work.
Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called ‘trios’. The current trio is made up of the presidencies of the Netherlands, Slovakia and Malta.
This system was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The trio sets long-term goals and prepares a common agenda determining the topics and major issues that will be addressed by the Council over an eighteen months period. On the basis of this programme, each of the three countries prepares its own agenda.
The presidency is responsible for driving forward the Council’s work based on EU legislation, assuring the continuity of the EU goals, with orderly legislative mechanisms and cooperation among member states. In order to achieve this task, the presidency must act as an honest and impartial broker.
Please see some images from Kim Vermaat of the memorable meeting following the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157663377564656
The Netherlands’ first presidency took place in 1992 then after in 1997 were the country played a leading part in treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam, starting negotiations in 2004 to integrate Turkey as member state. The role of the rotating presidencies has changed remarkably, as both the European Council and the Foreign Affairs Council have now a permanent President.
The presidency has now two main duties:
- Planning and chairing meetings in the Council and its preparatory bodies
The presidency chairs meetings of the different Council configurations (with the exception of the Foreign Affairs Council) and the Council’s preparatory bodies, which include permanent committees such as the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper), and working parties and committees dealing with very specific subjects.
The presidency ensures that debates are conducted accurately and that all Council’s rules of procedure and working methods are correctly applied.
It also organizes multiples formal and informal meetings in Brussels and in the country of the rotating presidency, now in Amsterdam. The Netherlands will have to deal with an ambitious reform programme for Europe and a great number of new European legislation proposals of sensitive topics.
- Representing the Council in relations with the other EU institutions
The presidency represents the Council in relations with the other EU institutions, particularly with the Commission and the European Parliament. Its role is to try and reach agreement on legislative files through trilogues, informal negotiation meetings and Conciliation Committee meetings.
The presidency works in close coordination with:
The President of the European Council
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The presidency can represent the Foreign Affairs Council before the European Parliament or preside over the Foreign Affairs Council when it discusses common commercial policy issues.
The Dutch agenda focus on the essential: clear tasks division between the member states and the EU institutions, reduction of the administrative impact, support innovation and the creation of new jobs, as well as promoting a better interaction between the EU and the European population.
Information on the Netherlands EU presidency: http://english.eu2016.nl/
