Sarajevo, 9/7/2010      English Bosanski Hrvatski Српски
EU in BiH
published on: Friday, January 01, 2010
PrintDownloadE-mail
Newsletter
Please enter your
e-mail address.
EU Presidency
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union has in broad terms three essential functions:
  • Organising and chairing meetings of the Council and its working groups.
  • Representing the Council, both in its work with the other institutions and bodies of the EU, and internationally, for example in the United Nations and World Trade Organisation. The Presidency also represents the EU in its relations with countries outside the Union.
  • Ensuring that outstanding negotiations from the previous Presidency are taken forward, and if necessary are handed on to the following Presidency.

The Presidency rotates between the Member States every six months. 

Belgium holds the Presidency of the European Union from 1 July 2010 to 1 January 2011.


EU Presidency Relations with other EU Institutions

One of the main roles of the Presidency is to represent the Council in negotiations with other EU bodies, including the European Parliament and the Commission.

At the start of each Presidency, a proposed programme of activities is presented to the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and to the Committee of the Regions. At the end of the six-month period, a report is delivered to the Parliament on the outcomes of the Presidency.

In its day-to-day business, the Presidency is assisted by a General Secretariat, based in Brussels.

In most areas of legislation, the Council and the European Parliament have to agree on a proposal before it can become law. (This process is known as “co-decision”.) The Presidency negotiates with the Parliament to reach an agreement; where necessary working through Conciliation Committees to achieve a consensus.

The Presidency makes regular reports to the committees of the Parliament. These committees are set up to organise the work of the MEPs, debating and reporting to the Parliament on specific issues.

Ministers from the country holding the Presidency are also responsible for representing the Council in debates in the Parliament, as well as answering questions from the Parliament on Council decisions.