What does it take to run the Council of the European Union?
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
What does it taketo run the Councilof the European Union?
How does the council leadership work?
> Presided over by a country, not just one person
> This country’s leadership lasts six months
> 28 member states take turns to lead the council
> Presidency meets monthly in Strasbourg, France
What does thePresidency do?
> At first considered quite powerless> Now considered the prime decision maker of
the EU> Most important laws debated by members> Make the riskiest decisions
A brief history of leadership
> 1958: Belgium, West Germany
> 1959-73: Rotation of France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
> from 1973: Denmark
> from 1977: United Kingdom
> June to December 2013 (now): Lithuania
Roles in EU development
> Progressive deepening of European integration> Profusion of technical/sectoral councils> Expansion of Coreper influence> Proliferation of Council working groups> Impact of intergovernmental cooperations in
foreign/security policy, justice and home affairs
Responsibilities> Presenting a presidency program, reporting on the
conduct of the presidency to EU Parliament
> Preparing and overlooking meetings of the council, subcommittees and working groups
> Making deals in the Council to reach agreement on legislative proposals
> Launching policy initiatives
> Acting as EU spokesperson
More functions> Numerous events during six-month presidency> Five informal council meetings
> Educational function tries to enlighten public about benefits of EU, especially in Eurosceptic countries
> Government in Presidency more likely to make concessions to increase productivity and prestige
Dual personalities> Countries in the Presidency seek both to
advance their own positions and to be impartial arbitrators
> Reconcile national and presidential interests> Small countries must adapt more to deal
with the strains of Presidency - usually do better job
Countering problems:Trio system
> Because countries only get six months, there is not a lot of time to implement ideas
> Idea of “trio” put forward in 2007> Three presidencies work on common political
programs in their tenure
Past and future trios> Germany, Portugal and Slovenia
> France, Czech Republic and Sweden
> Spain, Belgium and Hungary
> Poland, Denmark and Cyprus
> Ireland, Lithuania and Greece
> Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg
Advantages> Smaller countries have chance to be heard
> A chance to take the limelight for six months> Respects equality among the union
0.4 0.5 0.9 1.3
2.0 2.1 3.0 4.4(pop. in millions)
Disadvantages
> Countries have to wait 14 years to regain the Presidency
> Lithuania 2013... Lithuania 2027> Highlighting small countries only once in 14
years
One more disadvantage
> Herman Van Rompuy is usually viewed as the face of the EU no matter which country is in charge
> His role, President of the European Council, can be confused with the country’s role
Why two Presidencies?
> Answer: Lisbon Treaty
> Major amendment to the Treaty of Maastricht and the Treaty of Rome
> Means a politician is chosen to be President of the European Council for two and a half years in qualified majority vote...
> ...but countries still chair meetings for six months each!
Spanner in the wheel:Ireland
> Original timetable was to have all states ratify the Treaty by 2008...
> ...but Ireland rejected it in a referendum because it would impact on their constitution
> Since all states have veto power, the Treaty was put on hold
Change of heart> In 2009, Ireland made
concessions with EU> The whole of the
Lisbon treaty was altered by these amendments!
> Second referendum passed easily... YES
NO
So...> Maastricht Treaty, article 15 (amended by
Lisbon Treaty)...> “The European Council shall elect its
President, by a qualified majority, for a term of two and a half years, renewable once. In the event of an impediment or serious misconduct, the European Council can end the President's term of office in accordance with the same procedure.”
Ireland’s presidency> January - June 2013> Head of State: Edna Kenny (Taoiseach)
Ireland’s presidency> To secure economic
stability> Investing in
sustainable jobs and growth
> To tackle global issues as united European front
Success> Angela Merkel (Germany):> “I would like to give my
heartfelt thanks for an unusually successful presidency in which many dossiers were brought to a successful conclusion.”
Current Presidency: Lithuania
> Since July 1, 2013> Lithuania> Head of state:
Dalia Grybauskaitė
Lithuania’s policies> To make a credible Europe
with a stable financial sector
> To grow Europe through research and development
> To open Europe to global challenges and solve them
Related Documents
