About the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Every six months, one EU member state assumes the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, or the Council of the European Union as it is formally called. The Presidency thus rotates between member states. Sweden will hold the Presidency during the first half of 2023.
The task of the country holding the Presidency is to organise and chair the meetings of the Council of Ministers, except the Foreign Affairs Council, and maintain contact with the other EU institutions, particularly the European Commission and the European Parliament. The country holding the Presidency should drive the Council's work with pursuing EU legislation.
Facts: Council of Ministers
The EU's Council of Ministers is formally called the Council of the European Union, but is usually called the Council of Ministers or just the Council. The Council takes decisions regarding EU legislation together with the European Parliament: It consists of ministers from the governments of the EU member states. Which ministers participate in the meetings of the Council of Ministers depend on which issues are to be discussed. The Council of Ministers has ten different groups, known as Council configurations, for different policy areas. Examples of such configurations are the Foreign Affairs Council, the Environment Council and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council
Sweden held the Presidency during the first half of 2023
During the period 1 January–30 June 2023, Sweden held the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. The Government is responsible for the work of the Council during the Swedish Presidency. During the six months of the Swedish Presidency, the Government and the Government Offices led most of the meetings held in the Council of Ministers. In total, there were approximately 2,000 meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg and approximately 150 informal meetings and conferences in Sweden.
Sweden previously held the Presidency in spring 2001 and autumn 2009.
The Swedish Presidency 2023 on the Government Offices website
The country holding the Presidency has two main tasks
The country holding the Presidency should organise and drive the work of the Council forward and that of the 250–300 committees and working groups that are part of the Council. The member state holding the Presidency can be said to have two main tasks.
- The country leads, coordinates and administers the work of the Council of Ministers. This includes preparing documentation and agendas and planning and convening meetings.
- The country holding the Presidency represents the Council in relations with other EU institutions, especially the European Commission and the European Parliament. This includes trying to reach agreement by mediating and drafting compromises in negotiations.
This work also involves producing and pursuing a working programme with political priorities for the period. The country holding the Presidency also represents the Council to other countries and international organisations.
The Riksdag organises conferences
The activities arranged by the national parliaments during the Presidency are known as the “parliamentary dimension” of the Presidency.
During the six months of the Swedish Presidency, the Riksdag arranged eight conferences and meetings in which members and officials from the national parliaments of the EU member states and the European Parliament participated and discussed various issues. One of the conferences was arranged together with the European Parliament. One purpose is to promote cooperation and discussion between members working with the same issues in the various national parliaments and the European Parliament. In this way, the national parliaments of the EU member states can contribute to a smoothly functioning EU.
Collaboration in a trio
The EU members states who hold the Presidency after each other cooperate in a group consisting of three member states, known as a trio. The three countries set long-term targets and draw up a joint programme containing the themes and important issues which the Council is to raise during the 18-month period. Based on this overall programme, each of the three countries will then draw up its own more detailed six-month programme.
The idea of the cooperation in the trio is to achieve greater coordination and continuity in the work of the Presidency over time and to facilitate the production of more long-term political priorities. EU member states with less experience of holding the Presidency can also benefit from countries with more experience. The groups of member states who are to cooperate are assembled on the basis of geographic spread and difference in character. In other words, the countries who are to cooperate in the Presidency trio should not be countries that are too similar to each other or are located too close to each other.
It is the European Council that decides on the order of rotation between the member states and more detailed provisions determining how the Presidency is to be organised.
Sweden was part of a trio of presidencies together with France and the Czech Republic. Their 18-month programme was presented in December 2021.
Some possibilities to influence
The country holding the Presidency of the Council of Ministers also has to lead negotiations in the Council and represent the Council in negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Commission, for example. Its main task is to mediate and create consensus in the Council and with other EU institutions. There is therefore little scope for the country holding the Presidency to pursue its own political agenda.
The work of country holding the Presidency largely involves continuing negotiations on issues that have be taken over from previous presidencies. Around 80 percent of all matters discussed in the Council are expected to be related to previous decisions, proposals from the European Commission or priorities established earlier.
However, the country holding the Presidency has an opportunity to highlight and select issues it wishes to focus on at various Council meetings. The Presidency also draws up a work programme for the period, which includes political issues that the country wishes to raise. In this way, it can to some extent influence which subjects are to be raised on the political agenda in the EU.
The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
English and French subtitles are available for this video. You can activate the subtitles by clicking on the settings wheel at the bottom of the video player and then clicking on the subtitling option.
HISTORY
The Presidency has developed over the years
1952
In 1952, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany formed a common market for coal and steel: the European Coal and Steel Community. This marked the start of the cooperation that has developed over the years to become today’s European Union, the EU.
1958
On 1 January 1958, cooperation between the countries was developed and was named the European Economic Communities, the EEC. This is also when the Presidency was established, which is the forerunner to today’s Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU. The first country to hold the Presidency was Belgium and the Presidency was then rotated between the six member states in alphabetical order.
1967
In 1967, the cooperation between the six member states was called the European Communities, the EC. During the 70s and 80s, the EC was extended and more countries became members.
1993
In 1993, European cooperation was developed further and was given its present name, the European Union, the EU. This is also when the order of countries holding the Presidency was changed from alphabetical order to being the basis of a decision by the Council of Ministers.
2007
On 1 January 2007, the procedure was introduced whereby three countries would cooperate in a trio for 18 months. Each of these three countries hold the presidency for six months during the period, but they also receive support and assistance from the other two. The three countries draw up a joint programme with the topics and key issues to be raised by the Council during the period.
2009
Up until 2009, the country holding the Presidency led work in all policy areas at European level. However, since the Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1 December 2009, the Foreign Affairs Council has not been led by the Presidency but by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also known as the EU Foreign Minister. The High Representative is elected for one term of office, that is five years at a time.
The other nine configurations of the Council of Ministers have retained the rotating presidency system. Since the new Treaty came into force in the middle of the then Swedish Presidency in the second half of 2009, the new provisions were gradually introduced until 1 January 2010.
In 2009, the European Council, which brings together the heads of state and government of the EU, was given its own permanent president, who is elected for 2.5 years at a time. The European Council was more of an informal forum between heads of state and government without formal powers, but now it became an EU institution of its own. Since then, the country holding the EU Presidency has had no responsibility for leading the meetings of the European Council.