Editor's note

The Presidency of the Council ensures that the Council runs smoothly, chairs and directs discussions in the Council’s configurations, tries to reconcile divergent points of view and formulates proposals for compromises so that decisions can be taken. The Presidency also plays an important role in negotiations with the other institutions of the Union, especially the European Parliament which, like the Council, has to give its assent to most European legislation.

A federal state with a population of over 10 m, Belgium is currently in the process of forming a new government after recent elections. This has given rise to some concerns about its EU presidency but caretaker Prime Minister Yves Leterme has given assurances that Belgium is capable of taking on the task. Moreover, there is a broad consensus in support of its programme – the result of two years of preparation.

Before the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, the six-month Presidency also presided over the European Council; that is no longer the case. The European Council is now a separate Union institution with a permanent president who is elected for a term in office for two-and-a-half years and may be re-elected once. Since 1 December 2009, this function has been exercised by former Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy. His job is therefore to chair the European Councils.

The Treaty of Lisbon is implementing more changes: e.g. it is now the High Representative who will guide the CFSP and who will represent the Union in the CFSP. The president of the European Council has a representative role “at his level and in that capacity” in the CFSP. This means that the role of the rotating presidency is strictly limited. The role that the rotating presidency had previously as representative of the Union in third countries and for international institutions, will also be performed by the Union delegations in the future.

Programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council

As President of the Council of the EU, Belgium's role mainly consists of organising and managing the work of each of Council’s nine configuration through its competent ministers. The Foreign Affairs Council is the only exception to this rule: since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force, it has been presided by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Lady Catherine Ashton.

The rotating Presidency chairs various configurations of the Council; besides, Belgium also chairs the Coreper and the large majority of working groups during its presidency.

Belgium has presented an ambitious programme for its 6-month EU presidency in the second half of 2010. The Belgian Presidency for the second half of 2010 is described in the country’s  work programme, which fits into the 18-month programme that Belgium drew up with Spain and Hungary already in 2009; Hungary’s presidency will start next year. Belgium's top priority is to implement the Lisbon Treaty which simplifies EU decision-making procedures and which came into force last December.

During the Spanish presidency, Europe was preoccupied with the fall in the value of the euro and public debt. Now the task is to get the economy growing again, and improve economic governance. The Belgian programme also includes plans to set up a new EU structure to supervise financial markets.

See:  http://www.eutrio.be/trio-presidencies

Initial steps

First informal meeting of the Ministers and State Secretaries for European Affairs within the framework of the Belgian Presidency took place on July 8, when the State Secretary for European Affairs Olivier Chastel welcomed the EU-27 Ministers and State Secretaries for European Affairs in Brussels. Mr. O. Chastel said: “I wanted to discuss two topics with my European colleagues: first of all the priorities of our triple-Presidency, especially some specific issues where we want to achieve concrete results, and also the relations between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament".

Common work program

To provide certain continuity in the work of the EU, Belgium set up a common work programme with the previous Presidency (Spain) and the following Presidency (Hungary), in accordance with the legislative provisions of the EU Treaties. This programme therefore covers a period of eighteen months, between January 2010 and June 2011.

There are the following main objectives set up as part of this common work programme:

• review the Lisbon Strategy so that the EU is better prepared to overcome the economic crisis, restore sustainable growth, a higher rate of employment and better competitiveness;

• better monitoring of the financial markets;

• broaden the social agenda and focus it on young people, on combating gender discrimination and fighting poverty;

• press forward on energy and climate change;

• make the EU a space for ever greater freedom, safety and justice (Stockholm programme);

• set up a global European policy for immigration and asylum;

• set up a more consistent, effective external EU representation;

• place the emphasis on the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

See: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/09/st16/st16771.en09.pdf