Editor's note

According to the new EU law, the main present Presidency’s activities will take in the Council of Ministers; the EU has already a permanent Union’s President, i.e. European Council’s President H. Van Rompuy. Danish tasks for the coming six months are both complicated and ambitious. The Baltic States can definitely learn a thing or two of the present Danish experience.   

Big tasks ahead

It’s already the seventh time that Denmark takes the EU rotating 6-months Presidency, though this time it’s going to be quite a different arrangement. For example, the last time in 2002, Denmark’ presidency –that time of the whole EU- ended up in a huge success making the new EU enlargement to EU-25 a great positive event for Europe. 

At present things changed greatly: most of the Presidency’s work is taking place in the Council of Ministers (or just, the Council). Its main task, generally, is to exercise legislative and budgetary functions (together with the European Parliament). Besides, the Council carries out policy-making and coordinating functions: this is where the Danish “team” would perform the Presidency’s priorities. 

Already at Hungarian presidency a year ago (in the first half of 2011), the Commission’s president J.M.Barroso underlined new aspects of Council’s presidency that have appeared after the Lisbon Treaty.

Although the EU external relations and relationships with the heads of state are the prerequisite of the newly established positions in the EU’s hierarchy (correspondingly by H. Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton), the Council’s presidency is still an important part of the EU governance. Hence the importance of the new institutional framework; these changes could be taken into consideration by the Baltic States’ governments while preparing for their tern in the helmet of the EU Council presidency.

With the role of the Council’s presidency now limited, one of its greatest impacts may be on a country's domestic politics.

Presidency’s agenda

However, there are four main items in the Danish presidency’s agenda and the Danish government will work on the following European issues;

-                     Responsible Europe: here there are two main priorities: a) debt crisis and euro issues must be solved, as well as europact shall be adopted and implemented; b) all basic preparatory work for the multi-annual EU budget for 2014-20 must be ready so it shall be finally approved during Cyprus presidency at the second part of 2012.

-                     Dynamic Europe: a number of directives concerning the Single Market issues shall be reviewed and adopted, e.g. on digital market and data-roaming.

-                     Green Europe; here there are two priorities as well: a) agriculture, transport and other economic policies to be more sustainable, and b) new energy-efficiency directive in order to reach the EU-2020 strategy aim of 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency level.

-                     Safe Europe; the strategy involves two priorities: a) to adopt a European immigration and asylum system (CEAS) in order to tackle the increasing flow of immigrants, and b) to strengthen Schengen cooperation with a system of border control, if necessary.       

In order to perform these tasks, the Danish government appointed 85 responsible people to represent various presidency’s implementation efforts. Suffice it to say that in 2002, the last Danish presidency, the number was just 60.   

“First we have to save the euro, our common European currency, and then we’ll talk about growth”, said Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt at the end of December 2011 describing the main agenda of the Presidency to the country’s media. 

Already in January 2012 first major events will take place in Copenhagen: 11-12 January Commission college will come to Denmark to meet with the Danish ministers (Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, brought his government to Brussels in June 2011to meet the members of the European Commission), then on 16-19 January H. Thorning-Schmidt will officially present the Danish presidency program to the European Parliament.

Council of Ministers’ presidency

As is known presently, most of the Presidency’s work is taking place in the Council of Ministers (or just, the Council). Its main task, generally, is to exercise legislative and budgetary functions (together with the European Parliament) as the Lisbon Treaty prescribes (art. 16, TFEU). That means the “Danish presidency team” shall be in close contacts with the EP’s committees. Besides, the Council carries out policy-making and coordinating functions: this where the “team” would perform the Presidency’s priorities.   

In order to see the magnitude of the “teams’ tasks”, suffice it to mention the Council’s committees, so-called “configurations”.

Council’s 10 configurations (covering EU policy areas)

-                     General Affairs (GAC)

-                     Foreign Affairs (FAC)

-                     Economic & Financial Affairs (ECOFIN)

-                     Justice & Home Affairs (JHA)

-                     Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO)

-                     Competitiveness (COMPET)

-                     Transport, Telecommunications & Energy (TTE)

-                     Agriculture & Fisheries (AGRI)

-                     Environment (ENVI)

-                     Education, Youth, Culture & Sport (EYCS)   

In these Council’s meetings the corresponding Danish ministers will prepare the agenda, formulated the drafts of decisions and ultimately preside over the “configuration”.  

Social-democrats’ Europe

New Danish government is headed by the social democrats in coalition with other parties (3-4 are most influential). In the middle of January, a new European Parliament President will take a 2,5 year term in office; it is expected to be the German social democrat Martin Schulz. He would replace conservative Polish leader Jerzy Buzek. Social democrats are presently the second largest part grouping in the Parliament which might exert some difficulties in getting legislative proposals through EP’s committees.

On another hand, the new Danish government is of the same origin which could help to negotiate with the European Parliament.

Denmark has been in the EU since 1973; more than 60 per cent of its export goes to the Union member states and about half a million jobs are created due to Danish involvement in the Single Market. 

Troika-plans for Presidency

Due to the short terms of the rotating presidency, as a rule, three states are making a “common program” which is called troika program; the present Danish one is made together with Poland and Cyprus.  

Deep divisions in the EU emerged during Polish presidency. It was hardly the Polish presidency's fault that at the December 2011 summits the UK vetoed plans to revise the EU's treaties in a bid to enforce stricter economic discipline rules for eurozone countries. Rather, it was a reflection of the power of the Franco-German alliance in decision-making – and the limited role of the rotating presidency under the Lisbon treaty.  Poland's prime minister rightly underlined unjust moves that would mean discrimination between eurozone members and the rest of EU members. The eurozone states could be a leading force in Europe, he mentioned, but not an exclusive club within the EU.

Polish presidency warned against intentions to hold regular eurozone meetings at the level of government leaders; already two eurozone-only summits have taken place and eurozone leaders have agreed to meet at least twice a year, and once a month while the crisis lasts.

Poland also called for steps to prevent the emergence of a two-speed Europe. Non-eurozone countries should be able to take part in eurozone meetings, though without being able to vote.

The reduced role left for the rotating Council’s presidency means that a six-month term should more properly be judged on its effect in chairing the ministerial meetings and weekly meetings of member states ambassadors to the EU. Polish government reached some practical goals: it concluded negotiations on economic governance rules in EU and cleared the way for Croatia to join the EU in 2012-13. Some progress was made in areas such as the single patent and the enlargement of the Schengen area to Bulgaria and Romania.

That Poland was unable to prevent divisions worsening does not reflect badly on its stewardship; it just shows that even the most positive presidency could be powerless to ease the EU's woes.

Practical outcomes

Danish media mentioned recently six most important practical steps in the Danish work at the Council.

- Reduction of the mobile phone prices in Europe;

- Efficient use of energy: reduction of energy consumption by 20 per cent as well as CO2 emissions;

- Reduction of air pollution from transport, in particular from ships;

- Control of the excessive consumption of anti-biotic stuff in hospitals and patent treatment;

- Combating terrorism and criminality by expedient passengers’ registration;  

- Controlling the austerity measures in the most critical countries in the EU.

Some first important result of the Danish Council’s Presidency could be already expected soon: e.g. adoption of the new “stability pact” in March 2012; the intergovernmental agreement (instead of amendment treaty) shall be signed by the member states streamlining countries’ budget policy and requiring structural reforms. These measures shall be legally binding upon the member states, except the UK which opted out of the financial reform package. 

The Baltic Course magazine is accredited at the Danish Presidency and we will keep our readers informed about major events during the first half of 2012.