Presidency of the Council of the European Union
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Presidency of the Council of the European Union refers to the responsibility of presiding over all aspects of the Council of the European Union, when exercised collectively by a government, on a pre-established rota of the member states, of the European Union. The Presidency, which is sometimes informally called the European Presidency, has as its primary responsibility to organize and chair all meetings of the Council. However, working out compromises capable of resolving difficulties is in practice also a primary responsibility.
The post as President of the Council of the European Union is for each separate meeting held by the responsible government minister of the member state holding the Presidency. Separate from the Council of the European Union there is also the European Council, which meets at European summits at about four times per year. The task as President of the assembled European Council, is similarly performed by the head of government or head of state of the member state holding the Presidency. The President is primarily responsible for preparing and chairing Council meetings, and has no executive powers.
Rota
The Council of the European Union is presided over for a period of six months by each member state of the European Union in turn, in accordance with a pre-established rota unless the Council makes a new decision.
| year | member state holding presidency | minister responsible (usually the foreign minister) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | First half-year | Belgium | Victor Larock | ||
| Second half-year | Germany | Siegfried Balke | |||
| 1959 | First half-year | France | Maurice Couve de Murville | ||
| Second half-year | Italy | Giuseppe Pella | |||
| 1960 | First half-year | Luxembourg | Eugène Schaus | ||
| Second half-year | Netherlands | Joseph Luns | |||
| 1961 | First half-year | Belgium | Paul-Henri Spaak | ||
| Second half-year | Germany | Gerhard Schröder | |||
| 1962 | First half-year | France | Maurice Couve de Murville | ||
| Second half-year | Italy | Emilio Colombo | |||
| 1963 | First half-year | Luxembourg | Eugène Schaus | ||
| Second half-year | Netherlands | Joseph Luns | |||
| 1964 | First half-year | Belgium | Hendrik Fayat | ||
| Second half-year | Germany | Gerhard Schröder | |||
| 1965 | First half-year | France | Maurice Couve de Murville | ||
| Second half-year | Italy | Amintore Fanfani | |||
| 1966 | First half-year | Luxembourg | Pierre Werner | ||
| Second half-year | Netherlands | Barend Biesheuvel | |||
| 1967 | First half-year | Belgium | Renaat Van Elslande | ||
| Second half-year | Germany | Willy Brandt | |||
| 1968 | First half-year | France | Maurice Couve de Murville | ||
| Second half-year | Italy | Giuseppe Medici | |||
| 1969 | First half-year | Luxembourg | Pierre Grégoire | ||
| Second half-year | Netherlands | Joseph Luns | |||
| 1970 | First half-year | Belgium | Pierre Harmel | ||
| Second half-year | Germany | Walter Scheel | |||
| 1971 | First half-year | France | Maurice Schumann | ||
| Second half-year | Italy | Aldo Moro | |||
| 1972 | First half-year | Luxembourg | Gaston Thorn | ||
| Second half-year | Netherlands | Norbert Schmelzer | |||
| 1973 | First half-year | Belgium | Pierre Harmel | ||
| Second half-year | Denmark | Ivar Nørgaard | |||
| 1974 | First half-year | Germany | Walter Scheel | ||
| Second half-year | France | Jean Sauvagnargues | |||
| 1975 | First half-year | Ireland | Garret FitzGerald | ||
| Second half-year | Italy | Mariano Rumor | |||
| 1976 | First half-year | Luxembourg | Gaston Thorn | ||
| Second half-year | Netherlands | Max van der Stoel | |||
| 1977 | First half-year | United Kingdom | Anthony Crosland, then David Owen | ||
| Second half-year | Belgium | Henri Simonet | |||
| 1978 | First half-year | Denmark | Knud Børge Andersen | ||
| Second half-year | Germany | Hans-Dietrich Genscher | |||
| 1979 | First half-year | France | Jean François-Poncet | ||
| Second half-year | Ireland | Jack Lynch | |||
| 1980 | First half-year | Italy | Attilio Ruffini | ||
| Second half-year | Luxembourg | Colette Flesch | |||
| 1981 | First half-year | Netherlands | Chris van der Klaauw | ||
| Second half-year | United Kingdom | Peter Carrington | |||
| 1982 | First half-year | Belgium | Léo Tindemans | ||
| Second half-year | Denmark | Uffe Ellemann-Jensen | |||
| 1983 | First half-year | Germany | Hans-Dietrich Genscher | ||
| Second half-year | Greece | Grigoris Varfis | |||
| 1984 | First half-year | France | Roland Dumas | ||
| Second half-year | Ireland | Peter Barry | |||
| 1985 | First half-year | Italy | Giulio Andreotti | ||
| Second half-year | Luxembourg | Jacques Poos | |||
| 1986 | First half-year | Netherlands | Hans van den Broek | ||
| Second half-year | United Kingdom | Geoffrey Howe | |||
| 1987 | First half-year | Belgium | Léo Tindemans | ||
| Second half-year | Denmark | Uffe Ellemann-Jensen | |||
| 1988 | First half-year | Germany | Hans-Dietrich Genscher | ||
| Second half-year | Greece | Theodoros Pangalos | |||
| 1989 | First half-year | Spain | Francisco Fernández Ordóñez | ||
| Second half-year | France | Roland Dumas | |||
| 1990 | First half-year | Ireland | Gerard Collins | ||
| Second half-year | Italy | Gianni De Michelis | |||
| 1991 | First half-year | Luxembourg | Jacques Poos | ||
| Second half-year | Netherlands | Hans van den Broek | |||
| 1992 | First half-year | Portugal | João de Deus Pinheiro | ||
| Second half-year | United Kingdom | Douglas Hurd | |||
| 1993 | First half-year | Denmark | Poul Nyrup Rasmussen | ||
| Second half-year | Belgium | Willy Claes | |||
| 1994 | First half-year | Greece | Karolos Papoulias | ||
| Second half-year | Germany | Klaus Kinkel | |||
| 1995 | First half-year | France | Alain Juppé | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_ES1995.png | |
| Second half-year | Spain | Javier Solana | |||
| 1996 | First half-year | Italy | Lamberto Dini | ||
| Second half-year | Ireland | Dick Spring | |||
| 1997 | First half-year | Netherlands | Hans van Mierlo | ||
| Second half-year | Luxembourg | Jacques Poos | |||
| 1998 | First half-year | United Kingdom | Robin Cook | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_UK1998.gif | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_AU1998.jpg |
| Second half-year | Austria | Wolfgang Schüssel | |||
| 1999 | First half-year | Germany | Joschka Fischer | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_DE1999.gif | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_FI1999.gif |
| Second half-year | Finland [1] (http://presidency.finland.fi/) | Tarja Halonen | |||
| 2000 | First half-year | Portugal | Jaime Gama | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_PR2000.png | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_FR2000.gif |
| Second half-year | France | Hubert Védrine | |||
| 2001 | First half-year | Sweden [2] (http://eu2001.se/) | Anna Lindh | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_SE2001.png | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_BE2001.jpg |
| Second half-year | Belgium [3] (http://www.eu2001.be/) | Louis Michel | |||
| 2002 | First half-year | Spain | Josep Piqué i Camps | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_ES2002.gif | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_DK2002.gif |
| Second half-year | Denmark [4] (http://www.eu2002.dk/) | Per Stig Møller | |||
| 2003 | First half-year | Greece [5] (http://www.eu2003.gr/en/cat/0/index.asp) | George Papandreou | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_GR2003.png | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_IT2003.gif |
| Second half-year | Italy [6] (http://www.euitaly2003.it/EN/) | Franco Frattini | |||
| 2004 | First half-year | Ireland [7] (http://www.eu2004.ie/) | Brian Cowen | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_IE2004.jpg | Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_NL2004.png |
| Second half-year | Netherlands [8] (http://www.eu2004.nl/) | Bernard Bot | |||
| 2005 | First half-year | Luxembourg [9] (http://www.eu2005.lu/) [10] (http://www.gouvernement.lu/dossiers/union_europeenne/presidence2005/index.html) | Jean Asselborn | 
| Missing image EU_Presidency_Logo_UK2005.png |
| Second half-year | United Kingdom [11] (http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/) | ||||
| 2006 | First half-year | Austria | |||
| Second half-year | Finland |
External links
- Presidency of the Council of the European Union (http://ue.eu.int/en/presid.htm)
- Logos of the Council Presidencies (http://www.euroesprit.org/eu_presidencies.html)
- Council Decision of 1 January 1995 determining the order in which the office of President of the Council shall be held (http://europa.eu.int/abc/obj/treaties/en/entr22.htm#I___Council_Decision_of_1_January_1995_determining_the_order_in_which_the_office_of_President_of_the_Council_shall_be_held)es:Presidente de la Unión Europea