The presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates among the 27 EU member states every six months. The country holding the presidency guides the work of the Council and represents all member states in negotiations with other EU institutions. Between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024, Hungary will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time.
The Council of the EU is one of the seven EU institutions. Its official name is the Council of the European Union – the Council for short. The Council debates legislation proposed by the European Commission and decisions are often taken after additional discussions with the European Parliament. The Council is made up of ministers from each EU country.
The country holding the presidency organizes and chairs meetings and represents the Council in its relations with the other EU institutions.
Leadership of the Council of the EU:
The Council meets in ten different configurations, all chaired by the country holding the presidency, with the exception of the Foreign Affairs Council. For example, when the Economic and Financial Affairs Council meets, the finance minister of the country holding the presidency chairs the meeting. The only exception is the Foreign Affairs Council, which is chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The country holding the presidency is responsible for setting the agenda, ensuring that the discussions follow the workflow and facilitating the negotiations in a professional manner.
Representation of the Council of the EU:
The presidency represents the Council in relations with the other EU institutions, particularly with the Commission and the European Parliament. This includes reaching consensus on the European Commission’s legislative proposals through informal trialogue meetings.
Representatives of the Council, the Parliament and the Commission attend informal tripartite meetings (often referred to as trilogues). In trilogues, the Council is always represented by the country holding the presidency.
The Rotating Presidency and Trio Program:
The rotation system allows each member state to take over the EU presidency once every 13.5 years. The presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates among the EU member states every six months.
Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, known as “trios”, to ensure continuity. Working together, the trio prepares the overall program for all three presidencies, known as the 18-month program or Trio Program.
Hungary will be the last country to hold the presidency in the second half of 2024, as part of a trio including Spain and Belgium.
Source: European Union Council of the EU
