The Council. EU 25 – Creating a new design for the Council

The enlargement of the European Union to 25 Member States is having a particularly strong impact on the work of the Council. It has made it all the more important to streamline and better coordinate the Council's configurations and preparatory bodies. The increase from 11 to 20 official languages poses unprecedented practical challenges, and it remains to be seen whether the new linguistic regime will make it possible to cope. New guidelines for the presidency and delegations have been adopted concerning preparation and management of meetings. Other innovations are being explored under the Dutch Presidency. The first months of experience in EU 25 suggest that continuing efforts will be required to ensure that Council business can be managed efficiently and effectively in the coming years.