Author (Person) | Thomson, Ian | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | |||||||||||||||||||||
Series Title | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||
Series Details | 9.1.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Publication Date | 08/01/2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||
On 1 January 2000 Portugal assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the period January-June 2000. Portugal took over from Finland and will be followed in turn in July 2000 by France. The functions of the Presidency are nor formally defined in the EU Treaties apart from stating that each Member State will successively hold the office for a period of six months. The functions have evolved over the years. Essentially, the Member State that holds the Presidency of the Council becomes the business manager of the EU, laying down the agenda, organising and chairing all meetings, and representing the EU to the outside world during the six months of office. Thus, the Presidency is seen as a major responsibility for the Member State holding the Office and considerable manpower and financial resources are required. The order by which Member State holds the Presidency has evolved over the years for a number of reasons. Since 1995 the order has been: Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Finland, Portugal, France, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Denmark and Greece. This order ensures that a 'large' Member State is always within the 'troika' of Presidencies, whereby the current Presidency country co-operates with the immediate past and future Presidencies to ensure continuity of EU business. Further information on the development and functions of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union is provided on the website of the Finnish EU Presidency. The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, January-June 2000 Like all Presidencies of the past few years, Portugal has launched a website which provides information on the Programme of the Presidency, a calendar of meetings to take place during the Presidency and much further information:
The Programme of the Portuguese Presidency The key objectives, as noted in the Presidency Programme, are as follows:
Further information It has become a tradition over the last few years for the European Commission President and his fellow European Commissioners to visit the capital city of the Member State holding the Presidency in the first few days of the Presidency to confer and issue a joint statement. For the Portuguese Presidency, this meeting took place in Lisbon on Monday 10 January 2000. The statement issued is accessible at: A further tradition is for the President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union (that is, the Foreign Minister of the Presidency country) to attend the first plenary session of the European Parliament following the start of a Presidency to present his or her country's Presidency Programme. For Portugal this took place during the plenary session 17-21 January 2000 in Strasbourg and is reported in The Week (click on 'Collection 2000'). During each Presidency the country holding the office organises one or more European Council meetings (for further details on the European Council see In Focus 08/99). Portugal has scheduled two European Councils: the main one will take place 19-20 June 2000 in Santa Maria da Feira, and there will be a special European Council on 23-24 March 2000 in Lisbon with the theme 'Employment, Economic Reform and Social Cohesion'. Further information within European Sources Online:
Ian Thomson On 1 January 2000 Portugal assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the period January-June 2000. Portugal took over from Finland and will be followed in turn in July 2000 by France. |
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Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations | |||||||||||||||||||||
Countries / Regions | Portugal |
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