The Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council: how the 16th Member State performed

The institution of the Presidency is entrusted with specific roles –manager of the Council business and of its relations with other EU institutions and external representative, broker and initiator as well as national representative– over the course of six months, in the midst of ongoing political and legislative processes in the EU and when faced with unexpected external or internal events. The role of President has several advantages, most importantly access to information and control of procedures, but its use depends on each country’s specific characteristics and its ability to adapt to the roles, to exploit its advantages and minimise its disadvantages. This analysis picks up on the most challenging examples of Slovenia’s conduct of its Presidency roles and concludes with an insight into the management of the Trio Presidency to show where Slovenia lived up to expectations, where it exceeded them and where lessons can be learnt.