How it works

The duties and competences of the rotating Presidency have been modified with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, which introduced new institutional actors, namely the permanent President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy, who leads the work in the European Council, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, currently Catherine Ashton, who conducts EU foreign policy and chairs the Council’s configuration for foreign affairs.

Within this framework, the rotating Presidency chairs all the Council configurations, with the exception of the Foreign Affairs Council and the European Council, while it works in close cooperation with both the President of the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The Lisbon Treaty has also enhanced the role of the European Parliament, as the ordinary legislative procedure (known as co-decision) applies to the majority of the EU policy areas, making the European Parliament a co-legislator, along with the Council of the EU. Hence, a fruitful cooperation between the Council and the Parliament is an imperative for a successful Presidency.

Read more about the Presidency of the Council