Presidency of the Council of the European Union refers to the responsibility of presiding over all aspects of the Council of the European Union, when exercised collectively by a government, on a pre-established rota of the member states, of the European Union. The Presidency, which is sometimes informally called the European Presidency, has as its primary responsibility to organize and chair all meetings of the Council. However, working out compromises capable of resolving difficulties is in practice also a primary responsibility. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Established 1952 Presiding Country Portugal President Luís Amado President in Office José Sócrates Members 27 (at one time) Political parties 7, including: European Peoples Party Party of European Socialists Meeting place Justus Lipsius, Brussels, Belgium, European Union Web site http://www. ...

The post as President of the Council of the European Union is for each separate meeting held by the responsible government minister of the member state holding the Presidency. Separate from the Council of the European Union there is also the European Council, which meets at European summits at about four times per year. The task as President of the assembled European Council, is similarly performed by the head of government or head of state of the member state holding the Presidency. The President is primarily responsible for preparing and chairing Council meetings, and has no executive powers. A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ... The European Council (referred to as a European Summit) is a body of the European Union which meets around four times a year. ... The Head of Government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ...

Rotation

1958 to 2006

The Council of the European Union is presided over for a period of six months by each member state of the European Union in turn, in accordance with a pre-established rota unless the Council makes a new decision.

¹ Germany was due to succeed Austria in 2006 but stepped aside as general elections were scheduled for that period. Finland, as next in line, took their place. In the event, the German elections took place in 2005 due to a loss of confidence vote, but the re-arrangement remains. The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline for Biographies. ... Siegfried Balke (born on June 1, 1902 in Bochum, died on June 11, 1984 in Munich) was a German politician (CSU). ... Maurice Couve de Murville Maurice Couve de Murville (January 24, 1907 - December 24, 1999) was a French Protestant politician, a supporter of Charles de Gaulle, under whom he served as Foreign Minister (1958-1968), Finance Minister (1968), and Prime Minister (1968-1969). ... Giuseppe Pella (April 18, 1902-1981) was an Italian Christian Democratic politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1953 to 1954. ... Eugène Schaus (1901 – 1978) was a Luxembourgian politician. ... Joseph Antoine Marie Hubert Luns ( August 28, 1911 - July 18, 2002) was a Dutch politician and former NATO secretary-general. ... Paul-Henri Charles Spaak   listen? (January 25, 1899 - July 31, 1972) was a Belgian Socialist politician and statesman. ... Gerhard Schröder (September 11, 1910 - December 31, 1989) was a West German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (Germany) party. ... Maurice Couve de Murville Maurice Couve de Murville (January 24, 1907 - December 24, 1999) was a French Protestant politician, a supporter of Charles de Gaulle, under whom he served as Foreign Minister (1958-1968), Finance Minister (1968), and Prime Minister (1968-1969). ... Emilio Colombo (born April 14, 1920) was an Italian diplomat and politician. ... Eugène Schaus (1901 – 1978) was a Luxembourgian politician. ... Joseph Antoine Marie Hubert Luns ( August 28, 1911 - July 18, 2002) was a Dutch politician and former NATO secretary-general. ... Gerhard Schröder (September 11, 1910 - December 31, 1989) was a West German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (Germany) party. ... Maurice Couve de Murville Maurice Couve de Murville (January 24, 1907 - December 24, 1999) was a French Protestant politician, a supporter of Charles de Gaulle, under whom he served as Foreign Minister (1958-1968), Finance Minister (1968), and Prime Minister (1968-1969). ... Amintore Fanfani (6 February 1908 - 20 November 1999) was an Italian politician and Prime Minister. ... Pierre Werner (29 December 1913 - 24 June 2002) was a Luxembourg politician. ... Barend Willem Biesheuvel (April 5, 1920_April 29, 2001) was a Dutch politician, prime minister of the Netherlands from 1971 until 1973, as a member of the Protestant ARP party. ... Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm (December 18, 1913 - October 8, 1992), was a German politician, Chancellor of West Germany 1969 – 1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) 1964 – 1987. ... Maurice Couve de Murville Maurice Couve de Murville (January 24, 1907 - December 24, 1999) was a French Protestant politician, a supporter of Charles de Gaulle, under whom he served as Foreign Minister (1958-1968), Finance Minister (1968), and Prime Minister (1968-1969). ... Giuseppe Medici (Sassuolo, October 24, 1907 - Modena, August 21, 2000) was an Italian politician. ... Pierre Grégoire (9 November 1907 – 8 April 1991) was a Luxembourgian politician, journalist, and writer. ... Joseph Antoine Marie Hubert Luns ( August 28, 1911 - July 18, 2002) was a Dutch politician and former NATO secretary-general. ... Pierre Charles José Marie Harmel (born March 16, 1911) was a Belgian lawyer, Christian Democratic politician and diplomat. ... Walter Scheel (born July 8, 1919) is a German politician (FDP). ... Maurice Schumann (1911-1998) was a French politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou in the 1960s and 1970s. ... Aldo Moro (September 23, 1916 – May 9, 1978) was an Italian politician and five time Prime Minister of Italy, from 1963 to 1968 and then from 1974 to 1976. ... Gaston Egmond Thorn (born September 3, 1928), Luxembourg politician, was President of the European Commission, the executive body of the European Community, from 1981 to 1985. ... Pierre Charles José Marie Harmel (born March 16, 1911) was a Belgian lawyer, Christian Democratic politician and diplomat. ... Walter Scheel (born July 8, 1919) is a German politician (FDP). ... Jean Sauvagnargues (1915-2002) was a French politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Valéry Giscard dEstaing from 1974 to 1976. ... Garret FitzGerald (Irish: ; born February 9, 1926) was the seventh Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving two terms in office; July 1981 to February 1982, and December 1982 to March 1987. ... Mariano Rumor (June 16, 1915 – 22 January 1990) was an Italian politician, a member of the Democrazia Cristiana and several times Prime Minister of Italy. ... Gaston Egmond Thorn (born September 3, 1928), Luxembourg politician, was President of the European Commission, the executive body of the European Community, from 1981 to 1985. ... Max van der Stoel (born August 3, 1924, Voorschoten) is a Dutch politician. ... Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (29 August 1918 - 19 February 1977) was a member of the Labour Party and an important socialist theorist. ... David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen, CH, PC (born July 2, 1938) is a British politician, Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and one of the founders of the British Social Democratic Party (SDP). ... Henri Simonet (10 May 1931–15 February 1996) was a Belgian politician. ... Knud Børge Andersen (1914 - 23 March 1984) began his career as a journalist, but switched to politics in 1947, being elected to the Folketing as a Social Democrat. ... George H. W. Bush and Hans-Dietrich Genscher, November 21st, 1989. ... Jean François-Poncet (b. ... Michael OKennedy, (born February, 1936) was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... Attilio Ruffini (born December 31, 1925 in Mantua) is an Italian politician. ... Colette Flesch (born 16 April 1937) is a Luxembourgian politician. ... Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, KG, GCMG, CH, MC, PC, JP, DL (born June 6, 1919), was British Foreign Secretary (1979–1982) and Secretary-General of NATO (1984–1988). ... Leo Tindemans  listen? , born in Zwijndrecht on 16 April 1922, was prime minister (CVP) of six Belgian governments, from 25 April 1974 to 20 October 1978. ... Uffe Ellemann-Jensen (b. ... George H. W. Bush and Hans-Dietrich Genscher, November 21st, 1989. ... Roland Dumas (b. ... Peter Barry (Irish: ; born August 10, 1928) is a retired Irish Fine Gael politician and businessman. ... Giulio Andreotti (born 14 January 1919 in Rome) is an Italian politician who served seven times as Prime Minister of Italy. ... Jacques Poos (born 3 June 1935) is a Luxembourg politician. ... Hans van den Broek  listen (born 11 December 1936 in Paris) is a Dutch politician. ... Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, CH, PC, QC (born 20 December 1926), known until 1992 as Sir Geoffrey Howe, is a senior British Conservative politician. ... Leo Tindemans  listen? , born in Zwijndrecht on 16 April 1922, was prime minister (CVP) of six Belgian governments, from 25 April 1974 to 20 October 1978. ... Uffe Ellemann-Jensen (b. ... George H. W. Bush and Hans-Dietrich Genscher, November 21st, 1989. ... Theodoros Pangalos (Greek Θεόδωρος Παγγάλος) was a Greek general who briefly ruled Greece from 1925-26. ... Francisco Fernández Ordóñez (1930-1992) was a Spanish ´politician who became Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) government of Felipe González from 1985 until shortly before his death from a terminal illness in 1992. ... Roland Dumas (b. ... James Gerard Collins (born October, 1938) was a senior Irish politician. ... Gianni De Michelis Gianni De Michelis (born on 26 November 1940 in Venezia) is an Italian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Southern with the NPSI, and is therefore a Non-Inscrit in the European Parliament waiting for the acceptance of his partys request of membership in... Jacques Poos (born 3 June 1935) is a Luxembourg politician. ... Hans van den Broek  listen (born 11 December 1936 in Paris) is a Dutch politician. ... João de Deus Pinheiro, born 11 July 1945 in Lisbon, is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party–Peoples Party coalition; part of the European Peoples Party–European Democrats group. ... Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC (born 8 March 1930), is a senior British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995. ... Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (born June 15, 1943) was the Prime Minister of Denmark from January 25, 1993 to November 27, 2001. ... Willy Claes (born November 24, 1938) was Secretary General of NATO and a Belgian politician. ... Karolos Papoulias Karolos Papoulias (Greek: Κάρολος Παπούλιας) is the President of the Hellenic Republic, former minister and member of the Hellenic parliament. ... Dr. Klaus Kinkel (born December 17, 1936) is a German politician (FDP). ... Alain Marie Juppé (born 15 August 1945) is Frances Minister of State, Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development ; among other positions, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997. ... Javier Solana Francisco Javier Solana Madariaga (born July 14, 1942 in Madrid, Spain) is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU). ... Created by Aris Katsaris. ... Lamberto Dini (right) with William Cohen Lamberto Dini (born in Florence, March 1, 1931), is a former Italian Prime Minister (1995-1996) and Foreign Minister (1996-2001). ... Richard Spring (born August 29, 1950 in Tralee County Kerry), is a businessman and former senior Irish politician. ... Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva (Hans) van Mierlo (born August 18, 1931) is a Dutch journalist and politician. ... Jacques Poos (born 3 June 1935) is a Luxembourg politician. ... Robert Finlayson Cook (28 February 1946 – 6 August 2005) was a politician in the British Labour Party. ... Wolfgang Schüssel Wolfgang Schüssel (born on June 7, 1945 in Vienna, Austria) is a Christian Democratic Austrian politician. ... Joschka Fischer Joseph Martin Joschka Fischer (April 12, 1948 – ) was German foreign minister and Vice Chancellor in the government of Gerhard Schröder from 1998 to 2005. ... Tarja Kaarina Halonen (IPA: ) (born December 24, 1943, in Helsinki, Finland) is the President of Finland. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jaime Jose Matos Da Gama (born June 8, 1947) is a Portuguese diplomat. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Hubert Védrine and Ben Ali Hubert Védrine (born July 31, 1947) is a French Socialist politician, who served as Foreign Minister in the government of Lionel Jospin from 1997 to 2002. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Louis Michel Louis Michel (born September 2, 1947) was until July 2004 the Belgian foreign minister. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Josep Piqué (February 21, 1955) is a politician of the right-wing Spanish Peoples Party. ... Per Stig Møller Per Stig Møller (born August 27, 1942 in Frederiksberg) is the current Foreign Minister, as of 2005. ... George Papandreou as Foreign Minister of Greece For George Papandreous grandfather, also called George Papandreou, see George Papandreou, senior. ... Franco Frattini (born 14 March 1957) is an Italian politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security. ... Patrick Bartholomew Bertie Ahern (Irish: ; born 12 September 1951) is an Irish politician who, since 26 June 1997, has served as the tenth Taoiseach. ... Taken from http://www. ... Dr. Bernard Bot, born November 21, 1937 is the current Minister of Foreign affairs of The Netherlands. ... Taken from http://ue. ... Jean Asselborn (born 1949) is a politician from Luxembourg. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (commonly referred to as Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... Douglas Garven Alexander (born October 26, 1967) is a British politician who is Secretary of State for International Development. ... The Minister of State for Europe is an executive position in the Government of the United Kingdom, in charge of affairs with the European Union. ... Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... Ursula Plassnik Ursula Plassnik (born May 23, 1956 in Klagenfurt) is an Austrian diplomat and politician. ... Image File history File linksMetadata EUAT2006KoolhaasLogo. ... Matti Taneli Vanhanen ( ) (born November 4, 1955, in Jyväskylä) is the current Prime Minister of Finland, as well as Chairman of the Centre Party. ... Image File history File links Logo_2006_finland. ...

2007 onwards

From 2007 the presidency will be triple-shared for periods of 1.5 years with one of the three countries assuming "leading role" during each half-year. This change was made so that the new member states get to hold a presidency sooner, but at the same time the triplets are arranged so that in each of them there are both new and old member states - with the assumption that the old member states will pass their experience to the co-presidency new-members. It is also assumed that 1.5 year presidencies (even triple-shared) will be better at accomplishing policies, because the main agenda items will not be changed each half-year, but each 1.5 years (each three states will execute a common programme).

A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation. ... Steinmeier and Condoleezza Rice in Berlin Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier (born 5 January 1956 in Detmold, Germany) is a German politician and, since November 22, 2005, Foreign Minister of Germany in the Grand Coalition of Angela Merkel. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Luís Filipe Marques Amado (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

See also

• Presidents of the European Union
  • President of the European Parliament
  • President-in-Office of the European Council
  • President of the European Commission

There is currently no single President of the European Union, though there are a 3 major positions that carry the title President within the Unions institutional framework. ... The President of the European Parliament oversees all the activities of the European Parliament and its constituent bodies. ... The European Council (referred to as a European Summit) is a body of the European Union which meets around four times a year. ... François-Xavier Ortoli, Romano Prodi, José Manuel Barroso and Jacques Delors The President of the European Commission is notionally the highest ranking unelected official within the European Union bureaucracy. ...

External links

• Presidency of the Council of the European Union
• Logos of the Council Presidencies
• Presidency order of Rotation List to 2020