The Lisbon Treaty delivered substantial institutional changes to the EU’s institutional set-up. It decapitated the rotating Council Presidency but at the same time strengthened the legislative role of the Council of Ministers. Two years after its coming into force the time has come to take stock and to evaluate the impact of the EU’s new rule-book on the Council Presidency. Given the ongoing euro crisis that hits the EU as never before, does the rotating Presidency still matter? Was the Belgian Presidency able to set precedents for future presidencies? How did Hungary and Poland perform and what is to be expected from Denmark and Cyprus?

LUNCH CONFERENCE

On the occasion of the publication of ‘Readjusting the Council Presidency: Belgian Leadership in the EU’ (edited by Steven Van Hecke and Peter Bursens) a lunch conference is organised hosted by the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU.

VENUE : Permanent  Representation of Belgium to the EU, Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi 61-63, 1040  Brussels

DATE :  Monday 23 January 2012; 12h30 - 14h30

from 12h30 onwards a sandwich lunch is offered (upon registration)

the conference starts at 13h00; drink is offered after the conference

PROGRAMME :

Presentation of the publication by Steven Van Hecke (University of Antwerp)

Keynote speech by Frans Van Daele, chef de cabinet of Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council

Panel debate moderated by Peter Bursens (University of Antwerp) with

Hungarian PSC Ambassador Károly  Grúber (t.b.c.)

            Belgian diplomat Peter Van Kemseke (t.b.c.)

            Professor Sophie Vanhoonacker (Maastricht  University)

            Research Fellow Piotr Maciej Kaczyński (Centre  for European Policy Studies)

Concluding remarks by Dirk Wouters, Ambassador

*** REGISTER HERE FOR THE LUNCH CONFERENCE

€ 26,95

288 pp.
ISBN: 9789054878520

Readjusting the Council Presidency

Belgian Leadership in the EU

Steven Van Hecke

Peter Bursens (eds.)

*** read more/ order the book

*** see the table of contents

By taking a close look at the institutional changes, the particularities of Belgium and the policy areas that are on the EU’s agenda, this book investigates how the rotating Presidency is affected by the Lisbon Treaty and how the 2010 Belgian Presidency has implemented the EU’s new rule-book. It shows that Belgium has created a new style rotating Presidency, going back to the basics of chairing the Council while adjusting it to its new political and institutional environment. In this way the Belgian Presidency has set precedents for the rotating Presidency to come.

This book is recommended to scholars, practitioners, students in EU politics and anyone who has an active interest in the way the rotating Council Presidency functions today.

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