Sweden begins its EU presidency

by Anna Lauridsen

On July 1 the Czech Republic handed over the EU torch to Sweden.For those not living in Brussels or simply lacking a passion for European politics, this week’s major event must have gone by more or less unnoticed. As I did a quick search on the websites some of Europe’s major newspapers, the news was overshadowed by national events, forcing me to scroll down while attentively looking for the key words: “Swedish” “Presidency”.

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is one of the most important instruments for promoting the interests of EU member states and influencing the activities of the European Union. Accordingly, member states hold the presidency on a rotating basis following a predetermined schedule broken down into six-month terms.

Normally, the presidency is expected to handle at least one major crisis during its time at the steering wheel. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt will be forced to hit the ground running with the current global political and financial climate. In the coming months, a few crucial decision will be made as to whether Mr. Barroso will stay on as the President of the European Commission, who his commissioners will be and if the Lisbon Treaty will be successfully ratified by the Member States.

As for the presidency’s ambitions for international development, we have so far been told that it will work on specific measures to make EU development cooperation more effective and to ensure that different policy areas work together to contribute to sustainable global development, i.e. policy coherence for development. This change is seen in the light of the economic downturn which is affecting the poorest countries hardest.

Undoubtedly, the Presidency’s development agenda will culminate in the European Development Days, Stockholm, 22–24 October. The European Development Days is a three-day get together for the movers and shakers of international development, including development ministers, heads of national aid agencies, international aid organizations, NGOs and the like. The Development Gateway will participate for the second year in a row. Please check our website for our booth number closer to the date. You can also read about Development Gateway’s success in DRC.