Frequently asked questions
Here you can find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Presidency. Click on the relevant question to reveal the answer. If your question is not here, you can contact the Presidency in Sweden via the link on the right.
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When will the Treaty of Lisbon enter into force?
The Treaty of Lisbon enters into force on the first day of the month after the last Member State has handed in its instrument of ratification. Now that the Czech Republic, as the last Member State, has ratified the Treaty, it will come into force on 1 December.
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What decided the Czech Republic’s ratification?
The Lisbon Treaty was approved by the Czech Parliament in the spring. However, at the end of September 17 Czech senators submitted a new request for the country’s constitutional court to examine whether some further parts of the Lisbon Treaty were compatible with the Czech constitution. In addition, Czech President Vaclav Klaus requested that the Czech Republic be allowed to accede to the same protocol that the United Kingdom and Poland have under the Treaty of Lisbon, on the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The Treaty makes this charter legally binding. At the meeting of the European Council on 29–30 October, the heads of state and government agreed to the Czech demand. On 3 November the Czech Constitutional Court rejected the senators’ complaint. The court ruled that the entire Lisbon Treaty was compatible with the Czech constitution. Following this verdict, President Klaus signed the Czech instrument of ratification.
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Why is it a good thing that the Treaty of Lisbon can enter into force?
Under the Treaty of Lisbon the EU will get more modern rules and greater opportunities to tackle important challenges, such as cross-border crime. The Treaty of Lisbon is simply better suited to a Union that has expanded with twelve new Member States within the past five years – and that we would like to see continue to grow. The Treaty strengthens the EU’s ability to make decisions, while also making the Union more open and democratic. The elected European Parliament and the national parliaments in the Member States will have more say. The Union will become a stronger voice on international issues and will be better equipped to address global challenges that require real action. The EU High Representative will be given a weightier role, as the same person will also take on the role of Vice President of the Commission, with responsibility for external relations. A European external relations service will be established under the High Representative. The Lisbon Treaty means that the conditions for pursuing an integrated foreign policy will be much improved.
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How is the Presidency preparing for the entry into force on 1 December?
Sweden’s ambition is for the heads of state and government to appoint the top posts as soon as possible – a permanent President of the European Council, a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a Secretary-General for the Council Secretariat. New Commissioners must also be presented and then approved by the European Parliament. In the Council, work is currently underway to prepare for the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty so that the practical aspects work as they should from the very beginning. During the Swedish Presidency, the focus has been on preparing for those decisions that legally must be completed in immediate connection with the entry into force of the Treaty, and the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs. The European Council took note of the preparatory work described in the progress report published before the meeting (document no 14928/09) and endorsed the Presidency’s report on guidelines for the European External Action Service (document no 14930/09). The aim is to ensure all necessary decisions are made before the Treaty enters into force, including rules of procedure for the European Council.
General questions about the Presidency
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What does it mean to be the holder of the EU Presidency?
The Presidency is a unique opportunity for Sweden to influence the work on important EU issues. Its main tasks are leading the work of the Council and taking responsibility for moving discussions on important EU issues forward. Sweden will chair the Council’s meetings at all levels and has the important task of helping to broker agreements between Member States. The country holding the Presidency must be impartial and act in the interest of all the Member States. The holder of the Presidency also represents the Council in its dealings with other EU institutions and with countries outside the EU, as well as in international organisations.
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What are the expectations for this Presidency?
Every Presidency is unique and comes in a different context. In 2001, for example, there were 15 Member States, now there are 27. This means that there are more countries that need to agree and arranging meetings is more complicated. The conditions for this Presidency can be considered difficult for various reasons, one of which is that not all Member States have ratified the proposed new EU treaty – the Lisbon Treaty. Therefore, Sweden must be prepared to conduct its Presidency with the current treaty in place, or with a new treaty entering into force during or immediately after the Presidency. In June, there were European Parliament elections. Sweden will therefore begin its Presidency with a newly elected Parliament. The newly elected Parliament will focus on internal issues, such as forming committees and holding hearings with the new Commission. In October, a new EU Commission will be appointed. The Commission must then be approved by vote of both the European Parliament and the Council. Fewer proposals than usual are therefore expected from the Commission during Sweden’s Presidency.
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Will Sweden have greater opportunities to promote Swedish interests during its Presidency?
Well, yes and no. Holding the Presidency means first and foremost that one has to promote the interests of the entire EU, which in practice means ensuring that the Member States agree. For it to be so, compromise is often necessary, which can mean that Sweden has to sacrifice its own position on certain issues. However, at the same time, the Presidency means that we have a greater influence over which issues come up on the agenda. In practice, it is usually the case that 80 per cent of all issues dealt with during a Presidency are inherited from a previous Presidency. And on top of this come the unforeseen events. Looking back, we can see that France really only dealt with the financial crisis during its Presidency, and the handover to the Czech Republic in January coincided with the crisis in Gaza. It remains to be seen what unforeseen events Sweden will have to cope with.
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Is Fredrik Reinfeldt going to be the President of the entire EU?
Fredrik Reinfeldt will be the President of the European Council, which usually meets twice every six months (known as the EU summits). In addition, Fredrik Reinfeldt will represent the EU to international organisations and countries that are not members of the Union. But each minister is responsible for his or her Council – for example, the Minister for the Environment chairs the Environment Council. All Council meetings, Coreper meetings (meetings of ambassadors) and working group meetings will be chaired by ministers from Sweden.
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In what way might the change of Commission affect the Swedish Presidency?
The Commission will not deliver any weighty proposals. The Presidency will negotiate with the heads of state and government over the summer. The European Parliament will then hold hearings with the Commissioners. After this, the Parliament will decide whether to approve the Commission. If all goes according to plan, the Commission will take office on 1 November.
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In what way might the European Parliament elections affect the Swedish Presidency?
It takes time for the new parliamentarians to organise themselves. Certain types of legislation lose out before the committees have been formed.
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What makes a successful Presidency?
Ultimately, it is a question of moving the EU’s agenda forward and not letting national interests overshadow the assignment. An effective Presidency is also flexible and capable of dealing with crises and unforeseen events.
What does the Presidency cost?
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The Government has allocated SEK 971 million for the Presidency. What is the money used for?
Almost SEK 400 million goes to organising meetings in Sweden, for which a special meetings logistics secretariat has been set up. Almost SEK 400 million is spent on areas such as skills development and extra staff at the ministries. SEK 81 million is a cushion in case Sweden has to hold extra meetings.
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How large is the budget compared with the 2001 Presidency?
In 2001, the total budget was SEK 835 million. The cost of meetings activities then was around SEK 345 million. At the same time, we should remember that, in 2001, the EU had 15 Member States and now there are 27, which will affect the total cost.
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Is Sweden arranging activities for ministers’ husbands and wives who accompany them? What is the cost of these?
The Government Offices is planning 111 meetings in Sweden. The meetings will involve some 23 000 delegates and will give Sweden the opportunity to influence the future development of the EU. As a marginal part of this, there is a practice of inviting accompanying guests to some ministerial meetings. Around half usually attend, which in this case means 120 guests out of a total of 23 000. The programme for accompanying guests does not usually last longer than one day and usually involves study visits and sightseeing, transport being by bus. In some cases, it will be the Government Offices that is responsible for the programme, in other cases it might be a municipality. The cost of the programmes that the Government Offices put on in 2001 was between SEK 15 000 and SEK 20 000 per meeting. These activities are still at the planning stage and so we do not yet know what the cost will be this time.
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Why does it cost so much?
Distributing the meetings between several regions is expensive. Every new meeting location is a unique project. Wherever the meeting takes place, the venue must almost always be adapted in some way. There are additional costs for interpretation, technical support, meals and transport. By reducing the number of locations, scheduling the meetings directly after one another and using the same conference facility for the majority of the meetings in Stockholm, the Government has made every effort to keep the costs down and limit the environmental impact.
The Presidency logo
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What signals does the logo give?
Transparency, dialogue, climate, down-to-earth and light have been key words in the process of producing the logo. The idea behind the logo and the entire visual identity is that they should be applicable to all the issues and reinforce the Government’s ambitions and goals for the Presidency. Examples include the climate issue, the Baltic Sea and continued EU enlargement.
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Who has chosen the logo?
The Government has chosen the logo.
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Who has designed the logo?
A communications agency called Bacon.
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How did you decide on the logo?
We sent out enquiries to 17 agencies with which the Government Offices has framework agreements. They submitted outlines of their ideas and tenders and Bacon communications agency ended up getting the order. Bacon had the best overall solution and showed both a wealth of ideas and knowledge about the nature of the assignment, and understanding of the communicative challenge and complexity of the Presidency.
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How much did the Presidency logo cost?
The whole graphic profile, including the logo, manual and application, cost SEK 1.3 million. During Sweden’s Presidency in 2001, the equivalent amount was SEK 1.6 million.
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SEK 1.3 million – isn’t that a lot of money?
It is in line with what logos and graphic profiles cost for events and projects of this size. But we have naturally tried to keep the costs down without lowering our quality standards. To make a comparison, the logo and graphic profile are almost 20 per cent cheaper than those produced for Sweden’s last EU Presidency in 2001. Then, the logo and graphic profile cost SEK 1.6 million.
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Can anyone use the logo?
The logo may be used in connection with all the meetings, conferences and other events that are included on the official calendar. When it comes to other meetings or events, permission must be applied for.
The Presidency website
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Why have you changed the web address? Was eu2009.se already taken?
The Government has purposely chosen to set a new standard. By using the address se2009.eu, the Government wants to underline that the country holding the Presidency and hosting the EU speaks for the European Union in its entirety. At the same time, the address makes it clear that Sweden is a core member of the EU. The domain name .eu is also used by most EU institutions and organisations, so it feels natural that we, as Presidency, are also using it. But we also own the old address, eu2009.se.
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Is it hoped that this change will change the standard for future Presidency web addresses?
Yes. We are setting a new standard that makes it clear that the country holding the Presidency is the President of the whole of the EU and speaks on behalf of the entire Union. EU institutions also use the domain name .eu. This is why we are hoping that more will follow suit.
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Did you have to pay for double web addresses (both se2009.eu and eu2009.se)?
No. We were allowed to register another address at almost no extra cost (about SEK 500). We now have both web addresses, which means that if you write eu2009.se under the old model, you are automatically transferred to se2009.eu.
Meetings in Sweden
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How will the Presidency be visible in Sweden?
Over a normal six months in the EU, around 3000 meetings take place. 113 of these will now be held in Sweden. Of these, 11 are informal ministerial meetings, which will be held in seven locations around the country. For logistical, economic and environmental reasons, the meetings in Sweden will be held in fewer locations than last time – 21, as opposed to 44. More meetings will be held in the same place and straight after one another, in order to keep costs down. A range of cultural events for the public will take place, along with seminars and conferences.
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How many meetings will be held in Sweden? Why that many?
During the Presidency, 113 meetings on different levels will be held in Sweden. 11 are informal ministerial meetings. There are no plans for an informal summit in Sweden this time. Approximately 50 per cent more EU meetings are being held in Sweden in 2009 than in 2001. This increase reflects a new practice and the fact that the EU has taken on more assignments, not least in foreign and security policy and justice and home affairs. The number of meetings during the Swedish Presidency is still significantly lower than, for example, the most recent French and Finnish Presidencies.
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Why are the meetings in fewer locations this year than in 2001?
It is first and foremost in order to keep the Presidency as cost efficient as possible, but also because of logistical reasons and environmental concerns. There are now 27 Member States. Last time Sweden held the Presidency, there were only 15. This places higher demands on logistics and means larger venues are required. Around 20 locations in Sweden will host meetings during the Presidency. Seven of them will host informal ministerial meetings. The location with most meetings will be Solna in Stockholm. The Frösundavik conference facility in Solna will host 35 meetings, and where possible we have tried to schedule larger meetings directly after one another and in the same venue to keep costs, logistical work and environmental impact to a minimum.
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How were the locations for the meetings chosen?
There are many considerations behind the choice of meeting locations. Many factors have been taken into consideration. These include efforts to spread the meetings across different regions, as well as accessible resources, venues, costs, security and environmental considerations. The Government demands consideration of the environment and the climate, which is why the spread of meetings across the country is not as wide as it was for the previous Presidency in 2001. For example, when booking hotels, the first consideration has been whether they have an express environmental policy. To ensure that staffing and financial resources are sufficient, it is necessary that the regional spread is less than last time and that meetings that take place in the Stockholm area are mostly held in the same conference facility.
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Why are there no summits being held in Sweden this time?
Previously, the meetings of the European Council were held in the country holding the Presidency, but since the enlargement in 2004, all formal meetings are held in Brussels. The decision has been taken for reasons of efficiency, cost and security.
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Why are meetings held in the country that is holding the Presidency?
At the informal ministerial meetings in the country that is holding the Presidency, the EU Member States can discuss new issues. The meetings in the country holding the Presidency offer an opportunity for delegates and the media to acquaint themselves with, in this case, Sweden and its distinctive features. When they began, these meetings served a social function, enabling ministers and officials to meet in a more informal setting. As the EU has grown and the workload has increased, the meetings have increasingly become working meetings, yet still without any formal decisions being made. The meetings are still characterised by their informal nature. The ministerial meetings, like all other meetings and conferences in the country holding the Presidency, form important opportunities to prepare upcoming decisions or discuss new aspects of different issues. Not least, they can provide opportunities for the country holding the Presidency to influence the EU’s future work.
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What are the three most interesting meetings from a political perspective?
It is difficult to say in advance, a lot depends on what issues are being discussed. Because of the financial crisis and the recession, there will certainly be extra interest in the meeting of finance ministers, ECOFIN. At the informal meeting of ministers for agriculture in 2001 in Östersund, around 20 journalists were expected. However, the meeting coincided with the outbreak of mad cow disease, and 200 journalists turned up. However, from a historical perspective, the meetings that usually receive a lot of attention are the meeting of foreign affairs ministers, ECOFIN and the meeting of justice ministers (JHA).
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How is the Presidency taking the environment into consideration when planning meetings and meeting locations?
The meetings secretariat, working with the practical arrangements for the meetings, requires that all its suppliers consider the environment in their work. The secretariat tries, in collaboration with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, to help its suppliers implement this in practice. Where possible, the Presidency will use low-emission modes of transport. Considerable environmental benefits will also be gained by reducing the regional spread of the meetings, planning for meetings in the same location and scheduling the majority of meetings in Stockholm at the same conference facility in Frösundavik. Sweden has high credibility on environmental and climate issues. Environmental issues are a political priority during the Swedish EU Presidency. This will of course be reflected in meeting activities in Sweden. For example, when booking hotels, the first consideration has been whether the hotel has an express environmental policy.
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What about security around the meetings in Sweden?
Sweden will maintain its tradition of openness and democracy. At the same time, security must be guaranteed. Openness in a secure environment is a watchword. The balance between the two will vary from meeting to meeting. The Government Offices cooperates closely with SÄPO and the county police forces to satisfy the demand for openness as far as possible, without in turn risking security for the meeting delegates or anyone else.
Q&A; Treaty of Lisbon
Here you can find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Treaty of Lisbon. Click on the relevant question to reveal the answer.
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When does the Treaty of Lisbon enter into force?
On 13 December 2007 the EU heads of state and government signed the Lisbon Treaty after a number of years of discussion on institutional issues. Once the Czech Republic deposited its instrument of ratification in Rome on 13 November 2009, all 27 EU Member States had ratified the Lisbon Treaty and it therefore enters into force on 1 December 2009.
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What does the Lisbon Treaty mean in broad terms?
The Treaty of Lisbon contains a number of important new features to enable the EU to work more effectively, while becoming more modern, more democratic and clearer for citizens. The EU also becomes a stronger player on the international stage.
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What happens with the other Treaties?
The Treaty of Lisbon amends the existing EU and EC Treaties. The name of the EC Treaty will be changed to the “Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union”.
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Will there still be the ‘three pillars’?
No. The EU replaces and succeeds the EC and the division of the cooperation into three pillars ceases. However, certain special provisions will still apply for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
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Does the Treaty contain any values?
Yes, the Treaty of Lisbon establishes a number of values such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. It also says that the European Union shall promote peace, the Union’s values and the wellbeing of its peoples. But the Treaty also emphasises respect for each Member State’s national identity.
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Does the Treaty address human rights?
Yes, the Charter on Fundamental Rights becomes legally binding when the EU’s institutions and Member States apply EU laws and regulations. The Charter lists a number of rights that apply for all citizens of EU countries. These rights are civil, political, economic and social. The EU will also accede to the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
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Does the EU become a state now?
No, the Union essentially remains a cooperation between sovereign states. The EU may only act within the framework of the powers the Member States have transferred to it. The EU’s powers are described in the Treaty text in accordance with established legal practice in the European Court of Justice.
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Does the EU get a President now?
The role is more like that of a Chair, who will chair the meetings of the European Council, which the EU’s heads of state and government attend and which until now have been chaired by the head of state or government of the country holding the rotating Presidency. Another new aspect of the Treaty is that the European Council receives the status of an EU institution.
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How is the President chosen and how long does he or she serve?
The President is chosen by the EU’s heads of state and government, for a period of two and a half years. The President can be appointed for a second term and can therefore sit for a total of five years.
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What will happen to the current rotating Presidency?
The Presidency of the Council will continue to rotate between the Member States, with the exception of the External Relations Council, which will be chaired by the ‘High Representative’.
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Has Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt chaired his last meeting as President of the European Council?
No, in accordance with an agreement at the European Council in December 2008, the Swedish Presidency continues to chair the remaining meetings of the European Council, the External Relations Council and meetings with countries outside the EU, known as ‘third-country meetings’.
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What is the role of the High Representative?
He or she has two roles, one as a representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Chair of the External Relations Council, and one as the Vice-President of the Commission with responsibility for the coordination of external relations issues within the Commission’s areas of responsibility. A European External Action Service will be established to support the High Representative. The External Action Service will bring together current functions from the Commission and the Council Secretariat.
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Does the European Parliament get more power?
The European Parliament gets extensive new powers with regard to EU legislation, the EU budget and international agreements. In principle, the European Parliament will be placed on a par with the Council of Ministers in the decision-making process and will have a power of ‘codecision’. This applies in area including criminal law cooperation and police cooperation and agriculture and fisheries policy.
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Will a Member State still be able to apply a veto?
Yes, on certain issues, for example, the possibility remains within foreign and security policy and taxation. However, majority voting will become the norm in the Council on areas such as criminal law cooperation and police cooperation.
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What does the ‘ordinary legislative procedure’ mean?
The legislative procedure is divided into two categories. The ordinary legislative procedure means that decisions are made in the Council by qualified majority and together with the Parliament. This corresponds to the current codecision procedure. Special legislative procedures can mean, for example, that a decision is made by unanimity or that there is no codecision with the Parliament, rather it is only consulted.
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What does ‘qualified majority’ mean and what effect does the Treaty of Lisbon have on it?
Qualified majority means that, in a vote, a proposal must be adopted by a majority greater than a simple majority (i.e. half). From 2014 a new system will be introduced, which means that there is a qualified majority when a decision is supported by 55% of the Member States. This is on the condition that these countries represent at least 65% of the population of the EU.
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Does each Member State get to keep its EU Commissioner?
Under the Lisbon Treaty, the Commission will have one member from each Member State until 2014. However, at the EU summit in December 2008 the heads of state and government agreed that the Commission will continue to have one member from each Member State.
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How does the Treaty affect the national parliaments?
Sweden’s Riksdag and the parliaments of the other Member States will be given more influence and a clearer role in monitoring whether decisions are to be taken at EU level or by the Member States, i.e. ensuring that the principle of subsidiarity is respected. If one third of parliaments consider that a proposal should not be dealt with at EU level, the Commission is obliged to reconsider the proposal. As more national parliaments say no, pressure on the Commission to withdraw or amend a proposal will increase.
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What happens to the European Court of Justice?
The court will change its name to the ‘Court of Justice of the European Union’. The court has jurisdiction over all areas of the Treaties if it is not expressly stated that its jurisdiction is limited. In the main, issues relating to the Common Foreign and Security Policy are not under the court’s jurisdiction.
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How is the work of the police affected?
The Lisbon Treaty means completely new powers to make decisions in the area of criminal law cooperation and police cooperation. By making the current horizontal provisions of Community law applicable in this area, the Commission, for example, can also control that EU regulations are incorporated and followed correctly in these areas. The area of policing and criminal law has a special nature as it concerns core responsibilities of the nation state, such as responsibility for exercising public authority over individuals. A number of separate rules have therefore been introduced in this area. One such special rule is the ‘emergency brake’ in the area of criminal law, which offers the possibility to ‘brake’ the decision-making process by qualified majority in certain cases.
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How is transparency affected?
The Lisbon Treaty establishes that the meetings of the Council of Ministers are to be open to the public when debating and passing laws. The EU principle of public access is given greater weight and now applies to almost all EU agencies.
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Will it be easier for me as a member of the public to influence EU decisions?
The EU institutions are to contribute towards an open debate on the EU’s activities and hold regular dialogue with associations and organisations. A special, new feature is the Citizens’ Initiative, which means that one million EU citizens together can urge the Commission to present a legislative proposal.
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How is foreign policy affected?
The High Representative gets a central role when it comes to coordinating and implementing the European Union’s foreign policy. An External Action Service will be established under the High Representative in order to improve coordination of external relations.
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How is security and defence policy affected?
Within security and defence policy, emergency management is developed further and streamlined as a task of the EU, so that it covers both conflict prevention and peace support operations with civil and military resources. As a rule, the Member States must make this type of decision unanimously.
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Is the EU’s ability to act in the event of a disaster affected?
A solidarity clause is introduced, which states that the Union shall mobilise all available instruments to support a Member State that is the victim of a terrorist attack or a natural or man-made disaster. Should this happen, the Member State concerned shall be able to request help and assistance from the other Member States.
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Is environmental cooperation strengthened?
A new feature of the Treaty of Lisbon is that the EU shall promote measures at international level to deal with environmental problems and climate change. This means, for example, that the fight against climate change is to be placed high on the EU agenda.
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Can a Member State leave the Union?
The Treaty of Lisbon for the first time gives the Member States the possibility to leave the EU by means of a procedure to be followed in the event that a Member State voluntarily requests to leave the Union.
Other
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How many people at the Government Offices are involved in the Presidency?
In total, around 200 people have been employed as reinforcements at the ministries, missions abroad and Presidency secretariats. But almost everyone at the Government Offices and almost all staff at the missions abroad work with the Presidency in different ways and to different extents. The Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU in Brussels has been reinforced with an additional 60 staff. A special ‘meetings secretariat’ has been established to coordinate the meetings in Sweden. It has around 50 staff, who work to organise the meetings (arranging meeting venues and furnishings, transport, security, food and accommodation, media logistics etc.). In addition, around thirty meeting attachés have been employed. They will be responsible for looking after the foreign delegations at the major meetings. A ‘communications secretariat’ has also been established. It employs 25 people, including information officers, web editors and translators.
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What languages are used on the Presidency website?
Information on the website is published in Swedish, English and, to a large extent, French. In addition, there is some information in Sweden’s official minority languages – Finnish, Meänkieli, Northern Sami, Romany and Yiddish. There are no formal language requirements for a Presidency website, unlike for the EU institutions. The Swedish Presidency is following the custom that has developed. Ultimately, it is a question of resources.
This website is now functioning as an archive and will not be updated. Previously there was a photo here which has been removed for copyright reasons.
Faisant dorénavant office d’archives, ce site n’est plus remis à jour. Ici se trouvait précédemment placée une photo ayant été retirée pour des raisons de droits d’auteur.
EU Council configurations
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