Rotating Presidency in the European Union

COURSE DESCRIPTION 

The rotating leadership of the Council takes into account in practice the fact that the European Union is made up of sovereign Member States. The presidency creates the preconditions for the implementation of the principle of equal treatment of the states, in order to prevent the long-term domination of one center or one country in the integration processes. 

The course clarifies the role and the functions of the Council and the Rotating presidency after the changes in the institutional system of the European Union, made by the Lisbon Treaty. It analyzes the experience of the Rotating Presidencies after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009. The factors that affect the rotating presidency are analyzed and discussed in order to create a comprehensive model of successful and well-performing Presidency. Practical issues of organizing and holding the Rotating presidency are discussed. The methodology of Presidency performance evaluation is presented and discussed with students. 

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 

 The course aims to familiarise the students with the role of the Rotating presidency in EU and  to develop skills for analysis and expert knowledge of the EU decision-making process, necessary for the professional realization in the field of European integration.

This course will help students:

- to understand the role of the rotating presidency in the EU,
- to gain an intellectual understanding of negotiators’ behavior and of the central concepts in negotiation as they apply in the European Union institutional context,
- to improve their ability to analyze the negotiation situation and learn how to develop a toolkit of useful negotiation skills, strategies, and approaches adapted to work in the European institutional context,

- to become well-trained experts with leadership, administrative and organizational skills in order to participate actively in the process of decision-making in the EU and to contribute to the successful implementation of the rotating presidency of the EU Council.