Reforming the EU Presidency?

The presidency is a highly sensitive issue in the discussion on the EU's institutional reform. Catalysed by successive enlargements, complaints about the six-monthly rotating chair were raised for decades. Yet, the system proved difficult to reform. However, a number of changes have now been agreed upon, including the forming of presidential teams, fixed presidencies, and a formalisation of procedures for chairing Council meetings. In a way, this amounts to a communitarisation of one of the EU's intergovernmental characteristics. Building on a leadership model, this contribution evaluates the political compromises in reforming the presidency and concludes that these reforms are insufficiently based on empirical evidence. Among others, they may reduce incentives for individual EU Member States to live up to their presidential duties and may lead to new problems of coordination.

For further information please contact Adriaan Schout.