Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Not to be confused with President of the European Council or President of the European Commission.

Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Emblem of the Council
Flag of Europe
Currently held by
Hungary
1 July – 31 December 2024
Council of the European Union
Seat
AppointerRotation among the EU member states
Term lengthSix months
Constituting instrumentTreaties of the European Union
Formation1958
First holderBelgium Belgium
Websitehungarian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu
Presidency trio
Spain Spain • Belgium Belgium • Hungary Hungary

The presidency of the Council of the European Union[1] is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, which is the co-legislator of the EU legislature alongside the European Parliament. It rotates among the member states of the EU every six months. The presidency is not an individual, but rather the position is held by a national government. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "president of the European Union". The presidency's function is to chair meetings of the council, determine its agendas, set a work program and facilitate dialogue both at Council meetings and with other EU institutions. The presidency is currently, as of July 2024, held by Hungary.

Three successive presidencies are known as presidency trios. The current trio is made up of Spain (July-December 2023), Belgium (January–June 2024), and Hungary (July-December 2024). The 2020 German presidency began the second cycle of presidencies, after the system was introduced in 2007.[2]

  1. ^ "The presidency of the Council of the EU". Council of the EU.
  2. ^ "Council of the European Union". Council of the EU. Retrieved 14 May 2016.