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On 1 July 2005 the UK began its six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). As the principal decision-making body within the EU, the Council is responsible for setting the agenda and managing the business of the EU.
As holders of the Presidency, the UK will chair meetings of the Council, providing an opportunity to make progress on a number of key European objectives. The government has agreed to focus on a range of policy priorities such as climate change, Africa, economic reform, social justice, and security.
The Council of Ministers is the principal decision making body within the European Union (EU) and is responsible for setting the agenda and managing the business of the EU during its term. The Presidency changes every six months and the UK will be taking over the Presidency from Luxembourg in July. The Austrians took over from the UK on 1st January 2006.
Improving the European regulatory environment has been highlighted as one of the key policy priorities for the UK Presidency. The Better Regulation Executive (BRE) will be leading the work in this area. The Better Regulation Agenda at the European level is concerned with:
The BRE will also be co–ordinating the Cabinet Office’s work on European affairs during the UK Presidency, however individual management units will be driving their own agendas forward during the Presidency. Management units with a responsibility for European work are:
For general information on the UK Presidency please e-mail the Presidency Co-ordinator better.euro.reg@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk