An impressive display of fireworks at the Mont des Arts concluded the Belgian EU presidency on 31 December. The colours of Europe and of the Spanish, Hungarian and Belgian flags became visible against a foggy sky. Even if, besides creating a joint logo, there was never any intention of intensive cooperation between the three countries, Belgium, Spain and Hungary were a so-called triumvirate, at least ostensibly so.
In the past months, the resigning Belgian ministers led thirty-six formal council meetings and sixteen informal meetings. In addition, Belgian diplomats, experts and officials chaired the working parties and committees that prepared all these meetings. We are referring here to 1943 formal meetings of council working parties besides many more informal contacts. Belgian ministers represented the council in the European Parliament, in the European Commission and at multilateral meetings on all kinds of issues, throughout the world.
Doubts at the start
Most observers agree that the Belgian presidency was a success. This is not self-evident. Indeed, at the start of the presidency there were quite some uncertainties. In July, Belgium had no full-fledged government. Never before has the European presidency had to begin under a caretaker government. For a long time it also remained unclear if Belgium would manage to form a new government during the presidency. How would the tasks be passed on to the newcomers? Which parties would constitute the new government? Would the new ministers have enough European experience? In the end the coalition negotiations dragged on for months and the old team remained at the helm during the whole period. But also this old team created doubts: would a resigning minister radiate sufficient authority? And would the policymakers not be too focused on national politics?
The highest hopes seemed to rest on the shoulders of the people behind the scenes: experienced diplomats and officials who had prepared the presidency and mastered not only the ins and outs of all the files, but in many cases also had an excellent insight into the susceptibilities of the other Member States. Moreover, during the preparation of the presidency, good cooperation with the secretariat of the council and with the European Commission had been established.
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Table of Contents
Doubts at the start
The trophy cabinet of the Belgian presidency
The implementation of the Lisbon Treaty
The factors of success
Epilogue
Hendrik Vos (Mechelen, 1972) studied Political Sciences at Ghent University where he became a professor at the Department of Political Sciences in 1999. He is currently professor and director of the Centre for EU-Studies. His research specialises in decision-making and current developments in the European Union. He has published many books and contributions in renowned professional journals and regularly takes part in international conferences. Hendrik Vos is a much asked commentator on EU affairs in newspapers and on radio and television.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
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