The end of the French-Czech-Swedish trio: what now?
Symbol of the joint programme of the trio France, Czech Republic, Sweden. https://czech-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/trio-programme/
Sara Saccon, 5 minutes
Every 18 months a group of three member states of the Union holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, one of the most important European institutions. The trio composed of France, Czech Republic, and Sweden is coming to an end, as Sweden’s mandate will terminate on the 30th of June. What challenges have the three presidencies encountered during the past year and a half? How have they dealt with them? And, most importantly, what now?
Rotating presidencies – Background
Every member state of the EU holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. No matter how big or small the state is, “every country takes its turn”, meaning that the presidency only comes around once every thirteen-and-a-half years. What does this system of rotating presidencies imply? And does the presidency really influence the work of the Council?
Infographic representing the rotating presidencies up to 2030. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/presidency-council-eu/#article
The rotating presidency holds a sort of “responsibility without power”. As a matter of fact, the Council presidency has a delicate political-diplomatic role, setting the frequency of the meetings and the agenda, and thus driving forward the Council’s work. In this sense, the presidency is the function that ensures the continuity of the EU's work in the Council, which represents an essential institution in the decision-making process.
Since 2007, anticipating what is envisaged in the Lisbon Treaty, the presidency has fallen to the member states according to a system of equal rotation, which takes into account their diversity and the geographical balances of the Union.
However, member states holding the presidency work together in groups of three, called “trios”. The three countries working together have to agree on determining the topics and major issues that the Council will address over that 18-month period. The current presidency trio started in January 2022 with the French presidency, followed by the Czech Republic and currently held by Sweden.
Infographic summarizing the relations between the Council of the EU and the other EU entities. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/presidency-council-eu/#article
In the complex political system of the European Union, the Council of the EU has a prominent role since, together with the European Parliament, it negotiates and adopts European laws. Being the Council a broad legal entity structured in ten different configurations, the presidency coordinates its work by setting the political priorities and preparing a detailed programme that establishes the main direction for the presidency.
French-Czech-Swedish trio
It goes without saying that the trio that Sweden is concluding had to work in a rather complex and unique context: during the French presidency (January - June 2022), Russia invaded Ukraine. Emmanuel Macron, in amessage that summarizes the results of his country’s presidency, said: “The face of Europe has changed profoundly in six months. Faced with war’s return to our continent, the EU has neither been divided nor shirked its responsibilities”.
In one of our previous articles, we presented the objectives of the French Presidency at the beginning of its mandate. Now, after one year, it is possible to observe how the start of the war has reshaped those priorities.
Alternating French and EU flags. Copyright: illustrez-vous
At the beginning of 2022 the three ambitions of the Versailles agenda were to promote “a more sovereign Europe” by introducing a reform on the Schengen area, “a new European model for growth”, and a “humane Europe”. The goal of enhancing European sovereignty has translated into the strengthening of the defence capabilities through the increase of defence spending and the attempts to end the energy dependence on Russia. The accent on a “new era of European sovereignty” of the EU has become also a central argument for fostering ecological, social, and digital progress.
Passing the baton to the Czech presidency, Macron underlined: “In these six months, a new chapter has begun, in which our Presidency furthered its priorities of recovery, strength and the sense of belonging while defending our independence, our values and our role in the world.”
Czech Republic held the presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1st July to 31st December. https://czech-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/programme-of-the-presidency/
The Czech presidency (July-December 2022-2023) has worked in continuity with France’s semester. As stated in the Results of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, “the agenda was significantly influenced by the current geopolitical situation, in particular the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and the urgent need to respond adequately to it”. It is under the Czech presidency that the EU approved the seventh, eighth and ninth packages of sanctions against the Russian Federation.
Ulf Kristersson, Swedish prime minister and Jessika Roswall, Minister for EU affairs on 14 December 2022. Copyright: Axel Öberg/Regeringskansliet.
Lastly, the Swedish semester (January-June 2023) started in line with the ambitions and concerns of France and the Czech Republic. The priorities set by the Swedish Presidency are indeed security, competitiveness, and green energy transition. “Sweden is taking over the presidency at a time when the European Union is facing unprecedented challenges. A greener, more secure, and freer Europe is the foundation of our priorities”. Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson pronounced these words at the presentation of the political priorities of the Swedish presidency on 14th December 2022.
Although it is probably still early to sum up the work of the trio, it is already possible to observe how Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has considerably reshaped the work of the ten configurations of the Council as well as the rhetoric of the French-Czech-Swedish Presidencies. Discussions on European sovereignty, independence, geopolitics, and security have indeed become central, thus probably accelerating the path through a more “geopolitical” Europe, as already advocated by Von der Leyen at the beginning of her mandate in 2019.
What to expect now?
The next trio of rotating presidencies will start next July, and it will be composed of Spain, Belgium, and Hungary. Spain, which previously held the presidency in 2010, has already announced that its mandate will focus on health, food, and energy. It will be also interesting to observe how Belgium will manage the presidency, since during its last mandate the country was particularly challenged by domestic political problems, lacking a coalition agreement after the collapse of the federal government. Moreover, it will be the second time that Hungary holds the presidency: what could this mean for the Council? During its semester in 2011, Hungary chose the motto “Strong Europe”. However, in recent years, the country has taken a problematic stance regarding the rule of law, one of the principles of the EU. Given the important role of the presidency in coordinating the work of the delegations of the member states in the Council: which role will Hungary play?
