• H2020
• Policy & Research

Luxembourg has today taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Latvia for the second half of 2015.

This marks the end of the current Trio Presidency, which saw Italy hold the title between July and December 2014, and the 12th time since 1958 that the Government of Luxembourg has chaired the Council.

Amongst its objectives, the Luxembourg Presidency intends to ‘put the citizen at the heart of the European project’, taking real care that the direct interest of citizens is better taken into account in all EU policies.

Its priorities are based on seven ‘pillars’. These include: deepening the EU’s social dimension; managing migration and combining freedom, justice and security; revitalising the Single Market by focusing on its digital dimension; placing European competitiveness in a global, transparent framework; promoting sustainable development; strengthening the EU’s global presence; and stimulating investment to boost growth and employment.

As part of this final pillar, the Presidency has said it will work towards the promotion of the EU’s financing and support instruments in the fields of SMEs, innovation and research, in particular COSME and Horizon 2020.

The Presidency will be officially launched on Friday 3 July. To celebrate, a ‘European picnic’ will be held on the Place d’Armes, Luxembourg City. Visitors will be invited discover and taste the culinary specialities of the 28 EU member states, accompanied by a special musical programme developed by the Luxembourg City Tourist Office.

The Luxembourg Presidency is the first to take place under the auspices of the Lisbon Treaty, which has given new competences to the Union and established a new institutional balance.

The country will hand over the position to the Netherlands on 1 January 2016.